Jiaxiu Tower is located on the Aoji Rock (the rock which looks like a huge turtle according to legend) on  the Nanming River, in the southern part of Guiyang City. This magnificent building has long been the landmark of Guiyang.
First built in the mid-16th century, it has been rebuilt several times, yet has still managed to retain its original features. During the Ming dynasty (1573-1620), the local majesty, Jiang Dongzhi, ordered to build a causeway at where the tower locates today, linking to the southern bank of the Nanming River. Later a pavilion was built to honor the first scholar of the time and hoped that would encourage more scholars to follow the example. Thus the tower was named "Jiaxiu tower". which means "First Scholar's Tower";. In 1621, the original pavilion was burnt in a fire and the stadholder of the time made it rebuilt. In 1689, it was destroyed again, and then, Majesty Tianwen rebuilt it again. So far, the tower has been reconstructed 6 times. For 400 years, it has become the symbol of the city, witnessing the history as well as the future of the development of the Guiyang city.
It is renowned for its layout such as the three-story tower 20 meters high with three carved eaves supported by a stone pillar and atop which is formed by diminishing size as four directions mount up. Located in water, right of the Guanyin temple and the Cuiwei tower; left of the Haibi pavilion, the Jiaxiu Tower is connected with two banks by the Fuyu Bridge (Floating Jade Bridge). All of these make Jiaxiu Tower spectacular.
Inside Jiaxiu Tower, there is a good collection of authentic works and paintings from ancient calligraphers. Of them, the most famous one is the couplet written by Liu Yushang in the Qing Dynasty. This couplet consists of 206 words as a whole, with 87 words in the first and the second line respectively, which is 26 words more than the "Longest couplet" preserved in the Big Guan Tower in Kunming. This couplet is notable not only for its length, but also for its literatural value. Its choice of words is so delicate and magnificent that it looks into not only the history of the tower but also the universal life of human being.
Ascending the tower, visitors can get a good view of the surrounding scenery. The night scene of the tower is the most impressive. Colorfully decorated with lanterns, reflected in water, the tower looks so beautiful that people may feel as if they had been back to the ancient times. |
