Restoration of London's Great Pagoda progressing

An unveiling ceremony of a wooden dragon on the Chinese Pagoda in Britain's Royal Botanical Gardens, The Kew, was held in London on Friday, reports Chinanews.com.

It is one of the 200 wooden dragons which are to decorate the roof of the ten-storeyed pagoda.

Undated photo of the Chinese Pagoda in Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens, The Kew. [Photo: VCG]

The Chinese Pagoda was closed half a century ago. It's restoration started in September of last year.

"The pagoda was built to commemorate the friendship between the two countries 200 years ago, and will help people to better understand each other," said Xiang Xiaoyu, counselor at the Chinese Embassy in the UK.

The pagoda was designed by William Chambers and built in 1762. The ten-storeyed building was the highest one at that time in London. It is a smaller scale version of a pagoda built in 1412 in the city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

The Great Pagoda is expected to be fully restored next year, with estimates suggesting it's going to attract 1.7 million tourists annually.

Xiang Xiaoyu, counselor at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, attends the unveiling ceremony for the wooden dragon for the Chinese Pagoda in Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens, The Kew, November 10, 2017. [Photo: Chinanews.com]