Visit the Dongmen City Tower at the head of Wenhui Bridge, a landmark of the ancient city of Liuzhou

Liuzhou, also known as Hu City or Dragon City, was established as Tanzhong County near Mount Jiahe during the Western Han Dynasty in the sixth year of Yuanding (111 BC) after Emperor Wu of Han pacified Nanyue. It began to be called Liuzhou in the eighth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (634 AD). During the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, Liuzhou was a city made of earth, and at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt with bricks. Zhang Yue expanded the city with a moat and opened five city gates: the East Gate (Binximen), the West Gate (Liuzhaomen), the Zhen Nan Gate, the Jing Nan Gate, and the North Gate (Gongchenmen). The Republic of China added the Zheng Nan Gate. Because in the Shang and Zhou dynasties 'the eastern direction was honored with a blue jade ritual object,' the plaque on the East Gate City Tower bears the golden inscription 'Chu Hu Zhen' on a blue background. The West Gate plaque 'Li Ze Dui' features a heavy engraving of the calligraphy of Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. The Dongmen City Tower of Liuzhou stands at the north end of the Wenhui Bridge, controlling the strategic river crossing at the bend of the Liu River, and has a history of more than six hundred years. In the 36th year of the Republic of China, the underground Communist Party of Guangxi used it as the site for editing and printing the Liuzhou edition of the 'Guangxi Daily'. The East Gate features a two-story que tower, with round columns inside without dougong brackets, and a double-eaved hipped-gable roof on the outside. It is the only ancient brick and wood structure in Liuzhou with lifted beams and has been listed as a cultural heritage site by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The East Gate of the ancient city of Liuzhou not only has the advantage of its water and land location as a hub for trade and commerce, but it also symbolizes auspiciousness. In ancient times, whether for promotions, examinations, weddings, or business travel, people mostly chose this gate for entry and exit, hence the East Gate was also known as the 'Gate of Happiness'. Liu Zongyuan once ascended the tower at the East Gate and sighed with 'sorrowful thoughts of the sea and sky,' while Emperor Taizu of Ming expressed his concern for frontier soldiers from afar. Xu Xiake, on his extensive travels, witnessed the prosperity of the East Gate's bustling market. The painter Zhang Bao incorporated the grand scene of Liuzhou's pavilions into his brushwork. Wang Zhen saw from his returning boat 'the lights in the tower still faintly visible,' while Li Wenmao of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom bombarded the East Gate and raided gambling dens at night.