Quanjiao Province's Bao-Guoguang Tower

Guoguang Tower is the most famous cultural heritage building in Quanjiao, located in the old town area of Quanjiao County, within the campus of Quanjiao Third Middle School, so it is definitely not possible to visit it, which I was mentally prepared for. Fortunately, the school wall is right next to the Guoguang Tower, which is tall and majestic, and its grandeur can also be seen from outside the campus. Guoguang Tower was originally built during the Ming Dynasty, and was called Zunjing Pavilion. It was renamed 'Kuiguang Tower' during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, and these three big characters are still engraved on the lintel of the doorway. In the first year of the Republic of China, to highlight the republic and break away from feudalism, it was renamed again to 'Guoguang Tower', and this is the name used on the cultural heritage plaque. Guoguang Tower was originally part of the Quanjiao Academy. The base is a brick and stone structure with an arched gateway in the middle; on top of the base is a two-story pavilion with a hip-and-gable roof. Black tiles and grey walls, without any colored painting. Although the appearance is simple, the platform is wide and the building is tall, very majestic, and is a symbolic landscape of Quanjiao County town. Wu Jingzi, a writer, played on the tower when he was a child, and later included Guoguang Tower in his novel 'The Scholars', adding cultural significance to the building. I looked from outside the wall, and also observed as much as possible through the decorative windows of the surrounding wall, hoping to get a more comprehensive view of this beautiful pavilion. When I got home and organized this trip, I found out that there are Yongjin Bridge and Jiyu Bridge on the Xiang River near Guoguang Tower, and they are all remnants of the Quanjiao Academy. It was then that I remembered, when driving away from Guoguang Tower, I passed through a narrow stone bridge, where pedestrians, vehicles, and electric bikes mixed and passed through, which was very difficult. And that bridge should be the Yongjin Bridge!!! This is the consequence of not preparing well for the trip, the ancient relics were close at hand but overlooked, I only blame my own carelessness and shallow knowledge, and feel the importance of rigor in exploring the past.