Porcelain tower of Nanjing - wikipedia Porcelain tower of Nanjing Porcelain Tower of Nanjing Early European illustration of the Porcelain Tower, from An embassy from the East - India Company ( 1665 ) by Johan Nieuhof Chinese 琉璃 塔 Literal meaning `` Veruliyam - Glazed Pagoda '' Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liúlí tǎ Alternative Chinese name Traditional Chinese 大 報恩 寺 Simplified Chinese 大 报恩 寺 Literal meaning `` Great Temple of Repaying Kindness '' Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dà Bào'ēn sì Current Porcelain Tower Porcelain Tower, from An embassy from the East - India Company ( 1665 ) by Johan Nieuhof The Porcelain Pagoda, as illustrated in Fischer von Erlach 's A Plan of Civil and Historical Architecture ( 1721 ) The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing ( Chinese : 琉璃 塔 ; pinyin : Liúlí tǎ ), part of the former Bao'en Temple ( Chinese : 報恩 寺 ; pinyin : Bao'en Si ; literally : `` Temple of Repaid Gratitude '' ), is a historical site located on the south bank of external Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China. It was a pagoda constructed in the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty, but was mostly destroyed in the 19th century during the course of the Taiping Rebellion. A modern life size replica of it now exists in Nanjing. In 2010 Wang Jianlin, a Chinese businessman, donated a billion yuan ( US $156 million ) to the city of Nanjing for its reconstruction. This is reported to be the largest single personal donation ever made in China. In December 2015, the modern replica and surrounding park opened to the public. Contents 1 History 2 Description 3 References 4 External links History The original blocks of the Nanjing Tower 's arched door, now pieced back together and on display at the Nanjing Museum The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing was designed during the reign of the Yongle Emperor ( r. 1402 -- 1424 ), shortly before its construction in the early 15th century. It was first discovered by the Western world when European travelers like Johan Nieuhof visited it, sometimes listing it as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. After this exposure to the outside world, the tower was seen as a national treasure to both locals and other cultures around the world. In 1801, the tower was struck by lightning and the top four stories were knocked off, but it was soon restored. The 1843 book, The Closing Events of the Campaign in China by Granville Gower Loch, contains a detailed description of the tower as it existed in the early 1840s. In the 1850s, the area surrounding the tower erupted in civil war as the Taiping Rebellion reached Nanjing and the rebels took over the city. They smashed the Buddhist images and destroyed the inner staircase to deny the Qing enemy an observation platform. American sailors reached the city in May 1854 and visited the hollowed tower. In 1856, the Taiping destroyed the tower either in order to prevent a hostile faction from using it to observe and shell the city or from superstitious fear of its geomantic properties. After this, the tower 's remnants were salvaged for use in other buildings, while the site lay dormant until a recent surge to try to rebuild the landmark. Description The original blocks of the Nanjing Tower 's arched door, now pieced back together and on display at the Nanjing Museum The tower was octagonal with a base of about 97 feet ( 30 m ) in diameter. When it was built, the tower was one of the largest buildings in China, rising up to a height of 260 feet ( 79 m ) with nine stories and a staircase in the middle of the pagoda, which spiraled upwards for 184 steps. The top of the roof was marked by a golden pineapple. There were original plans to add more stories, according to an American missionary who in 1852 visited Nanjing. There are only a few Chinese pagodas that surpass its height, such as the still existent 275 - foot - tall ( 84 m ) 11th - century Liaodi Pagoda in Hebei or the no longer existent 330 - foot - tall ( 100 m ) 7th - century wooden pagoda of Chang'an. The tower was built with white porcelain bricks that were said to reflect the sun 's rays during the day, and at night as many as 140 lamps were hung from the building to illuminate the tower. Glazes and stoneware were worked into the porcelain and created a mixture of green, yellow, brown and white designs on the sides of the tower, including animals, flowers and landscapes. The tower was also decorated with numerous Buddhist images. References Jump up ^ `` Nanjing pagoda - Seven wonders of the medieval world ''. www.unmuseum.org. U.N. Museum. Retrieved 28 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` Wanda chairman makes largest donation in China 's history ''. People 's Daily. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2011. Jump up ^ Yu, Elaine ( 2016 - 09 - 16 ). `` Nanjing 's Porcelain Tower : Ancient ' world wonder ' brought back to life ''. CNN. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Thousand - year Porcelain Tower of Nanjing completes renovation ''. People 's Daily. 2015 - 12 - 15. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 28. Jump up ^ Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture Jump up ^ Jonathan D. Spence. God 's Chinese Son, New York 1996 Jump up ^ Williams, S. Wells. The Middle Kingdom : a Survey of the Geography, Government, Literature, Social Life, Arts, & History of the Chinese Empire & its Inhabitants, Vol. 1. Scribner ( New York ), 1904. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porcelain Pagoda of Nanjing. `` The legendary porcelain tower ''. The missing ancient architectures. Episode 7. China Central Television. CCTV - 9. ( English subtitle ) The Closing Events of the Campaign in China by Granville Gower Loch. London 1843. City of Nanjing Districts Xuanwu Qinhuai Jianye Gulou Pukou Liuhe Qixia Yuhuatai Jiangning Lishui Gaochun Baixia ( defunct ) Xiaguan ( defunct ) Attractions Parks and lakes China Gate Castle Park Couple Park Defence Park Gulin Park Jiangxin Island Mochou Lake Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo Purple Mountain Purple Mountain Observatory Qingliangshan Park Taoye Ferry White Horse Park Wuchaomen Park Xu Garden Xuanwu Lake Yuhuatai Memorial Park of Revolutionary Martyrs Zhan Yuan Garden Zhongshan Botanical Garden Temples Nanjing Fuzimiao ( Temple of Confucius ) Jiming Temple Jinghai Temple Linggu Temple Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum Qixia Temple Historic sites Chaotian Palace City Wall of Nanjing Memorial of Tao Xingzhi Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall National Revolutionary Army Memorial Cemetery Presidential Palace, Nanjing Stone City The Porcelain Pagoda of Nanjing Other sites Jinling Hotel Nanjing City Wall Nanjing International Exhibition Center Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Xianlin Yangtze River power line crossings Zhonghua Gate Culture and history Nanjing Museum Jiangsu Province Kun Opera Nanjing decade Jiangsu Art Gallery Education Nanjing University Southeast University Hohai University Nanjing Agricultural University China Pharmaceutical University Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Nanjing University of Science & Technology Nanjing Normal University Nanjing University of Technology Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Medical University Nanjing University of Finance & Economics Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications Nanjing University of the Arts Nanjing Audit University Sanjiang College Hopkins - Nanjing Center Transport Nanjing Railway Station Nanjing Metro Nanjing Lukou International Airport China National Highway 312 Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge 2014 Youth Summer Olympics Commons Coordinates : 32 ° 4 ′ 49.26 '' N 118 ° 43 ′ 48.78 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 32.0803500 ° N 118.7302167 ° E ﻿ / 32.0803500 ; 118.7302167 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Porcelain_Tower_of_Nanjing&oldid=802521784 '' Categories : Towers completed in the 15th century Buildings and structures in Nanjing Chinese porcelain Destroyed landmarks in China Towers in China Chinese ceramic works Former towers Ming Chengzu Hidden categories : Articles containing Chinese - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Čeština ދިވެހިބަސް Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Winaray 吴语 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 26 September 2017, at 18 : 03. 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Question: where is the porcelain tower of nanjing located
Answer: south bank of external Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China