Lianhua Pagoda

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An example of a European print featuring the pagoda. View looking up the Tigris to the 2nd Bar Pagoda, print, 215 mm x 288 mm published by Black, Parry & Co; Clark, I. Nichols & Co Wathen, James, 1814, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The Lianhua Pagoda, also known as the Lotus Pagoda, is a Pagoda on the shore of the Pearl River in Guangdong, China. Built during the reign of Wanli (1572–1620), it is notable as its role as a landmark for European merchants travelling to Canton (Guangzhou).[1] Because it is visible from the Bocca Tigris, the narrow point of the Pearl River where custom's checks took place, it was a frequent sight for sailors.[2] European merchants also knew it as 'The Second Bar Pagoda' and it is featured in a variety of Canton export paintings and European prints.[2][3] The Lianhua Pagoda also served to inspire Chinoiserie models and replicas of pagodas in Europe.[1] Originally situated within a quarry, today it has been restored and its surroundings turned into a park.[1]

The Lianhua Pagoda today

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