FaHua Pagoda 上海嘉定法华塔

FaHua Pagoda is nearby the China Imperial Examination System Museum. It is located in 上海市嘉定镇州桥练祁河南.It's entrance fee is RMB5 per adult. Children is free. However, since we have bought the combined ticket to the China Imperial Examination System Museum, it's entrance fee is already included in the RMB20 entrance fee of the museum. Thus, it's more worth it to buy the combined ticket (联票).

FaHua Pagoda 法华塔 is also called JinSha Pagoda 金沙塔. It started to be built around year 1205 to 1207 南宋开禧年间. After the pagoda was built, it is famously known as 嘉定“科名鹊起” or also known as “文笔峰”.

Photo taken in front of the entrance

The fencing wall of the Pagoda

For the past 800 years it has been the symbol of representation for JiaDing city. The height of the pagoda is 40.8meters, it is square shape 7 floor architecture made of bricks and wood. Every floor within the pagoda does not have any staircases. The pagoda had collapsed many time due to it's brick and wooden architecture. Reconstruction work has been done multiple time to maintain its original glory until now.

Name of the pagoda is placed on one portion of the pagoda

1996年，法华塔在修葺工程中，发现了宋元地宫和明代地宫，并于其中发掘出铜佛像、石菩萨像、铁塔、银盆、玉器、玛瑙、古钱币等数十件珍贵文物。塔院内 有一幢明代建筑风格的牌楼，是在修塔时迁建到这里的。牌楼上有一块碑，上书“圣旨”两字。 This pagoda opens from 8.00am to 4.30pm.
http://www.jiading.gov.cn/view_58.aspx?cid=298&id=37&navindex=0

The area at the bottom of the pagoda is quite wide

Beyond the entrance below is an exhibition hall

Display inside the exhibition hall

Took only these photos above of the exhibition. There was a big poster that shows the famous sites in Jiading. Also there is a map of Jiading and description of it's history and how the border cut back in the olden days.

One is able to climb on top of the pagoda. Ethan tried his hand on going up the pagoda and amazingly he managed to get to the 2nd floor. Climbing up the pagoda is not easy because it does not have staircase but there are only wooden make shift ladders. The pathway up is also very narrow and only allow one person to pass through.

Ethan climbing up the ladder to the next floor

Finally arrived on one of the floors

View from one floor of the pagoda - roofs of neighborhood houses

Look how small Ethan and Mummy - this is only the view from first floor

Wooden structure of the pagoda

Many views of the pagoda

Captured from different angles

In the one of the building surrounding the pagoda, there is a small museum which exhibits the life and personal artifacts of Wellington Koo.

Stair case leading to Wellington Koo museum

Vi Kyuin "Wellington" Koo 顾维钧 (January 29, 1887 - November 14, 1985) was a former President of the Republic of China, judge of the International Court of Justice and representative to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

Born in Shanghai in 1887 and a fluent English speaker, Koo went to the United States in 1904 and studied Western culture in order to help China with the problem of imperialism. He soon came to be interested in China's position in international society.

His English nickname, Wellington, was chosen because of its phonetic similarity to Vi Kyuin, according to the memoirs of his third wife, the former Hui-lan Oei. Wellington Koo was married four times.

Koo retired from the Chinese diplomatic service in 1956. In 1956 he became a judge of the International Court of Justice at The Hague and served as Vice-President of the Court during the final three years of his term. In 1967 he retired and moved to New York City where he lived until his death in 1985.

The view of FaHua Pagoda from afar

We managed to get a good view of the pagoda from afar as we were leaving and walking towards the place where our driver were to pick us up.

Definitely a good place to visit and worth the time. Furthermore entrance fee is very cheap. Remember to buy the combined ticket.