Huanji Tower

Huanji Tower

To talk about Huanji Tower, one must first mention Qishan Mountain.

According to legend, Qishan was originally called Jishan (Chicken Mountain). There was an immortal chicken on the mountain. Every dawn, the immortal chicken would crow loudly on the mountain, waking up the sleeping people. The mountain absorbed this celestial energy and grew taller and taller. If it grew tall enough that one could see Shishan Mountain north of the Wohe River from its peak, the chicken would get its “food,” and Mengcheng would produce top imperial scholars and even a true dragon emperor.

Later, some emperor got wind of this and sent a master to sever the mountain’s celestial root. The blood that flowed at the time turned the nearby pond red.

Since then, the mountain stopped growing, and the immortal chicken flew away toward the southeast. The cultural vein of Mengcheng County was broken, and so not only did Mengcheng never produce an emperor, but it didn’t even have a single top imperial scholar.

People missed the immortal chicken, so they built Huanji Tower in the southeastern corner of the city, hoping to call the immortal chicken back.

Later, Huanji Tower was destroyed in war, but as a place name, it has been passed down to this day.

In 1994, a new Huanji Tower was built on the original site. It is a small square pavilion with soaring upturned eaves. In front of the pavilion is a large ring (a globe), atop which stands a rooster, facing the southeast, stretching its neck and crowing loudly, calling the immortal chicken back.

The legend of Huanji Tower embodies the Mengcheng people’s longing for beautiful things.