Zhenhai Tower, Five-story tower in Yuexiu District, China.
Zhenhai Tower is a five-story structure made of red brick and grey tile in Yuexiu Park, rising 28 meters high with a 31-meter width. Inside, staircases connect the floors where historical exhibits, geographical models, and ancient city diagrams are displayed.
Zhu Liangzu built the tower in 1380 while extending Guangzhou's northern wall across Yuexiu Hill. It was repaired in the Chenghua era, burned down, and rebuilt in 1547; the Qing destroyed it during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories and it was restored in 1687. Warlords wrecked it again, and the 1928 rebuilding replaced the timber frame with reinforced concrete while keeping the Ming brick and stone walls.
The tower was first named Wanghai Lou, "Watching the Sea Tower"; it was later renamed Zhenhai Lou, meaning "Guarding the Sea," a name taken from the phrase xiong zhen hai jiang, "mighty guard of the maritime frontier." Locals call it the Five-Story Tower. A Cantonese saying holds that you have not reached Guangzhou until you have climbed the Five-Story Tower.
You can explore the interior of the structure by walking up the staircases to view each level of exhibits. The building is set within a park, so plan time to walk around and experience the surrounding grounds.
The tower's name was originally Wanghai Lou, "Sea-Viewing Tower"; it was changed to Zhenhai Lou, meaning "guarding the sea," and locals still call it the Five-Story Tower. A couplet hangs at the top: "A thousand kalpas, the perilous tower still stands... five hundred years, where is the old marquis?"
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