Shēnxiàn

Shen County's old town was dominated by a lofty Buddhist pagoda, begun in 1064 and completed in 1139. Its thirteen storeys, eight-sided brick body and wooden columns made it a landmark visible from far away. A local gazetteer tells how the tower served another purpose in 1511, when raiders attacked towns across Shandong: the magistrate ordered townspeople to watch from its height, giving the defenders warning and time to prepare.