The legend goes that Ne Zha, the third son of King Li Ching committed suicide after getting into a series of trouble. He then appeared in his mother’s dream to build him a temple. His mother fulfilled her son’s wish but King Li Ching was furious when he discovered the inhabitant of the temple. He then ordered the temple to be burnt down. Ne Zha was angered and decided to seek revenge. With a new-found body and weapons, he met his father in battle. King Li Ching was defeated and tried to flee, but Ne Zha was faster than him. He was on the verge of killing his own father when an immortal appeared and overpowered him. The immortal then made Ne Zha promise to forgive his father and live in harmony. King Li Ching was given a golden pagoda to subdue Ne Zha should he go back on his word.

The Chinese believe that the Pagoda brings great knowledge, fame and advancement in career for the owner. In Chinese (Cantonese to be exact) the number 9 is seen to be very lucky. This is because it means 'sufficient', 'plenty' and 'enough'.

The History of The Pagoda

The modern pagoda is an evolution of the Indian stupa, a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated. The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design.

The Chinese word for stupa, ta, is an abbreviated translation (from tapo) of the Sanskrit Stupa. The origins of the word Pagoda are obscure. In modern usage, the word Stupa and Pagoda refer to the same thing.

The History of The Pagoda

The Pagoda's original purpose was to house relics and scared writings. This purpose was popularized due to the efforts of Buddhist missionaries, pilgrims, rulers, and ordinary devotees to seek out, distribute, and extol Buddhist relics.

The earliest base-structure types of Chinese pagodas were circular-based and square-based. By the 10th century the Chinese began to build octagonal-base pagoda towers. The highest Chinese pagoda from the pre-modern age is the Liaodi Pagoda of Kaiyuan Monastery, Dingxian, Hebei province, completed in the year 1055 AD under Emperor Renzong of Song and standing at a total height of 84 metres.

The pagoda was built of brick and stone and has the classic gradual tiered eaves marking each story, and has a section of its walls partially open at one side, which allows one to view the interior of the pagoda, the inner column shaped as another pagoda inside, and the thickness of the pagoda's walls.

The Pagoda and Feng Shui

The popularity of the pagoda figurine in homes and office spaces are fully validated: the pagoda has protective properties as well as being able to bestow its owner with career- or studying-luck. Pagodas placed in the office have the ability to stimulate career Qi, upping one's work quotient and warding off negative intentions from rivalling colleagues and also effectively avoiding plagiarism of one's work efforts.

For scholars, placement of the venerable pagoda by the studying table is conducive to productive studying and ease in memorizing difficult facts. The pagoda's uses does not stop there: place a pagoda by an ill friend or family member to speed recovery.