Yongning Pagoda

The Yongning Pagoda or Yongning Temple in Luoyang was one of the tallest buildings of the world from 516 AD to 534 AD. The timber-frame pagoda with a complete column grid and a stabilising masonry-core was built during the Northern Wei in 516 AD, but is no longer extant. Possibly nine stories high, of which seven were made of earth platforms with wooden verandas, and the top two stories being completely out of wood. One source states that it was 90 zhang (about 240 m) high, plus a 10 zhang high pinnacle, which is thought to be an exaggeration. More reliable sources suggest that it may have been 40 zhang (about 100 m) or 49 zhang high, including the pinnacle having possibly had a top height of 137, 147, or with a pinnacle of extra 7 zhang even 154.95 m, making it the tallest building in the world at that time and the tallest pagoda ever built until the completion of the Tianning Temple (Changzhou) in 2007. According to evidence unearthed by modern archaeological excavation, the pagoda had a square foundation of rammed earth with a width of 38.2 m. The earthen foundation was covered by a 2.2 m thick layer of limestone bricks. Pillar bases have been discovered at each corner of the pagoda. According to Yang Xuanzhi who lived in Luoyang in the year 520, the pagoda could be seen from as far as 50 km. The Yongning Pagoda was destroyed in 534 when it was struck by lightning and caught fire.