Standing in the western part of Tueyang City, the majestic Yueyang Tower overlooks Dongting Lake and faces Junshan Islet in the distance.Yueyang Tower is one of the three famous tower south of the Changjiang River, the other two being Guanghe Tower in Wuchang and Tengang Pavilion in Nanchang. The Predecessor of Yueyang Tower was a platform on which Lu Su, a genereal of Wu State during the Three Kindoms period, reviewed the navy in training. The tower was first built in 716. Bothe Li Bai and Du Fu, master poets of the Tang Dynasty descended it and composed poems there. In 1045 during the Nothern Song Dynasty,Yueyang Tower was reconstructed, and Fan Zhongyang, a man of letters, was invited to write Notes on Yue yang Tower. "Being the firest to show concern for the people and the last to enjoy comforts", a line from Fan's masterpiece essay, has made Yueyang Tower known through the ages. The tower has undergone many renovations but it maintains its architectural style and apperance. The tower we see today is a three-story wooden structure with four columns, upturned waves, and a helmet-style top. It is a major historical erlic under state protection. :-)
