Now we are on the way to Yellow Crane Tower. Yellow Crane Tower, located on Snake Hill in Wuchang, is one of the "Three Famous Towers in the south of Yangtze River
According to the history, the yellow crane tower was first built in 223AD during the three-kingdom period. At the beginning , the tower was originally used for military to observe the enemy’s activity. When the war finished, the tower gradually became a scenic attraction where people can appreciate the view of the city as well as the lake. In ancient time, many literati visited this place, and sometimes even put down poems for it . Such as Cuihao in Tang Dynasty, he wrote a famous poem which was name YELLO CRANE TOWER, and another famous poet LiBai, whose poems affected the whole dynasty in his time, also visited this beautiful place many times. In this place he once saw off his friend, another poet MengHaoran, and wrote a famous poem for it to show his emotion. From then on, the yellow crane tower was well known throughout china
Over the centuries the tower had been destroyed by wars for many times, but its popularity with Chinese ensured that it was always rebuilt. The current tower was completed in 1985 and its design derived from a picture of Qing dynasty. It stands 51.4meters high and has 5 floors .The appearance of the tower is the same regardless of the direction it is viewed from. The tower has 60 upturned eaves layer upon layer, covered with yellow glazed tiles and supported with 72 huge pillars. The exports comment that it is an authentic reproduction of both the exterior and interior design, with the exception of the addition of air-conditioner and an elevator. Since ancient time, the yellow crane tower has been regarded as the symbol of Wuhan.
Now we are standing in front of the tower. With yellow upturned eaves, each floor seems to have been designed to resemble a yellow crane spreading its wings to fly. Let’s enter the hall on the first floor. On the wall, there is a nine-meter (about 30 feet) long and six-meter (about 20 feet) wide painted porcelain瓷制的 picture which depicts描画 clouds, rivers and cranes to represent a romantic mood in the heaven. Do you know why we call the tower YELLOW CRANE TOWER? The answer lies in the picture. Have you noticed that, in the picture there is a Taoist who played a flute 笛 and rode a crane gliding 滑翔 through the sky? It is a story about kindness and rewarding.
Once upon a time, there was a warm-hearted old man. He was very poor and ran a small wine tavern to earn a living. One day in the summer, the weather was very hot and the sun was very strong, a Taoist dressed in tattered clothes entered the alehouse. He begged the shopkeeper for
wine: the shopkeeper smiled and gave him a bowl of wine. After that, the Taoist often patronized the tavern and enjoyed the wine without paying money. One year later, the Taoist wanted to reward the poor man. He picked up an orange peel from the ground and drew a magic crane on the wall. When he clapped his hands, the crane can dance with the rhythem. Many people came to watch this miracle. From then on, the tavern was always full of guests. During the ten years, the old man got out of the involvement of poverty and ran a large restaurant. Ten years later, the Taoist revisited the old place and say goodbye to the old men.After saying goodbye, the Taoist played the flute and then rode the crane to the sky. In honor of the yellow crane and Taoist, the old man built
a tower and named it yellow crane tower. Ok, let’s go on.
Now we are on the second floor, and we can appreciate various miniature微缩模型 copied the styles from Tang dynasty to Qing dynasty. Now, let us enjoy the yellow crane in Tang dynasty, it has two stories, the first floor was the gate of the wall, the second floor was used for visitors to enjoy the view of the city. In this period Yellow Crane Tower become a very famous tourist destination. It is said that: tourist must come here, and party must hold here.
Look at those miniature, do you know which resembles 类似 [ri'zembl] with the current tower most, pay attention, please. Right, the design of yellow crane tower was followed a Qing dynasty picture. Let us have a look at the model in Qing dynasty. It was a 3--floor tower, the first floor has 12 eaves which represent 12 hours in one day, the second floor also has 12 eaves and it stands for 12 months in a year. The third floor has 24 eaves and represents 24 solar terms. It is very interesting to enjoy so many kinds of models in different dynasties. On the three floor you can learn something about Chinese ancient culture----poem. Because of Cuihao’s poem, the yellow crane tower also called Cuihao’s poem tower. His poem YELLO CRANE TOWER has translated into English by a famous translator MR. XuYuanchong This poem is very beautiful, and I wanna share with you.
The sage on yellow crane was gone amid clouds white.
To what avail is Yellow Crane Tower left here?
Once gone, the yellow crane will not on earth alight;
Once white clouds still float in vain from year to year.
By sunlit river trees can be counted one by one;
On Parrot Islet sweet green grass grows fast and thick.
Where is my native land beyond the setting sun?
The mist-veiled waves of River Han makes me homesick.
许渊冲译
If you want to enjoy the Changjiang River and the view of Wuhan, the good choice is to go to the fifth floor. And the rest time, enjoy yourself.