Porcelain Tower & Da Bao'en Temple Heritage Park
大报恩寺遗址
The heritage park of the Ming-era Porcelain Tower, once hailed as the finest tower under heaven. A new glass tower shelters the remains, and it glows at night.
Da Bao'en Temple was built by the Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, in memory of his parents. Its nine-story glazed Porcelain Tower, about 78 m tall, was once praised in the West as one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World, and it was destroyed during the Taiping period. The heritage park has a new steel-framed glass tower built over the original site, covering the underground palace and the tower base. Famous finds from the site include the Buddha's true skull relic and the Ashoka stupa. The park features an underground palace, glazed architectural components and gallery-style displays of the remains. Admission is about CNY 90. It lies outside Zhonghua Gate, about a 15-minute walk from Old Mendong.
Opening hours
09:00–21:30
Nearby sights
- Zhonghua Gate
- Laomendong Historic District
- Chenguang 1865 Creative Park (Jinling Arsenal)
- Xiaoxihu Historic Block
- Zhan Garden
- Yu Garden (Hu Family Garden)
- Yuhuatai Martyrs' Cemetery
- Confucius Temple & Qinhuai River