Haibao Pagoda

The Haibao Pagoda (Sea Treasure Pagoda), with a history of over 1,500 years, is situated in Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Since it is in the northern suburb of the City, it is also called 'North Pagoda'. It is not known when it was originally founded; literary record has it that it was rebuilt in the fifth century. Over the centuries the Haibao Pagoda has endured several earthquakes. It has collapsed and been rebuilt time and time again. The existing pagoda was restored in the year 1788 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is one of the eight highlights in Ningxia and is on the list of the sixteen famous pagodas in China.

Haibao Pagoda is a pavilion-style pagoda, with nine tiers and eleven flights of stairs. The rectangular pagoda is made of bricks, 53.9 meters (about 177 feet) high. It has a square base, 5.7 meters (about 18 feet) in height and 19.7 meters (about 65 feet) in length. On the first floor, there is an arched door and a portico. From the second floor up, each storey has four arched doors that protrude a bit. Recesses in the wall were also built on both sides of the doors to add to the luxuriance and give a third dimension. There are wind-chimes hanging on all the corners, and these fill the place with pleasing sound on windy days. All told, our Pagoda is built in a style rarely seen in ancient pagoda architecture.

There is a square chamber on each floor which is encircled by a wooden stairs winding up from below. The molding decreases by fifteen to twenty centimeters from the base upwards, storey by storey. The top of Haibao Pagoda has a distinctive shape, for it looks like a peach made up with green colored glaze bricks. This color is in sharp contrast to the grey body, which contributes to what we might call the Pagoda's civility and liveliness. From the top, it is possible to see the Yellow River (Huanghe) away to the east, while to the west the majesty of Helan Moutain can be enjoyed. The view is comparable in beauty with any of the delicate scenery in South China.
 

1. Take Bus 4, 30, 58 or 311 to Haibaota Si (Haibao Pagoda).
2. Take Bus 16, 29, 35, or 49 to Haibao Gongyuan.