Ancient wonder

The Porcelain Pagoda of Nanjing, in the former Bao'en Temple or "Temple of Repaid Kindness", was built in the 15th century. Revered as one of seven wonders of the medieval world, it became one of the best-known Chinese cultural artifacts in Western society, thanks to a description in China Memoirs, a book written by the renowned 17th century Dutch traveler, Johan Nieuhof.

The tower quickly became an icon of the city, and Western missionaries reported on its beauty when they returned to their homelands.

Zhou Daoxiang, former curator of the Imperial Examination Museum of China in Nanjing, said the prestige enjoyed by the Porcelain Pagoda was illustrated by its recognition as one of the wonders of the world during the medieval era.

"The Forbidden City in Beijing and the Ming Palace in Nanjing existed at the same time as the Pagoda, but they were not considered to be wonders. This obviously signifies the greatness of the Porcelain Pagoda at the time," Zhou said.

The pagoda was almost destroyed in 1856, during the Taiping Rebellion, but fortunately, the underground palace beneath the temple escaped the rebels' attention and was left intact. In 2008, Buddhist relics were discovered in the underground palace during an archaeological dig.

A replica tower of glass and steel, constructed on the original site, opened to the public in 2015.

Zhou said the ongoing restoration of the Great Pagoda at Kew has added significance now, given the destruction of the original edifice in Nanjing, and the restored tower will offer a new window for people to examine the old-time splendor of the Porcelain Pagoda.

Contact the writers at: liwensha@chinadaily.com.cn and wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com

Cang Wei in Nanjing contributed to this story.