The vast waters of Dongting Lake, the ancient Yueyang Tower through the ages

Yueyang Tower is located in Yueyanglou Street, Yueyanglou District, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, situated by the Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River, built on top of the ancient Yueyang City's Yueyang Gate. It is known as one of the 'Four Great Towers of Ancient China', alongside the Yellow Crane Tower, Tengwang Pavilion, and Penglai Pavilion. In the 19th year of Jian'an during the Eastern Han Dynasty (214 AD), the General of Crossing the River, Lu Su, began the construction of the Yueyang Tower, which was the predecessor of the present tower; during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was known as Baling City Tower; in the early Tang Dynasty, it was called the Southern Tower, and the 'Poet Immortal' Li Bai was the first to refer to it as Yueyang Tower in his poetry, a name that has been used ever since; the existing main structure of Yueyang Tower was mainly rebuilt in the 6th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1880 AD). Historically, Yueyang Tower has been famous for its unique geographical location, magnificent natural scenery, and grand architectural structure. Many literary masters through the ages, such as Zhang Jiuling, Meng Haoran, Li Bai, Du Fu, Han Yu, Bai Juyi, and others, have ascended the tower and left behind numerous famous works, contributing to Yueyang Tower's profound cultural heritage. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the governor of Yuezhou, Teng Zijing, renovated Yueyang Tower and invited his good friend Fan Zhongyan to write the timeless masterpiece 'Memorial to Yueyang Tower', which further established Yueyang Tower as a political symbol of diligent governance and concern for the world. Due to fires, wars, and other reasons, Yueyang Tower has been destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout history, evolving from a military tower to a city gate tower and then to a scenic tower, now an important part of the national AAAAA-level scenic area 'Yueyang Tower-Junshan Island'. The main tower faces east and west, with a height of 19.72 meters, three bays wide and deep, surrounded by a gallery, with a depth of 14.56 meters, a width of 17.24 meters, covering an area of 251 square meters, topped with glazed yellow tiles, and is a three-story, four-pillar, flying eaves, helmet-top style pure wooden structure. Around the main tower is a modern Chinese-style garden. In January 1988, Yueyang Tower was announced by the State Council as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units. On January 30, 2005, Yueyang Tower was selected as one of the top ten cultural heritages of Hunan.