 Although the Pagoda of <unk> Temple is the tallest extant wooden pagoda , the tallest Chinese pagoda built in the dynastic era that remains standing is the <unk> Pagoda . Completed in <unk> , it is 84 meters ( 276 ft ) tall , with an octagonal base on a large platform , surpassing the 69 @-@ meter ( 226 ft ) <unk> Pagoda , which had held the record since its construction in the 9th century by the Kingdom of <unk> . Although the <unk> Pagoda served its religious purpose as a Buddhist landmark in the <unk> Monastery of <unk> County , Hebei province , its great height gave it another valuable function , as a military watch tower that was used to observe movements of the Liao enemy . Beside their utility in surveillance , pagoda towers could also serve as astronomical observatories ; one such is the <unk> Astronomical Observatory , built in <unk> and still standing today . 
