Hangzhou to Rebuild Lei Feng TowerThe Hangzhou Municipal People's Government told news reporters Nov. 17 it is going to rebuild Lei Feng Tower as one of the ten famous old sights featuring West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, to end a 76-year-old enigma over reconstruction of the tower.In 1924, the inner structure of Lei Feng Tower collapsed with ruins leaving down only the fame "Lei Feng at Sunset". In October 1999, a special committee was organized to see academic papers and correlated materials for making a study into history and reconstruction of the tower in the past two decades were garnered. Following history, experts' consultation and Qinghua University's blueprint, a steel structure was chosen to build new similar tower over old ruins at the original site of Lei Feng Tower. The new one is designed to be a five-storied pavilion inlaid with brick and upturned eaves. Lei Feng Tower was first built in 975 but damaged by lightning at a time unknown. It had once been rebuilt into an octagonal five-storied pavilion in early Southern Song (1127-1279). Lei Feng Tower's reconstruction this time will reportedly start next month. |
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