Leaning Tower of Hénglong on the Zujiang River

Leaning Tower of Hénglong on the Zujiang River

The Leaning Tower of Hénglong on the Zujiang River is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Leaning Tower of Hénglong on the Zujiang River is located on a small island called Aotou Mountain in the middle of the Zujiang River, near Dacun Village in Taiping Town, Jiangzhou District, Chongzuo City. The leaning tower stands at an angle without collapsing, making it a remarkable wonder. It is one of the eight most famous leaning towers in the world and the only leaning tower in Guangxi.

The world’s eight most famous leaning towers are Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, Germany’s Kento Tower, the Square Tower of the British Parliament, China’s Suizhong Leaning Tower in Liaoning, Huqiu Leaning Tower in Jiangsu, Songjiang Leaning Tower in Shanghai, Dangyang Leaning Tower in Hubei, and the Leaning Tower of Hénglong on the Zujiang River.

It is said that the Leaning Tower of Hénglong was built to suppress demons and ward off evil. Aotou Mountain is situated at a sharp bend of the Zujiang River where the waters are turbulent with swirling currents that often engulf passing boats. There is a saying: “Of ten boats that pass the bend, nine will capsize.” People believed that demons in the river were causing the disasters, so the tower was built to subdue them. Another legend tells of a time long ago when a dragon in the Zujiang River frequently stirred up storms and capsized or sank passing vessels. Later, a young man named Shuibao, relying on his exceptional skills, slew the dragon. To commemorate his heroic deed of ridding the people of this menace, the local villagers built this tower and named it Guilong Tower (also known as Shuibao Tower).

The Guilong Leaning Tower has five stories. Its construction began in the first year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1621), and by the second year of the Chongzhen era (1629), three stories had been completed. Two additional stories were added in the 35th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1696). The base of the tower has a diameter of 5 meters, and the total height of the tower is 23.18 meters (with the main body being 18.28 meters tall). The tower has an octagonal shape, and inside there is a spiral staircase leading to the top. During its design, factors such as wind force on the river, water currents, and foundation conditions were taken into account, resulting in the deliberate design where: the height of the first floor is 45 bricks on the east side and 43 bricks on the west side, creating a difference of two bricks in height. This caused the tower to tilt 52°16′30″ toward the southwest by 4°24′64″, with a horizontal offset of 1.41 meters. Although the tower actually tilts only toward the southwest, when viewed from a boat circling the tower, it appears to lean toward the observer from all sides, hence its name. It has gained worldwide fame for its seemingly tilted yet not entirely so, multi-directional slant, and the fact that it leans yet does not fall. In November 1992, it was designated as a County-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and in July 1994, it was listed as a Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

On October 7, 2019, the Leaning Tower of Hénglong on the Zujiang River was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected Area: Aotou Mountain, Guilong Long Beach. Controlled Zone: A 500-meter radius extending outward from the tower.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units