Yanghe Tower

Yanghe Tower

Yanghe Tower spans across South Street inside the southern gate of Zhengding. The layout of Yanghe Tower is extremely simple, forming a seven-bay rectangular structure. The tower is built on a lofty brick platform that stands 8.6 meters high, stretches 66 meters from east to west, and is 21.6 meters wide from north to south. The southern side serves as the main façade, where a plaque with the bold, regular-script characters “阳和楼” (Yanghe Tower) hangs in the center. On the eastern side, there are stairs for ascending and descending. Beneath the brick platform are two arched passageways on the left and right, allowing pedestrians and vehicles to pass through. Between the two gates, to the south lies the Temple of Guan Yu, in front of which stand an ornamental archway, flagpoles, and stone lions. Inside the archway is the main gate, leading to a T-shaped hall complex.

It was first built in the late Jin and early Yuan dynasties, and was renovated during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The tower has seven bays and is built on a lofty brick platform. Below the platform are two round arched gateways, one on each side, allowing passage for people and vehicles. Its layout bears some resemblance to the Gate of Supreme Harmony (Duanmen) at Beijing’s Tiananmen, but to the south in the center sits the Temple of Guan Yu, constructed against the platform. Sadly, Yanghe Tower was demolished in the 1960s. The 1280 (the 17th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty) record “Record of the Renovation of Yanghe Tower” describes it as: “Yanghe Tower is a grand landmark of the prefectural city, spanning the central thoroughfare.” “Whenever one ascends here, to the south one overlooks the Fuyang River, to the north gazes upon Mount Heng, to the right catches the misty beauty of the Taihang Mountains, and to the left beholds the rising sun over the sea. One feels as if floating above the mortal world, riding the heavenly winds above the ninth heaven.”

Emperors and scholars throughout the dynasties often climbed the tower to enjoy the view and compose poetry or inscriptions. The Yuan Dynasty poet Liu Yin wrote in “Climbing Yanghe Gate of Zhending Prefecture”: “To the north, clouds disperse to reveal the mountain; to the east, energy challenges the stars. Leaning on the rail, the boundless sky unfolds; worldly affairs drift like duckweed.” The Ming Dynasty’s Yuan Hongdao praised the site in “Invited by Prefectural Administrator Wang to Drink at Yanghe Tower”: “Ten-zhang red flags cast crimson reflections on the water; every household plays music in celebration of the land. A thousand peaks, picturesque, accompany our wine; little do we realize that peace is taken for granted.”