Er Fen Ming Yue Tower

Er Fen Ming Yue Tower

Er Fen Ming Yue Tower is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Guide

Originally built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, this tower was commissioned by a wealthy local family surnamed Yuan, inspired by the Tang Dynasty poet Xu Ning’s line “Of the world’s moonlit nights in three, two belong, unrivaled, to Yangzhou.”

A plaque inscribed with the name “Er Fen Ming Yue Tower” hangs on the tower, calligraphed by Qian Yong of the Qing Dynasty. The garden features structures such as the Yue Ying Tower (Welcoming the Moon Tower), Xi Zhao Tower (Evening Glow Tower), and Mei Xi Yin Xie (Plum Stream Poetry Pavilion), with plaques and couplets all penned by renowned artists like Jin Nong and Zheng Banqiao.

To this day, there remains a well in the garden. Its stone rim is inscribed with “Set by Yuan in the Apricot Month of the Seventh Year of Daoguang,” marking the true history of the garden. The main building in the garden, Yu Yuan (Jade Garden), displays a plaque inscribed with “Er Fen Ming Yue Tower,” written by the Qing Dynasty poet Qian Yong.

Angling eastward is a yellow-stone hill, on which an eastern pavilion with three rooms was built along the contours of the hill. This pavilion connects westward to the main tower and eastward to the Xi Zhao Pavilion (Evening Glow Pavilion), allowing visitors to bid farewell to the setting moon when it sinks in the west. In the southwest corner stands the Yue Ying Tower (Welcoming the Moon Tower) with three rooms, deliberately offset from the eastern pavilion yet within sight, so that one can welcome the rising moon when it appears over the eastern hills from within the pavilion.

The layout of the entire garden centers around the theme of the “moon,” with numerous uniquely shaped moon bridges, moon gates, and moon windows scattered throughout, highlighting Yangzhou’s reputation as a place blessed with exceptional moon views.

Transportation Located at No. 263 Guangling Road, downtown Yangzhou. Accessible via Bus Routes 2 and 11.

Address: No. 236 Guangling Road, Guangling District, Yangzhou (near Guangling Primary School)

Type: Garden / Historic Architecture

Recommended Visit Duration: 1 hour

Ticket Information:

Free admission.