# China: Hey, Italy! You think your Tower of Pisa is so hot? Hold my Beer! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 10, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635 "2024-10-10T18:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/1 "2024-10-10T18:32:38Z")
I just learned today about the **Tiger Hill Pagoda** , which is in Suzhou, China. It dates back to 961 CE. The Wikipedia article says it leans at a 3 degree angle, but it looks like it’s leaning a lot more in the pictures. > **[Tiger Hill Pagoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Hill_Pagoda)** > > The Tiger Hill Pagoda or Huqiu Pagoda (Chinese: 虎丘塔; pinyin: Hǔqiū tǎ; Suzhou Wu: Hou chieu thaeh, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Wu Chinese pronunciation: \[hou tɕʰʏ tʰɑʔ\]), officially the Yunyan Pagoda (Chinese: 云岩寺塔; pinyin: Yúnyán sì tǎ; Suzhou Wu: Yuin nge zy thaeh, Wu Chinese pronunciation: \[ɦʏn ŋe̞ zz̩ tʰɑʔ\]), is a Chinese Th... But wait! There’s more! There’s _another_ "Leaning Tower of China in Shanghai. It’s the **Huzhu Pagoda** , and it leans at a greater angle than the Tower of Pisa – 7.1 degrees. It’s about a century younger than the one in Tiger hill, having been built in 1079 [Huzhu Pagoda - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huzhu_Pagoda#:~:text=Huzhu%20Pagoda%20)(simplified%20Chinese%3A%20%E6%8A%A4,the%20Leaning%20Tower%20of%20Pisa. Oddly, neither Wikipedia article mentions the other Chinese Leaning Tower. I’d just like the point out that anyone can make a tower lean. The trick is to have it lean significantly for several hundred years an not topple over (the way any ship can go underwater, but only submarines can come back up again). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/2 "2024-10-10T18:44:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > (the way any ship can go underwater, but only submarines can come back up again). You need to add, “under they’re own power”. The Battleships West Virginia & California were sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack and raised and repaired and returned to duty. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/3 "2024-10-10T19:47:36Z")
For reference, the Leaning Tower of Pizza’s tilt is 3.97 degrees (yes, they go to the hundredths in the wiki article) which is improved from the previous 5.5 degree tilt prior to stabilization work completed in 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/4 "2024-10-12T13:26:20Z")
About that Tiger Hill Pagoda in Suzhou, on one of my business trips to Shanghai I took a bus tour out to Suzhou which is about 90 minutes to the west. There are lots of canals and they call it the Venice of China, and we took a gondola ride. We did go to a silk factory and that was interesting. A few years later I’m still using the silk comforter on my bed and it works really well. I prefer it to a down comforter. We visited several sites and saw many sights that day, but they did not take us to the Tiger Hill Pagoda. So I guess it wasn’t noteworthy enough to be included. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2024, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/5 "2024-10-12T13:50:19Z")
What about the [Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Niles)? It’s a half scale replica of the one in Pisa, built in 1934. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/6 "2024-10-12T16:11:35Z")
On a related topic– [Nashville Has It’s Own Parthenon. And it ain’t even falling-down. (LINK)](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55229-d106498-Reviews-Nashville_Parthenon-Nashville_Davidson_County_Tennessee.html) . . [We even got an Athena. {LINK}](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Athena_Parthenos_LeQuire.jpg/800px-Athena_Parthenos_LeQuire.jpg) . . [VIRTUAL TOURS. {LINK}](https://www.nashvilleparthenon.com/virtualmuseum) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/7 "2024-10-12T16:34:09Z")
Leaning towers are a dime a dozen. Go to Venice, a bunch of towers are leaning. > **[The leaning bell towers of Venice](https://www.nexave.org/en/news/the-leaning-bell-towers-of-venice)** > > Itineraries and toursVenice is world famous for many things, but less so for its leaning bell towers. Yet it has at least three, not counting the one in Burano that dominates the characteristics colourful houses of the island. [![](https://images.marketing-italia.eu/uploads/visitvenezia/uploads_articoli/paragrafo/2020111318411319df71d503.jpg) ](https://images.marketing-italia.eu/uploads/visitvenezia/uploads_articoli/paragrafo/2020111318411319df71d503.jpg) Or Bologna: > **[Two Towers, Bologna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Towers,_Bologna)** > > The Two Towers (Italian: Due torri), both leaning, are symbols of Bologna, Italy, and the most prominent of the Towers of Bologna. They are located at the intersection of the roads that lead to the five gates of the old ring wall (mura dei torresotti). The taller one is called the Asinelli. The smaller tower with a greater lean is called the Garisenda. Their names derive from the families which are traditionally credited with having constructed the towers between 1109 and 1119. > Their construc... [![](https://d1a1ntgk1j6wes.cloudfront.net/2017/001-Two-Towers-and-Chiesa-di-San-Bartolomeo-in-the-Morning-Bologna-Emilia-Romagna-Italy.jpg) ](https://d1a1ntgk1j6wes.cloudfront.net/2017/001-Two-Towers-and-Chiesa-di-San-Bartolomeo-in-the-Morning-Bologna-Emilia-Romagna-Italy.jpg) (That pic is shot approximately in front of the hotel where I stayed.) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/8 "2024-10-12T18:58:33Z")
Yeah but you gotta go to Italy for those. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > What about the [Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Niles)? > > It’s a half scale replica of the one in Pisa, built in 1934. Cool. I have it marked on my map for when I do my Route 66 road trip! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/9 "2024-10-18T12:03:27Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > What about the [Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Niles)? > > It’s a half scale replica of the one in Pisa, built in 1934. Unique among those listed on this page, because this one was deliberately built to be leaning. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/10 "2024-10-18T19:49:26Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > What about the [Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Niles)? > > It’s a half scale replica of the one in Pisa, built in 1934. True story. The parents of a friend of my son’s accidentally happened on the leaning tower of Niles and got out of their car to look. One of them said to the other, “Only in America.” A passerby heard this and said, “Oh no, there’s one just like it in Italy.” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-hey-italy-you-think-your-tower-of-pisa-is-so-hot-hold-my-beer/1008635/11 "2024-10-18T20:31:29Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > “Oh no, there’s one just like it in Italy.” Heh. Great comeback!