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Yellow Crane Tower Is Famous Attraction in Wuhan

Temple Near Yangtze River Connected to Famous Poets, Many Legends

Mar 9, 2009 Cheryl Probst

Wuhan in central China doesn't have many tourist attractions, but it does have the Yellow Crane Tower which is associated with many Chinese poets and legends.

The temple was originally built in 223 during the Three Kingdoms period, and at one time was used as a military observation tower. Over the centuries, it has been destroyed many times, but always rebuilt.

Construction on the current tower ended in 1985. This tower retains some of the ancient architectural elements, including eaves that look like wings of cranes getting ready to take off. In a bow to modern times, an elevator was added for visitors who don’t want to walk up five floors for great views of Wuhan and the Yangtze River. The tower stands atop Snake Hill.

Tower Featured in Famous Poem

The tower is sometimes referred to as the Yellow Flying Crane Temple. One legend associated with it is about a priest who was standing in the tower when he saw a crane flying past. He asked for a ride on the crane which took him to the Celestial Palace; he was never heard from again. This legend was made famous in a poem by Cui Hao called Yellow Crane Tower. This poem established Cui Hao as one of the premier poets of the High Tang Dynasty, and it remains one of the most famous poems in China today. It begins:

The ancient one

flew off on his yellow crane,

Now this place is empty

only Yellow Crane Tower remains.

The poem is quoted on the website, Mountain Songs, which is about poetry in China.

Li Bai wrote another famous poem about the Yellow Crane Tower called Goodbye to Yellow Crane Tower, which is about a friend sailing away down the Yangtze River.

Inside Is a Huge Mosaic of a Crane in Flight

Inside the tower are floor-to-ceiling mosaics of a yellow crane in flight. There are statues of cranes throughout the tower site as well as ponds to relax by. Also on the site is a small concert hall where visitors can enjoy bell concerts.

The Yellow Crane Tower is considered one of the three must-see sights in Wuhan. The others are East Lake and the Buddhist Guiyan Temple. It also is considered one of the three most famous ancient towers in China; the other two are Yueyang Tower in Hunan Province, and Tengwangge Tower in Jiangxi Province.

Yellow Crane Tower is located in the Wuchang District of Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Basic admission is 50 renminbi (about $6 USD). Admission to the concert hall is extra; a fee is charged for visitors who wish to ring special bells themselves.

The copyright of the article Yellow Crane Tower Is Famous Attraction in Wuhan in S Asia/China Travel is owned by Cheryl Probst. Permission to republish Yellow Crane Tower Is Famous Attraction in Wuhan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Statue of cranes