Lijiao Tower

　　Lijiao Tower is located to the west of the First People's Hospital on Zhongcheng Road in Duanzhou District. It serves as the entrance to the former site of the Zhaoqing Prefecture Government Office and was originally built in 1118. The ancient Duanzhou region was once the fiefdom of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji. After ascending the throne, Zhao Ji personally inscribed the name “Zhaoqing Prefecture” for the area. Local officials built a high platform in front of the government office and constructed this tower to enshrine the imperial inscription, hence the tower was also called the “Imperial Inscription Tower.” It was renamed Lijiao Tower during the Ming Dynasty reconstruction. After its completion, the tower housed a bronze clepsydra, the Qianning Bronze Bell, and a large rattan drum to mark the time. In the winter of 1925, the tower served as the station of the Independent Regiment directly under Ye Ting. By the 1950s, the tower had become dilapidated and was rebuilt in a reinforced concrete structure mimicking wood, though the high platform base beneath it still retained the Ming Dynasty structure.

　　Overview of Lijiao Tower

　　Transportation

　　　　Take bus routes 4, 5, 6, or 10 and get off at Zhongcheng Road. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from there.

　　 History

　　　　Originally named the Imperial Inscription Tower, Lijiao Tower is also known as Yongming Palace or the Red Tower. It is located on the west side of the First People's Hospital on Zhongcheng Road in Duanzhou District. This is the entrance to the former site of the Zhaoqing Prefecture Government Office and was first built in 1118. The ancient Duanzhou region was once the fiefdom of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji. After ascending the throne, Zhao Ji personally inscribed the name “Zhaoqing Prefecture” for the area. Local officials built a high platform in front of the government office and constructed this tower to enshrine the imperial inscription, hence the tower was also called the “Imperial Inscription Tower.” It was renamed Lijiao Tower during the Ming Dynasty reconstruction. After its completion, the tower housed a bronze clepsydra, the Qianning Bronze Bell, and a large rattan drum to mark the time. In the winter of 1925, the tower served as the station of the Independent Regiment directly under Ye Ting. By the 1950s, the tower had become dilapidated and was rebuilt in a reinforced concrete structure mimicking wood, though the high platform base beneath it still retained the Ming Dynasty structure.
　　Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji, was once the Prince of Duan, and Duanzhou was his fiefdom. After ascending the throne, he elevated Duanzhou to a prefecture and personally inscribed its name as “Zhaoqing Prefecture.” To enshrine the imperial inscription, a high platform and tower were built in front of the government office in the first year of the Chonghe era of the Song Dynasty (1118), and it was named the Imperial Inscription Tower. In the sixth year of the Tian Shun era of the Ming Dynasty (1462), Prefect Huang Yu reconstructed the tower and renamed it Lijiao Tower. In the late Ming Dynasty (1646), the Prince of Gui, Zhu Youlang, ascended the throne here while resisting the Qing, and it was then renamed Yongming Palace.
　　In the early years of the People’s Republic of China, the tower was commonly known as the Red Tower due to its color. Lijiao Tower once displayed timekeeping instruments such as a bronze clepsydra, the Qianning Bronze Bell, and a large rattan drum. Behind the tower was the government office, the administrative center of ancient Duanzhou. The famous Song Dynasty official Bao Zheng once served here for three years, earning a reputation for outstanding governance and integrity, particularly for not taking even an inkstone upon leaving office. Today, the archway gate of the Lijiao Tower platform still bears a plaque reading “Ancient Famous Prefecture of Duan” and a couplet that reads “The bright starry cliffs shine over mountains and seas, the inkstone islet’s refreshing breeze spreads through ancient and modern times.”