Zhongjiang Tower

Zhongjiang Tower

Zhongjiang Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Zhongjiang Tower stands majestically on the river embankment at the confluence of the Qingyi River and the Yangtze River, nestled between the bustling city and the river—half urban, half riverside. Ancient people praised it as the “lotus on the river,” and it is a key cultural relic protection unit in Wuhu City.

Zhongjiang Tower was first built in the 46th year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1618), and construction was completed in the 8th year of the Kangxi era during the Qing Dynasty (1669). This pavilion-style brick-and-wood structure feng shui pagoda has eight sides and five stories, with each side measuring 4.1 meters. The tower is 43.7 meters tall, including a spire that rises 10.16 meters. Each level features four windows arranged in an alternating pattern, with a lamp niche on either side of every window. The interior structure is a wall-based internal turning style for the first and second floors, with stone stairs winding around. The third to fifth floors are hollow, with wooden stairs built along the walls. Doors, windows, and tower walls are all exquisitely carved. Bricks with relief carvings are embedded along each wall surface, especially the ornate carved brackets flanking the circular leaning columns on the first and second levels. In 1987, restoration led by the provincial archaeological research institute reinstated the tower’s overhanging eaves. The eight corners are supported by corner brackets holding up the diagonal beams, giving the eaves a far-reaching projection. The spandrel brackets on each façade consist of two layers supporting the projecting eave beams. Rafters and flying rafters are fitted with sheathing boards, topped with interlocking tiles. The restored Zhongjiang Tower is a grand and imposing sight. Climbing to the top rewards visitors with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Zhongjiang Tower can be regarded as a symbolic landmark of Wuhu’s geographical location.

Zhongjiang Tower overlooks the two rivers, its reflection mirrored in the waters. At dawn and dusk, its shadow stretches long—the morning sun casting light over the mighty Yangtze, the evening sun shifting across the clear Qingyi. The shimmering waves and tower shadows create a breathtaking scene. At night, the bright moon and flickering fishing lights drift along, and as the moon rises and shadows shift with the rippling water, accompanied by the sounds of waves and bells, the scene becomes even more tranquil and enchanting.

In 1988, the Wuhu Municipal People’s Government renovated Zhongjiang Tower, allowing it to stand proudly alongside modern skyscrapers and multifunctional floodwalls along the two rivers, forming a unique panorama where ancient and modern civilization coexist side by side.

In ancient times, the stretch of the Yangtze River from Jiujiang to Jingkou (Zhenjiang) was referred to as the Zhongjiang (Middle River), and Wuhu happened to be located there, hence the name “Zhongjiang.” Another explanation says there was an ancient Zhongjiang River that flowed east to Taihu Lake and west to the Yangtze River, and the ancient site of Wuhu was located along this river, thus being called Zhongjiang, and the tower was named accordingly. As early as the Eastern Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods, the small tower here served as a lighthouse for night navigation of ships on the Yangtze and Qingyi Rivers, as well as a beacon guiding ships into Wuhu.

Value Assessment:

Zhongjiang Tower took 60 years to complete, spanning the Ming and Qing dynasties, and embodies architectural styles from the late Ming and early Qing periods, becoming a widely known historic building in the Wuhu area. In ancient times, besides serving military, political, and economic purposes such as guarding the mouth of the Qingyi River and controlling the strategic midpoint of the Yangtze, the tower was also built to compensate for the lack of one of the “six scenic beauties” of Wuhu—including Divine Mountain, Red Hill, Mirror Lake, and White Horse Mountain—adding to the city’s charm. Having endured centuries of vicissitudes, Zhongjiang Tower stands firmly at the river’s mouth, bearing silent witness to the flow of the great river and the changes of the human world, becoming an indispensable and beautiful landmark in the hearts of the city’s residents.