Lanzhou
White Pagoda Hill Park
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Located north of the Yellow River, White Pagoda
 Mountain
is a famous tourist spot in Lanzhou city as well as
a strategic point. Its undulating and perilous mountain
ranges as impregnable ramparts embracing the city and
together with the Yellow River, has formed a natural
defense since ancient time. With a height of 1,700 meters
and encompassing an area of over 3 million square meters,
the mountain was opened up as a public park in 1958.
The mountain was named after the White Pagoda built
on its summit. During the late Song Dynasty and early
Yuan Dynasty, the area was under the rule of Western
Xia regime. Legend has it that in order to accomplish
the cause of unification of the country, Genghis Klan
expressed his wish in a letter to the founder of Sajiapai
in Wusizang area in Tibet, for the peaceful unification
of Tibetan region through consultations. The latter
sent a famous monk to pay respects to Genghis Klan.
Unfortunately, the monk died of illness in Lanzhou on
his way to Mongolia. In winter of 1226, the Yuan Dynasty
wiped out Western Xia and included Lanzhou into its
territory. To commemorate the monk, a snow-white Buddhist
pagoda within a temple was constructed on top of the
mountain, hence the name of the mountain. Since then
it has become a well-known religious site. It's a pity
that the original pagoda fell apart in late Yuan Dynasty.
"The Chronicle of the Renovation of White Horse
Temple" records that the existing White Pagoda
was reconstructed in Jingtai Reign of the Ming Dynasty
(1450-1456). It's a solid brick pagoda formed by two
well-joined parts: the lower part in the shape of an
upside-down basin, and the upper part, a tower, with
a height of 17 meters in total. Founded on a round base,
it seven-tiered and octahedral, with upturned carved
roof corners in dragon-head shape on each tier, from
which hang
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