The memorial screen
In Zhang Zhao's hand.
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An ancient tower on the wall of Yueyang's old city near its west gate, looking over Dongting Lake and Junshan Island; it is one of the «Three Great Towers of Jiangnan», with the Pavilion of Prince Teng in Nanchang and the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan. Tradition traces it to a tower the Wu general Lu Su built on the wall to review his fleet in the early third century, but its fame comes from the «Memorial to Yueyang Tower» written by the scholar-statesman Fan Zhongyan under the Song, some 360 characters long, with its celebrated line: «be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures». The text hangs today on a carved wooden screen in the hand of the calligrapher Zhang Zhao on the second floor. The tower has three storeys under glossy yellow tiles, its roof curved like a general's helmet, the only ancient building in China roofed this way. It burned in 1688, was rebuilt in 1740, and had its largest restoration in 1880. The surrounding garden shows scale models of the tower as it looked in earlier dynasties, along with the old city gate. Tickets cost CNY 70, half price for students and free for over-70s, and it is open from 7 am to 6.30 pm from May to September and 7.30 am to 6 pm the rest of the year, per visitor guides.
In Zhang Zhao's hand.
Over Dongting Lake.
Through the dynasties.
On the old city wall by the west gate, Dongting Lake shore, Yueyang, Hunan
Yes, the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan and the Pavilion of Prince Teng in Nanchang lie on high-speed rail lines, and all three fit into a trip of a few days.
The city has noodle restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign, while local cooking uses a lot of pork and fish, so ask about ingredients.