David M.

Salamat
BSA 4A
Nine Pinnacle Pagoda (CHINESE ARCHITECTURE)

The Nine Pinnacle Pagoda or Jiuding Pagoda, sometimes translated as "Nine Roof Pagoda") is an 8th-
century pavilion-style brick pagoda located in central Shandong Province, China. It is noted for its unique
roof design featuring nine small pagodas.

The Nine Pinnacle Pagoda is located near Qinjiazhuang Village, Liubu Town, in Licheng District, under the
administration of Jinan City, about 33 kilometers southeast of the city of Jinan proper.

The pagoda was erected during the Tang Dynasty between the years 742 and 756 AD. The pagoda is
made entirely from bricks laid tightly with joint gaps of about 1 centimeter. The pagoda's floor plan is an
equilateral octagon in which all of the eight side walls are curved inwards. These concave walls are
another distinguishing feature not found in other pagodas of the period. The main body of the pagoda
contains only a single story and the most elaborate feature of the structure are nine small pagodas that
decorate the roof. This design may have been chosen to reflect the Chinese saying derived from a story
of the Warring States period which reads: One word, nine ding vessels. The saying means that a promise
given carries a lot of weight (like the literal weight of the nine heavy ding vessels).

The height of these roof pagodas is 2.84 meters each. The ninth pagoda occupies the center of the roof.
It is almost twice as large as its peers (5.33 meters) and its single door faces south. Including these roof
decorations, the total height of the pagoda is 13.36 meters. The eaves of the pagoda are made from 17
layers of brick as is characteristic for the period. The pagoda stands on the grounds of the Nine Pagoda
Temple.