Yuejiang Lou, Historic tower and memorial hall in Duanzhou, Zhaoqing, China

Yuejiang Lou is a two-storey building on an 8-metre hill above the north bank of the Xijiang River. Its four wings form a square courtyard around a Lingnan garden with a pool and rockery. The south wing is 12.9 metres high, the north 13.9 metres, and the east and west wings 12.5 metres; the current timber surfaces are reinforced concrete imitating wood.

The site began as Shitou An, a stone hermitage built under prefect Zhang Songqing in the Southern Song Longxing era to honour the monk Shitou Xiqian. In 1431 it became Songtai Academy; a north tower was added in 1546, and in 1641 governor Zhang Jingxin rebuilt it on the model of the Tengwang Pavilion and named it Yuejiang Lou. Destroyed at the Ming-Qing transition, it was rebuilt in 1657 and repaired under Kangxi and Jiaqing; Japanese bombing damaged the rear and west towers, and the 1959 and 1971 restorations gave the timber facing a reinforced-concrete structure.

The name Yuejiang Lou, given in 1641 when governor Zhang Jingxin had the building remodelled on the model of the Tengwang Pavilion, means "tower for viewing the river". The plaque under the south eaves was brushed by the Qing governor-general of Liangguang, Lao Chongguang. Flanking the stone steps are white marble lions carved from single blocks for the Yongli Emperor's Wanshou Palace in Zhaoqing.

The tower is open during daylight hours and is easily reached by public bus or taxi from downtown Zhaoqing. Visit in early morning or late afternoon when lighting is especially good for viewing the river and surroundings.

The stone lions flanking the main steps are carved from single blocks of white marble; they were made for the Wanli Emperor of the Southern Ming when he built his Wanshou Palace in Zhaoqing. The "Yuejiang Lou" plaque under the south eaves was brushed by the Qing governor-general Lao Chongguang.