It is said that in 1784, Emperor Qianlong, during his sixth boat tour of Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, remarked with regret upon seeing the scenery around the Five Pavilion Bridge: “It’s a pity there is no white pagoda here; otherwise, it would look very much like the Spring Shade of Qiongdao in Beihai.” Unintentionally, his words were taken to heart by a wealthy Yangzhou salt merchant who, with a substantial sum of ten thousand taels of silver, purchased the blueprint of Beihai’s White Pagoda from an eunuch and overnight constructed a white pagoda using white salt bags. This is the legendary story of the “One-Night Pagoda” that has been passed down in Yangzhou to this day.
The White Pagoda in Yangzhou stands at a height of 27.5 meters, featuring a waisted base with a Xumi pedestal, octagonal and tetrahedral in shape, with three niches on each face, each niche carved with the twelve zodiac signs. Unlike the heavy and stable Beihai White Pagoda, the Yangzhou White Pagoda is proportionately balanced, elegantly standing, and complements the nearby Five Pavilion Bridge. Open all year round from 07:00 to 18:00.Bai Ta (White Pagoda)
It is said that in 1784, Emperor Qianlong, during his sixth boat tour of Slender West Lake in Yangzh[...]
