Yueyang Tower, the No. 1 Tower in the World
Yueyang Tower is located on Dongting North Road, Yueyang District, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, overlooking Dongting Lake and Junshan Mountain. It was first built in 215 and has been rebuilt and repaired many times. It became famous because Teng Zijing rebuilt Yueyang Tower and invited his friend Fan Zhongyan to write "Memorial to Yueyang Tower". Together with Yellow Crane Tower and Tengwang Pavilion, it is known as one of the "Three Famous Towers in Jiangnan" and is known as the "No. 1 Tower in the World". It is one of the "Top Ten Historical and Cultural Towers in China", a national key cultural relic protection unit, and a national 5A-level scenic spot.
After purchasing a discounted ticket for 35 yuan, you can enter through the gate with the plaque "Baling Shengzhuang" and the couplet "Dongting is the water of the world, and Yueyang is the tower of the world". You can see the real models of Yueyang Tower from different periods, and not far away is the "Shuanggong Temple" built to commemorate the two sages Teng Zijing and Fan Zhongyan. The temple contains statues and biographies of Teng Zijing and Fan Zhongyan, as well as the evolution of the shape of Yueyang Tower. The couplet "One lake, one tower, one record, floating in the universe, controlling the north and south, narrating joy and sorrow, the beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers shines for thousands of years; two public, two achievements, two virtues, linked pearls, meeting wind and clouds, showing the sun and moon, the good story of the literary world spreads throughout the nine states" is worth reading! And the double public worry and joy sentiment of "not happy with things, not sad with things...worrying before the world, and enjoying after the world" is even more worthy of admiration. After passing the stele corridor, you can see a three-story, four-pillar, flying eaves, helmet-top wooden structure building on a red platform, with a plaque with the words "Yueyang Tower" hanging under the eaves on the top floor. On the first floor of the building, there are carved screens of "Memorial to Yueyang Tower" and couplets of poems, etc. On the second floor, there is a carved screen of "Memorial to Yueyang Tower" made of purple sandalwood, and on the third floor, there is a carved screen of Chairman Mao Zedong's poem "Climbing Yueyang Tower" by Du Fu. Walking along the corridor, "holding the distant mountains, swallowing the Yangtze River, vast and boundless, with no end in sight, the morning sun and evening shade, with a myriad of weather, this is the grand view of Yueyang Tower"! In addition, the Three Drunken Pavilion, Xianmei Pavilion, Lvxian Temple, Huaifu Pavilion, and other attractions are worth seeing. After returning to the scenic spot, have lunch at Bianhe Street nearby, take a leisurely stroll to Baling Square to the lakeside, touch the water of Dongting Lake up close, and feel the vastness of Dongting Lake! The next stop is Nanjin Ancient Ferry.