The structure and ornamentation have remained the same since the pagoda was built , but the 1976 Tangshan earthquake caused the original pearl-shaped steeple of the pagoda to break off and fall . It has since been restored . The temple grounds surrounding the pagoda have also been renovated and rebuilt several times over the course of the Ming and Qing dynasties . The architectural historian Liang Sicheng ( 1901 – 1972 ) — known for discovering and documenting the oldest existent wooden structures still standing in China — lauded the Pagoda of Tianning Temple as a pristine architectural design of antiquity
1976 Tangshan earthquake
1976 Tangshan earthquake
Tianning Temple (Beijing)