Daguan Tower

Daguan Tower

Daguan Tower, also known as Qiao Tower (an ancient watchtower built atop city gates), is located at the entrance of West Street in Yibin’s central district. It stands 28 meters tall, is 31.6 meters long, and 20.4 meters wide, and has a rectangular shape. Climbing to the top offers picturesque views of distant mountains and the winding rivers, creating a refreshing and inspiring scene—hence the name “Daguan” (Grand View). From behind the tower, heading west along West Street up to West City Corner Street, this area was historically known as "Futangba," indicating that Yibin’s county government was once situated here.

The entire structure has four levels. The ground floor is built of stone, featuring a cruciform passage that allows the passage of horse-drawn carts. On the western side of the tower, there are two sets of stone staircases, each with 29 steps, leading directly to the tower hall. The upper three floors are entirely made of wooden brackets and beams, with flying eaves on all four corners that soar gracefully into the sky. The window frames and eave railings were all meticulously carved by skilled artisans. The surrounding lattice windows are tall, bright, and elegant. The entire building is exquisitely crafted, majestic, and preserves the traditional Chinese architectural style, resembling Beijing’s Tiananmen Gate.

Beneath the western eaves of Daguan Tower hangs a plaque inscribed with the bold and graceful characters “Southwest Half of the Realm.” The plaque was written by Gu Ruxiu, a native of Huayang in Chengdu who was selected as a Hanlin academician after passing the imperial examination. After completing his “three-year term” at the Hanlin Academy, Gu held two high-ranking official positions: one as the Qing Dynasty’s envoy to Annam (modern-day Vietnam) during the Qianlong era, and the other as the Chief Minister of the Dali Temple (historically known as Tingwei, equivalent to the later position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court).