China: Shuang Ta (Twin Pagodas), Luohanyuan Temple, Suzhou

Dating from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Suzhou’s Twin Pagodas (Shuang Ta, Shuangta) are tall, narrow identical, seven-storey octagonal brick structures. One is named ‘Clarity Dispensing Pagoda’, and the other “Beneficence Pagoda’.

Suzhou, the city of canals and gardens, was called the ‘Venice of the East’ by Marco Polo. An ancient Chinese proverb states: ‘In Heaven there is Paradise; on Earth there is Suzhou’.

The city’s love affair with gardens dates back 2,500 years and continues still. At the time of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) there were 250 gardens, of which about a hundred survive, although only a few are open to the public.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia