Wangqi Platform

Wangqi Platform

Also known as Zhanzi Tower. Legend has it that this was where Yin Xi, the magistrate of Hangu Pass, climbed to a high place to gaze into the distance and observe celestial phenomena. The idiom “purple air comes from the east” originates from here. In the poem "Autumn Orchid" by the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, there is a line that reads: “Gazing westward to the Jade Pool where the Queen Mother descends, purple air from the east fills Hangu Pass.” To commemorate him, later generations named the earthen mound where Yin Xi climbed to look into the distance: Wangqi Platform. During the Tang Dynasty, a “Zhanzi Tower” over three zhang tall was built on it. This tower was destroyed in war during the Republican era. What can be seen today is a replica built in recent years in the ancient style.