China's 'Tower of Pisa' leans back up

By Jane Chen | December 8, 2009, Tuesday |

Online Edition

CHINA'S mirror of the Italian "Pisa Tower" is now leaning more upright after the local government pumped water under the tower to combat land subsidence.

The 1,300-year-old Big Wild Goose Pagoda in southern Xi'an, capital of southwest China's Shaanxi Province, has stopped leaning further since 1997 and now its angle has been reduced to 998.9 mm from 1,010.5mm in 1996, China News Service reported today, citing the latest data from Shaanxi Surveying and Mapping Bureau.

At that rate it will take another 1,000 years for the tower to stand upright, bureau experts forecasted.

The 64.5-meter Buddhist pagoda was built in 652 to hold sutras and figurines brought to China from India by translator and traveler Xuanzang.

Land subsidence from continuous underground water drainage caused the tower to lean.

Nation

About Us
|
Terms of Use
|
RSS
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
Shanghai Call Center: 962288
|
Tip-off hotline: 52920043

沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
|
互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
|
网络视听许可证：0909346
|
广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
|
增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012

China's 'Tower of Pisa' leans back up

Email this to your friend