Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2023 May 10

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May 10

The Flower Pagoda

The article Temple of the Six Banyan Trees says the Flower Pagoda was built in 1097 and rebuilt the same year, which sounds rather suspicious. Mistake or urban renewal run amok? Clarityfiend (talk) 08:35, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

sourcing is poor, so you will have to look yourself for sources, probably available in Chinese to obtain clarification. zh:六榕寺 has more content. This suggests that an original tower was burned down prior to 1110. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 08:53, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

The year 1097 is square in the middle of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), so the rebuilding after a fire destroyed the temple "during the Northern Song dynasty" refers to the same rebuilding, which was, I assume, completed in 1097. This source predating our article writes: "The Hua ta, the great Flower Pagoda of the Liurong si monastery, was rebuilt in its present form in 1097." (花塔 Huā tǎ means "Flower pagoda".) I interpret this as saying that there was a pagoda-like structure on the site that was replaced by a newly built one in a markedly different style. Then both these statements are true: (1) "The pagoda was rebuilt in 1097"; (2) "The Flower Pagoda was built in 1097, replacing an earlier pagoda destroyed in a fire." Quoting another source" predating our article: "The temple burned down and was rebuilt in the Northern Sung Dynasty. Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097 and named for its colorful exterior." Since we cannot be sure that the earlier temple had a pagoda form, it is safer to stick to the formulation of this source that the temple was rebuilt and the Flower Pagoda (the present form of the main structure of the temple) was built during the Northern Song dynasty.  --Lambiam 08:54, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. Still not sure what to do about "It once had a square base, but was given an octagonal base". "The older structure had a square base, but the Flower Pagoda was given an octagonal base" maybe? Clarityfiend (talk) 10:52, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

Sounds good to me.  --Lambiam 13:48, 12 May 2023 (UTC)