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On a weekend in April, 2017, I was welcomed to Xian by Jerry QI Jianjun and his wife Grace WEI Ling who had recently spent a year as visiting scholars in Regina. They graciously made arrangements to travel more than 70 km from Xian to this historic tower that some think was erected by Nestorian Christians more than a thousand years ago.
- We approached the pagoda by walking the trail, giving us better chances to photograph it. The tower leans (like the tower in Pisa) — the result of the huge Chinese earthquake in 1556.
- Chinese tourists were also here today. The area here is mostly celebrated by people of the Daoist religion. Laozi, the founder of Daoism, wrote some famous works nearby and other pagodas in the area celebrate his memory.
- For this, among other possible reasons, the Daqin Pagoda is currently claimed as a Daoist site although researchers point out that the orientation of the pagoda is not in keeping with that of either Daoist or Buddhist holy structures. The word Daqin generally refers to the Roman Empire or, at least, areas of the West where trade existed via the Silk Road.
- Some photos show the buildings and a bit of the life of the monks and nuns who live at the site. The government appointed overseer, however, has his own independent quarters and willingly explains some of the details that support the viewpoint that this could be an ancient Christian site (or even a “church” as some say).
- A fake stele here attempts to replicate the original (located in a Beilin (Forest of Steles) Museum in Xian which does authentically detail the history of the coming of Nestorian Christian missionaries to Xian in 635 AD. The original stele was unearthed in the Xian area about 400 years ago and is very famous for its recording of the arrival of Christianity in China via the famous Silk Road.
- On the side of the building in Chinese characters are details suggesting the tower could have been an historic Christian construction.
- Some markers have been damaged. Local people may have found offence in this theory and have attempted to obliterate some of the writing.
- Of special interest this day was the discovery by friend Jerry (whose family home is not too far away) that he was of the same age as the overseer of the site and they have many friends in common.
Click on the first image here to view in full-screen mode.
