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A PAGODA (OR TOWER)
K e a r the City o f Sou-tcheou,
T h e s e b u ild in g s are a s trik in g feature o n the face o f th e c o u n try . T h e
C h in e se name for th em is T a ; h u t Eu ro p e an s hav e im p ro p e rly d en om inated
them P agodas, a term u sed in some O rie n ta l co u n trie s fo r a temple
o f re lig io u s w o rsliip . I t seems th e T a o f C h in a is n o t in te n d e d for
sacred p u rp o se s , b u t erected o cc asionally b y v ice ro y s o r ric h m an d a rin e s ,
eith e r for th e g ra tific ation o f personal v a n ity , o r w itli th e idea o f tra n sm ittin
g a name to p o s t e r i ty ; o r perh ap s b u ilt b y th e m ag istrac y m e re ly as
objects to e n r ic h th e landscape.
T h e y are g en e ra lly b u ilt o f b ric k , an d sometimes cased w ith porc elain,
an d chie fly consist o f n in e , th o u g h some hav e o n ly seven o r five stories,
ea ch h a v in g a g a lle ry , w h ic h m a y be ente red from the w in d ows, a n d a
p ro je c tin g roof, covered w ith tiles o f a ric h y e llow c o lo u r, h ig h ly glazed,
w h ich receive from th e su n a sp len d o u r eq u a l to b u rn ish e d go ld . A t each
an g le o f the roofs a lig h t b e ll is su spended, w h ic h is r u n g b y th e force o f
the w in d , an d produc es a jin g lin g n o t a lto g e th e r u n p le a sa n t. These
b u ild in g s are for th e m o s t p a rt octagonal, th o u g h some few are h ex a g o n a l,
an d ro u n d . T h e y d im in ish g ra d u a lly in circumference from the fo u n d a tio
n to th e sum m it, a n d hav e a staircase w ith in , b y w h ic h th e y ascend to
th e u p p e r s to ry . I n h e ig h t th e y are g e n e ra lly from an h u n d re d to an
h u n d re d a n d fifty feet, a n d are s itu a ted in d isc rim in a te ly o n eminenc es o r
p la in s , o r oftene r in c itie s . T h e P r in t re p rese n ts one o f m o d ern stru c tu re .
T h o se o f a more an c ien t date are in a m u tila te d state, an d the roofs covered
w ith g re y tile s, o v e rg row n w ith moss, w h ile o th ers h av e a cornic e o n ly
in s te a d o f th e projec ting roof.
V id e the p r in t o f L in -ts in P ag o d a in S ir G eo rg e S ta u n to n ’s A c co u n t
o f the C h in e se Em b a ssy .