Tengwang Pavilion

Overview
 

Location

Tengwang Pavilion is a building in the north west of the city of Nanchang, in Jiangxi province, China, on the east bank of the Gan River and is one of the Four Great Towers of China.

History

Tenwang Pavilion was initially built by Li Yuanying in 653 (the fourth year of the Yonghui Reign in Tang Dynasty), when he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Hongzhou. As one of the sons of Li Yuan, the first emperor in Tang Dynasty, Li Yuanying had grown in a monarch home and nourished by the royalty elegance. He mastered in painting, calligraphy and music and was fascinated by the natural beauty, frequently indulging himself in the balmy isles and gorgeous boats, which had reached the summit of the prosperity at that time. (Narration for the Rebuilding of Tenwang Pavilion written by Chen Wenzhu in Ming Dynasty). According to history records, as the former inspector of Suzhou, Li Yuanying had brought a group of singing and dancing artists from Suzhou to Hongzhou, when he was transferred to be a commander- in ¨C chief there, and immerged in banquets and amusements all day long. Later, he specially built the pavilion by the river to enjoy the pleasure and merry in the music and dance, thus the pavilion taken the name of Tengwang that was a title awarded to him in Zhenguan Reign. It has been reputed as one of the four famous towers in China. The pavilion has been rebuilt or renovated for twenty-nine times and its twists and turns vividly show the changes of history.

Feature

This nine-storied structure stands at 57.5 meters in height and occupies a construction area of 13,000 square meters with a 12-meter-long base symbolic of ancient city walls. Made of reinforced cement, the pavilion, featuring flying eaves and engraved beams, looks quite splendid. There was a famous poem to describe the beauty of the tower. The pavilion is facing the Xi Mountains, and people can see a whole view of Nanchang city. The reputation of Tengwang Pavilion, to a great extent, is due to a well-known prose - "Preface to Tengwang Pavilion" by Wangbo. It was said that when the author, a reputable poet of the Tang, passed Nanchang o­n his way to Guangdong, he wrote this prose on the subject of the banquet which was being held to celebrate the reconstruction.

Features
Made of reinforced cement Featuring flying eaves and engraved beams Quite splendid