Haibao Pagoda (North Pagoda)

Haibao Pagoda, known as the North Pagoda, stands in the old town of Xingqing District, northern Yinchuan, Ningxia. Local tradition and temple records date its founding to the 5th century, during the Sixteen Kingdoms or early Northern and Southern dynasties period, which would make it one of the oldest religious foundations in the Yinchuan area, though like most pagodas in the region it has been rebuilt multiple times after earthquake damage. The current 11-story brick structure dates to a Qing-dynasty reconstruction completed between 1771 and 1778, following the destruction of an earlier version in the same 1739 earthquake that also destroyed the original Chengtiansi Pagoda. Haibao Pagoda is architecturally distinct from most surviving Chinese pagodas of comparable height because it rises on a square rather than octagonal base, a form more closely associated with earlier pagoda design before the octagonal plan became standard from the Song dynasty onward; this square footprint is treated by local historians as indirect evidence supporting the pagoda's claimed early origins, since later rebuildings often preserved a temple's original ground plan even when superstructures were replaced. The pagoda's nine visible exterior stories conceal 11 interior levels, connected by a wooden staircase that visitors can climb for views over Yinchuan's old town rooftops and, to the west, the Helan Mountains. A small temple complex surrounds the pagoda's base, with halls used for Buddhist worship and a courtyard with mature trees providing shade. Restoration work in the modern era has reinforced the brick structure and repaired the eave brackets and finial, and the site is maintained as an active place of worship alongside its role as a historic monument, drawing both religious visitors and sightseers, particularly on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month when the temple opens earlier and sees increased local visitation.