Blessing Light Pagoda in the early 20th century

Blessing Light Pagoda (瑞光塔) near Pan Water Gate in Suzhou has 8 elevations and 7 floors with a total height of 43m.

The ancient pagoda was part of a large Buddhist monastery next to the 2,500-year-old city gate. However, in 1860, the monastery was burned to the ground in a war, with a structurally damaged pagoda being the sole survivor left in the ruin site.

About one hundred years late, three wild and bold local kids turned the dilapidated pagoda into the venue for extreme sports. Without permission from authority and the knowledge of their parents, a boy successfully climbed to a top level where he found a pile of old documents about the history of the pagoda and the monastery.

The documents reveal the construction of the pagoda began a thousand years ago in 1004 during the Song Dynasty and the project was completed 24 years later.

Three kids were hailed as conservation heroes and the pagoda has been fully repaired since then.

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