It took a little over an hour to drive there from Datong, and the journey was quite smooth. Standing actually at the foot of the Wooden Pagoda was far more awe-inspiring than in the photos. The nearly thousand-year-old wood, without a single nail, relies entirely on mortise and tenon joints for support. Looking up, the brackets are layered upon layered; now you can only go up one level. A flock of swallows chirped around the pagoda, making it feel like it was alive. It's just that the structure is a bit crooked. Liang Sicheng once said, "I fear that this parting will be forever," and now it truly feels like every meeting is one less.