Taiyuan 2011

Wooden pagoda seeks for world heritage status

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-15 16:00

This photo taken on Sept 4, 2009 shows the Yingxian Pagoda in Shanxi province [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

TAIYUAN - Authorities in north China's Shanxi Province said Sunday that they would finish the application for the Sakyamuni Pagoda, the oldest wooden structures in the world, by July for it to be included on the UNESCO list of cultural relics by 2013.

The Sakyamuni Pagoda, also known as the Yingxian Pagoda as it was housed in the Fogong Temple of Yingxian County, is the oldest full-wooden pagoda still standing in China and believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world.

Standing 67.31 meters tall, the octagonal pagoda was built in 1,056 AD during the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty.

The government has allocated over 30 million yuan (about 4.59 million U.S. dollars) to improve the environment surrounding the state-protected pagoda, said Zhao Chang, head of the county's cultural relics department.

The wooden tower has survived several strong earthquakes and wars, although it now has a tilt which is worrying architectural experts.