SUMMER PALACE, Tower Of Buddhist Incense

The Tower of Fragrance of the Buddha was built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Originally designed to be a nine-storey tower, it was turned into a Buddhist tower when the eighth floor was already under construction. Like many buildings in the Summer Palace, this large structure was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, and underwent restoration in 2006.

The octagonal tower is 41 meters high, rests on a 21-meter stone base and is supported by eight wooden pillars. There are numerous rooms along the portico around the stone base, and the gates are decorated with yellow glazed tiles, green edges and red walls.

Inside, on the second floor, is a magnificent gilded statue, measuring five meters tall and weighing 5 tons, depicting the Thousand-Handed Buddha, dating to the Ming dynasty. In the center is an inscription by Emperor Qianlong telling the story of how the lake was created.

Now press pause, enter the tower and press play again....