Located
in the Central Square (中心广场) of the prefecture level city of Zhangye
in Gansu, this nine-story wooden pagoda was built during the Sui Dynasty.
The Mù Tǎ Sì (木塔寺) collapsed a number of times in its history but
was rebuilt each time. It sort of reminds one of the adage that "it
does not matter how many times one falls - it matters how many times
one gets back up".
The reward of climbing
up the steep staircase to the top of the pagoda is the breathtaking
view of the surroundings of Zhangyeand the Qilian mountains
(祁连山脉). During certain times of the year, this range of mountain is
capped with snow.