Standing on the west bank of Dongting Lake, Yueyang Tower is one of the three great towers in south of the Yangtze River, along with the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan and the Prince Teng's Pavilion in Nanchang. This tower enjoys superb geographical condition that looking down at the Dongting Lake, facing the Junshan Island in the distance, and linking the Yangtze River to the north and the Xiangjiang River to the south. Thus it is said that the site was originally an inspection platform for the general Lu Su of the Wu Kingdom (222-250AD) to train his naval troops.

★ Fast Facts on Yueyang Tower
■Chinese name: 岳阳楼
■ Main Scenic Spots: Yueyang Tower, Dongting Lake
■ Admission fee: 80RMB/PAX
■ Suitable for: All ages

The tower was constructed around 220 AD, on the Yueyang Old Town's West Gate, with a grand force of view and a remarkable structure. The main tower, with a total height of 21.35 meters, has 4 major columns, 3 stories, flying eave and helmet roof and wood construction. The helmet-roof of such a large dimension is a rarity among the ancient architectures in China.The ancient tower was rebuilt in 1880,showing a structure quite similar to the present one. Between March 1983 and April 1984，it was thoroughly renovated in the former style.In Jan.1988,it was assessed as a key historic building under state protection. The present tower,a purely wooden structure, rises 21.35 meters high from the marble terrace.

Mainly four nanmu columns support it,each 1.43 meters in circumference. Twelve minor pillars are set on the tie beams that are placed midway across the major columns in the depth-wise direction. The compartment between the pillars forms the inner part of the second floor, while 20 other pillars support the four up-turning eaves,making a circling veranda fenced by balustrades and partitioned from the inner hall with latticed windows.On the third floor, corbels and brackets are used to set the eaves our from the roof in an overhang so that more sunlight is obtained and more beauty is added to the whole structure. Remarkable, the roof, with four cursive hips and a tiny decorative dagoba in the center, is shaped like an ancient military helmet. This style is rarely seen in Chinese architecture. Besides, the tri-eaved roof is covered with golden glazed tiles, making the tower more splendid and magnificent. The whole structure,delicate in design and exquisite in decoration, is a representative work of ancient architecture. No doubt, it is a perfect combination of aestheticism,mechanics,technology as well as architecture. By the way, no iron nail is used in the whole structure. To commemorate Fan Zhongyan, people had his“notes on the Yueyang Tower”inscribed on a wooden plaque in 1867 in the handwriting of Zhang Zhao, a well-known calligrapher of the Qing dynasty. It is now installed in the middle of the second floor as the soul of the tower. Besides, the Tower houses many other tablets cut with poems of various dynasties in praise of the fantastic landscape, including those of Li Bai,Du Fu,Han Yu,BAI Juyi,to name only a few.