Kingdom of Dali
Although the Pagoda of Fogong Temple is the tallest extant wooden pagoda, the tallest Chinese pagoda built in the dynastic era that remains standing is the Liaodi Pagoda. Completed in 1055, it is tall, with an octagonal base on a large platform, surpassing the Qianxun Pagoda, which had held the record since its construction in the 9th century by the Kingdom of Dali. Although the Liaodi Pagoda served its religious purpose as a Buddhist landmark in the Kaiyuan Monastery of Ding County, Hebei province, its great height gave it another valuable function, as a military watch tower that was used to observe movements of the Liao enemy. Beside their utility in surveillance, pagoda towers could also serve as astronomical observatories; one such is the Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory, built in 1276 and still standing today.