Yueyang Tower, Yueyang

Yueyang Tower, Yueyang

Though it was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, this three-storeyed helmet-roofed pavilion tower has been standing sentinel for over two thousand years, on the shores of Dongting Lake – which stretches before it like an inland sea. The tower has witnessed some momentous events, including the famous Battle of Red Cliffs in AD 208, immortalised in many Chinese films, which saw the end of the Han Dynasty. The original tower was then ostensibly remodelled and became a post from which the great general Lu Su could train his navy. The view from the top has been written about by some of China’s most famous poets, including Tang Dynasty Li Bai, who mused that ‘the water and the sky merge in one colour, and the wonders of natural beauty are boundless.’ Today the tower is backed by the city of Yueyang, but the views remain wonderful. The tranqul interior contains a Qing Dynasty calligraphic wooden screen inscribing the most famous homage of all: Fan Zhongyan’s 11^th Century Memorial to Yueyang Tower.