Haibao Pagoda 海宝塔

About Haibao Pagoda

The brick tower and a sequence of halls make this more than an isolated monument. The Mahavira Hall contains the central Buddhist images, while the Jade Buddha Hall has a different devotional focus. The complex has been rebuilt after earthquakes, so its long religious history is not the same as the age of every present building.

Haibao Pagoda originally stood on an island within a lake and was known in the Ming dynasty as the Black Pagoda (黑宝塔). Its construction date is unrecorded; a 2006 archaeological survey found seven cultural strata pointing to construction between the Northern dynasties and the Sui and Tang dynasties. An earthquake in 1709 destroyed its top four stories; monks rebuilt it by 1712 into the form that survives today. A 1738 earthquake toppled it entirely, and it was repaired again with donations in 1778.

The pagoda rises from a square platform 5.7 metres high with 19.2-metre sides, faced with brick and topped by a parapet, with steps up its east side. At the platform's centre stands a square pedestal 4.2 metres high, from which rises the surviving nine-story brick tower; the whole structure's total height is 54 metres. Each floor's arched doorways project outward, giving the plan a twelve-sided outline, with corbelled brick eaves between storeys and iron bells at the four corners.

Haibao Pagoda was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 1961. Following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake it was closed to the public, ending a longstanding problem of visitor graffiti. Haibao Park, centred on the temple, was established in 2010, improving the surrounding environment.

What to look for

• The Northern Pagoda forms the main vertical landmark.
• The Mahavira and Jade Buddha halls belong to a wider temple complex.

Location & getting there

Getting to Haibao Pagoda

Use Haibao Pagoda Temple in northern Xingqing District, Yinchuan. Follow the temple’s current public entrance and worship rules; confirm any tower access separately.