Nanjing City, Jiangsu, China

3. Linggu Pagoda

Next to the Linggu Temple is the Linggu Pagoda that was built in the 1930s under the direction of a US architect as a memorial to the Kuomintang members who died in the 1926-28 revolution.

Linggu Pagoda is not related to the Buddhist temple. It was built between 1931 and 1935 as a memorial tower after construction of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum was completed in 1929. The pagoda, an octagonal building made of reinforced concrete, has nine levels and is more than sixty meters tall. The roof was covered with green glazed tiles and the exterior was modeled after ancient styles. Each storey is surrounded by a railed balcony. A spiral staircase circles a central pillar from the ground to the very top. Tourists can enjoy a bird's-eye view of Zhongshan Mountain and Nanjing City from the top of the pagoda.