Chenzhou South Tower

Chenzhou South Tower

Chenzhou South Tower is a cultural tourism attraction.

There are no definitive records on when the South Tower was built. Northern Song Dynasty poet Ruan Yue wrote a poem about the tower in his collection “One Hundred Poems on the Chen River,” which reads: “The southern peak faces Stone City on the riverbank, the monks’ quarters stand high amid the drifting clouds. The platform opens to the vast autumn moon, and a soft lamp glows atop the tower at night.” This indicates that the tower existed as early as the Northern Song Dynasty. The current structure was rebuilt in the eighth year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1743 AD). It has seven stories, and the tower is octagonal in shape, with only the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—featuring arched gateways.

The fifth story and above contain false gateways. Spiral stone steps are built into the inner walls, allowing visitors to climb up to the fourth floor. Each level features carved stone projections that support the eaves. The first floor has 24 carved stones (six per side, four on each of the eight sides), while the second to seventh floors each have 16 (three on each of the eight sides). In the past, iron bells hung from the corner brackets of the upper three floors, ringing in the wind and audible from afar. Hence, the scenic spot is known as the “Chiming of the South Tower Bells.”