Xie Lingyun Tower

　　Xie Lingyun Tower is situated in Xuancheng City and was constructed by the famous poet of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Xie Lingyun, when he was the governor of Xuancheng. During the Jianwu era (494–496 AD) of Emperor Ming of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Xie Lingyun took office as the governor of Xuancheng. He built a room on the top of Lingyang Mountain at the city gate and named it “Gao Zhai” (High Study), where he handled official duties and lived during his term.

　　In the early Tang Dynasty, to commemorate Xie Lingyun, the people of Xuancheng built a new tower on the site of the former “Gao Zhai.” Since the tower was located north of the prefectural office, it was named “Beilou” (North Tower). Also, because the tower was completed around the time when Mount Jingting had already gained fame, and one could see Mount Jingting from the tower, it was also called “Beiwanglou” (North-Watching Tower). The great Tang poet Li Bai visited Xuancheng many times, climbed this tower to pay tribute, and composed poems to express his emotions. His poem “Autumn Ascension to Xie Lingyun’s North Tower in Xuancheng” became widely loved and has been passed down through the ages. It reads: “The river town lies fair within the painted scene; / At dusk I gaze on mountains in the blue. / Two streams like mirrors lie between the green; / Twin bridges span like rainbows o’er the view. / Mist-veiled, the trees look cold with tangerine; / The autumn chills the phoenix trees so tall. / Who’d think of me atop the North Tower’s screen? / I face the breeze, thinking of the sage’s fall.” Due to the widespread fame of Li Bai’s poem, the tower also came to be known as “Xie Gong Tower” and “Xie Lingyun Tower.” Later, pavilions such as Tiaofeng, Qingshu, Yingchun, Guanfeng, Shuangxi, and Huai Xie were built around the tower. Literati and scholars throughout the dynasties flocked here, and countless poems were composed in praise of the tower.

　　The Tang poet Bai Juyi once lived in Xuancheng with his elder brother Bai Youwen and wrote the poem “Distant Mountains Arrayed Beyond the Window,” expressing his impressions after ascending this tower. When the then Xuanchi Observation Commissioner learned of this poem, he greatly admired it and recommended Bai Juyi to take the imperial examination in the capital. Bai Juyi ranked fourth and thus began his official career. Even in his later years, Bai Juyi wrote the poem “Inscribed on the Prefectural Study,” which says: “...No new poems grace the wall again, / The distant peaks in vain adorn the frame. / Yet joy returns as Xuancheng stirs with verse, / I raise my cup in toast afar to Jingting’s fame.”

　　In the late Xiantong era of the Tang Dynasty (874 AD), Dugu Lin, the Censor-in-Chief and Prefect of Xuancheng, renovated the North Tower. Due to its high and steep terrain, with cliffs overlapping like barriers, he named it “Diezhang Tower” (Layered Peaks Tower) and wrote a record to commemorate it. During the Ming Jiajing era, Prefect Fang Fengshi renovated it again and restored its name to “Gaozhai Tower” (High Study Tower), also writing an inscription. In the 40th year of the Qing Kangxi era (1701 AD), Prefect Xu Tingshi renovated the tower once more and remarked: “The name ‘Diezhang’ is given by the land, while the title ‘Xie Gong’ is passed on by the man. The North Tower is known to all through the ages, embodying both the man and the place.” Thus, he named it “Guyue Tower” (Ancient North Tower). In the early Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, Prefect Lu Yiyuan renovated the tower anew. The renovated North Tower had two stories, round on top and square at the bottom, entirely made of wood, with a glazed tile roof and upturned eaves on all sides. The upper floor was inscribed with “Diezhang Tower” and surrounded by wooden railings, while the lower floor was titled “Xie Lingyun Tower” and featured four-sided screen doors. Around the base of the tower were stone tablets inscribed with poems and records of renovations through the dynasties.

　　During the Anti-Japanese War (1937), the tower was bombed by Japanese aircraft. It has since been rebuilt to its original appearance, restoring its former glory.

　　Xie Lingyun Tower is ranked among the Four Famous Towers of the Jiangnan region, alongside Yueyang Tower, Yellow Crane Tower, and Tengwang Pavilion.

　　Transportation

　　There is no direct bus service; you may take a taxi there.