The Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, also called Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, is situated in the Fogong Temple, Yingxian County, Shanxi Province of China. Built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty (907 – 1125), this wooden pagoda has a history of over 1000 years. Standing 67.31 meters tall with a base covering over 30 meters in diameter, this pagoda remains one of the oldest and tallest ancient wooden structures in the world. It is regarded as one of the “Three Pagodas in the World”, together with the Eiffel Tower in France and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.

The pagoda sits on a large octagonal stone platform and from its external profile, the building appears to be divided into five levels with balconies and an extended steeple reaching from the top. Inside, however, there are a total of nine stories to the building, only two of which are accessible to the public.

The pagoda was constructed completely out of wood and without the use of any nails, which was a miracle in the world. The strength and resilience of the structure is attributed to the type of wood used, the rare Xing’an larch from Northern China. In recent years, engineers and architects have had an increasing interest in the pagoda for its extraordinary resilience to years of weathering including numerous earthquakes. It is recorded to have survived at least seven major earthquakes, including one notable earthquake during the Yuan Dynasty (1328 A.D.), which lasted for seven days.