Yellow Crane Tower

Initially built in the Three Kingdom Period (220 A.D- 280 A.D.), Yellow Crane Tower was destroyed and reconstructed several times in history. As the symbolic architecture of Wuhan, the present one was built in 1985 in a magnificent and elegant style, noted as “One of the Famous Towers in China” together with Yueyang Tower in Hunan Province, Prince Teng Pavilion in Jiangxi Province and Penglai Pavilion in Shandong Province.

Yellow Crane Tower is located on the top of the Snake Mountain with Wuchang on the back and the Yangtze River in the front. It is as high as 51.4 meters (169 feet) with flying eaves and uplifting angles as well as a spire on the top. It can be divided into 5 stories, enchased by golden glazed tiles, each of which has its own characteristics, so the whole architecture is in the traditional Chinese style.

The first storey functions as a spacious hall with a caisson in the middle. A large-scale ceramic mural “the Yellow Crane in the White Clouds” hangs on the front wall, with a pair of Chinese couplet on each side. On the wall on the second storey is carved the Meeting Memoir at Yellow Crane Tower, recording the history of the tower and the anecdotes of celebrities. There are two murals on each side of the meeting memoir: one mural describes the story of “Emperor Sun Quan Building Wuhan City”, displaying the history of Yellow Crane Tower and Wuchang; the other mural describes the story of “General Zhou Yu Holding a Feast”, displaying the activities of the celebrities in the Three Kingdom Period (220 A.D- 280 A.D.). Many embroidered portraits of the poets are embedded on the wall on the third storey as well as their famous poems, such as the portraits of Li Bai from the Tang Dynasty and Lu You from the Song Dynasty. The hall on the fourth storey is divided into several smaller halls by screens, with the calligraphies and paintings of the modern celebrities hanging on each hall, which are for the visitors’ appreciation and purchase. The fifth storey functions as a watching tower, so the visitors can overlook the fine views along the Yangtze River here.

Many delicate patterns are carved on the surface of the tower in the forms of cranes, exotic flowers and herbs as well as dragons and phoenixes. There are also some affiliated architectures outside Yellow Crane Tower, such as Xianzao Pavilion and Shizhao Pavilion. Besides, there are also some statues, memorial archways and attics around the Yellow Crane Tower, making it more splendid and magnificent. Standing on the top of Yellow Crane Tower, a vast panorama of Wuhan will lie before you.

Travel tips:

Address: It is located on the top of the Snake Mountain of Wuhan
Bus routes: 61, 64, 108, 401, 402, 411, 413, 507, 541, 542, 554, 556 and 561
Opening hours: 7:00am - 6:30pm from April 1st to October 31st
                             7:30am to 5:30pm from November 1st to March 31st