yueyang pavilion

as one of the three most famous pavilions south of the yangtze river, along with the yellow crane pavilion (huanghe lou) in wuhan and tengwang pavilion (tengwang ge) in nanchang, yueyangtower (yueyang lou) is the city's most distinctive site. first built in 716 ad during the tang dynasty (618-907ad), the three-storied complex stands on the eastern shore of dongtinglake, overlooking the yangtze river as it flows east. the entire structure was built without the support of a single nail and crossbeam and features upturned eaves, which resemble an ancient wartime helmet. the tower was fully renovated in 1983, and these days looks more majestic than ever.

entering the tower, you'll pass the famous couplet: "dongting is the water of the world, yueyang is the tower of the world." moving on, there is a platform (dianjiang tai) that once functioned as the training ground for the navy of three-kingdom period general lusu. to its south is the huaifu pavilion in memory of the poet du fu (712-770ad), who wrote the famous poem "climbing the yueyangtower" and later died in the city. stepping out of the xiaoxiang door, the saint plum pavilion (xianmei ting) and the three drunkards pavilion (sanzui ting) can be seen standing on two sides. in the garden to the north of the tower is the tomb of xiaoqiao, the wife of zhouyu, another famous three-kingdom general.

these days, the tower is a mecca for japanese tourists, largely due to a piece of prose called "notes on yueyang tower" written in the song dynasty, which often appears in japanese textbooks.