Yueyang︱Yueyang Tower

I went to Yueyang for a trip before May Day, and Yueyang Tower was the first stop, where you can enjoy free admission. It was raining that day, and there were not many people, giving the rain-soaked Yueyang Tower a unique feel. Yueyang Tower has been rebuilt many times during different dynasties. Right at the entrance, you can see the miniature versions of Yueyang Tower from various dynasties. Climbing up the tower, you can have a distant view of Dongting Lake. The scenic area of Yueyang Tower also includes the tomb of Xiao Qiao, which you can visit at the same time. Yueyang Tower is located on Dongting North Road in Yueyanglou District, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, situated atop the western gate wall of the ancient city of Yueyang, close to the banks of Dongting Lake, overlooking Dongting Lake and facing Junshan Island. It was first built in the 20th year of Jian'an during the Eastern Han Dynasty (215 AD), and has been repeatedly renovated over the generations. The existing structure follows the form and pattern of the reconstruction in the sixth year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1880 AD). Yueyang Tower became famous worldwide because Teng Zongliang of the Northern Song Dynasty renovated it and invited his good friend Fan Zhongyan to write 'The Record of Yueyang Tower'. It has been historically praised as 'Dongting has the best water in the world, Yueyang has the best tower in the world', and is known as one of the 'Three Great Towers in the south of the Yangtze River' along with the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Hubei, and the Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang, Jiangxi. It is one of the 'Top Ten Historical and Cultural Famous Towers in China', one of the ancient Four Great Towers, and is acclaimed as 'the finest tower under the heavens'.