Tianfeng Tower. /天封塔。 [Photo by Xin Zhicheng] 忻之承 攝
By Jin Lu
Tianfeng Tower is located on Dashani Street in Haishu District. It has stood in the heart of Ningbo for more than 1,300 years and remains one of the city's landmarks. The Tower is still easily visible despite the tall buildings that have sprung up around it.
天封塔位于海曙區(qū)大沙泥街，聳立在寧波市中心已有一千三百多年，現(xiàn)在也是寧波的標志性建筑之一。在高樓林立的街道中，一眼就能看到它的身影。
The Tower's height is 54.5 meters. It has fourteen hexagonal storeys: seven main storeys (including the underground palace) and seven mezzanines. On each storey there is a display of cultural relics, such as ancient coins, bamboo slips with writing inscribed on them, and wooden chests. These relics provide valuable information for the study of Ningbo's economic and cultural history.
天封塔共有14層，約51米，分7明7暗（包括地宮），呈六角形。每層塔內(nèi)都設置了專門放置文物的平臺，如古代的錢幣、竹簡、木盒等。這些文物為研究寧波古代的經(jīng)濟、文化提供了寶貴的資料。
In ancient times, it was not easy to construct such a Tower. To build the higher storeys, workers stacked bags of sand into high mounds, then climbed onto them, carrying the building materials. After the Tower was completed, the sand was used to paved new streets near the Tower: Dashani Street ("Big Sand-and-Mud Street") and Xiaoshani Street ("Small Sand-and-Mud Street").
在古代，建造這樣一座塔可并不容易。工匠們把江沙堆成和塔差不多高的高坪，然后運送磚石直到塔頂。天封塔完工以后，這些用來運輸?shù)纳呈捅挥脕礓佋O兩條路，這兩條路就是天封塔東側的大沙泥街和小沙泥街。
As the tallest building of the city in the olden days, Tianfeng Tower was widely known. It was a must-see attraction for visiting officials and scholars over the centuries. Many poets have written about the Tower.
天封塔是古時城中最高的建筑，早年享有盛譽。曾是歷代名人文人的必游之地，并有許多關于它的詩詞銘文。
Tianfeng Tower was later rebuilt at its original location in the architectural style of the Song Dynasty. Standing tall and majestic, the Tower is still a charming presence on the skyline of Ningbo.
重建的天封塔在原址建造，為仿古的完整六邊形宋塔。如今的天封塔仍以瑰瑋莊重的雄姿挺立世間，為寧波增添了不少風采。