Chapter 21 Famous Ancient Towers in China中国古代名楼
Yueyang Tower，Yellow Crane Tower，Tengwang Pavilion and Penglai Pavilion are the four famous towers in China，whose unique architectural styles are of great significance in understanding the architectural style and characteristics of ancient China．
1.Yueyang Tower
The Yueyang Tower(see picture 21-1)，standing on the west gate of the Yueyang city wall，looking down at the Dongting Lake，facing the Junshan Island in the distance，and linking the Yangtze River to the north and the Xiangjiang River to the south，is listed as one of the Three Great Towers in the south of Yangtze River，along with the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan，and the Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang．It has long enjoyed the reputation of being the“first tower under heaven”，as the Dongting Lake is known as the“first water under heaven”．
It is said that Yueyang Tower was originally built for soldiers to rest on and watch out．In the Three Kingdoms Period，Lu Su，General of Wu State，trained his soldiers here and then rebuilt it as a tower for troop inspection．
In the fourth year(716)of Kaiyuan of Tang Dynasty，General Zhangshuo was dispatched to defend at Yuezhou and he rebuilt it into a tower named South Tower，and then Yueyang Tower．After that，many famous poets such as Du Fu，Han Yu，Liu Yuxi，Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin went there and leave many famous poems that made Yueyang Tower well known and a famous tower around China．
In the fourth year(1044)of Qingli of Song Dynasty，Teng Zijing was stationed at Baling Jun，the ancient name of Yueyang city．In the second year，he renovated the Yueyang Tower and invited his good friend Fan Zhongyan，a well-known writer，to compose an essay．In Fan's essay，Remarks of Yueyang Tower，he not only described the wonderful scenery，but also wrote the famous lines of one should be the first to bear hardship，and the last to enjoy comforts，indicating his concerns for the country and people．His words were applauded and won the Tower greater fame，and have been deeply rooted in the Chinese people's mind from generation to generation．After numerous renovations，the current structure was rebuilt in 1867 in the Qing Dynasty．
The Yueyang Tower has its special architectural features．Its main building has three stories and is 15 meters in height，with four huge Nanmu pillars supporting the whole building，twelve round log columns supporting the second floor，and another twelve catalpa pillars supporting the roof．Constructed of wood with interlocking brackets that require no nails，the main building is as steady as a monolith．Its roof looks like a general's helmet，grand and unique，which together with the pure wooden construction reflects the unique style and great achievement of ancient Chinese architecture．
The display of the Tower has its own style with the couplets by famous poets or calligrapher through ages hung on the columns of each storey．Fan Zhongyan's Remarks of Yueyang Tower is inscribed on the wooden screen on the first and second floor of the Tower．The Remarks on the first floor is a copy from the 19th century．Housed on the second floor is a wooden screen written by famous calligrapher Zhang Zhao of the Qing Dynasty，whose handwriting is unique in style，varied in skill，and square in shape．Du Fu's On Yueyang Tower is inscribed on the screen of the third floor which is written by Chairman Mao，whose strong handwriting has added glitters to the Tower．
Two pavilions:Thrice Drunken Pavilion and Fairy Plum Blossom Pavilion are located beside the main building，which show up to advantage with the main building．The Thrice Drunken Pavilion，on the right side of the building，was originally built for sacrificing Charles'Wain，and accordingly called Wangxian Pavilion and changed to Doumu Pavilion later．The present name，Thrice Drunken Pavilion was named in 1987 when it was rebuilt after a legend describing Immortal LüDongbin who was attracted by the beautiful scenery here and got drunk here three times．The Fairy Plum Blossom Pavilion，on the left side of the main building，was built in the 12th year of Chongzhen of Ming Dynasty(1639)．It is said that a flagstone was excavated during the construction of the pavilion and the lines on the stone resembled withered plum blossoms，which were regarded as hand drawings of immortals．After the pavilion was completed，the flagstone was erected in the center of the Pavilion and is still today，which is the reason why the pavilion called Fairy Plum Blossom Pavilion．The pavilion，exquisite and elegant，is 60 meters high，two-storey and is hexagonal with six upturned eaves supporting spire roofs．
2.Yellow Crane Tower
Bordering on the Yangtze River and crouching on the top of the Snake Hill，the Yellow Crane Tower(see picture 21-2)enjoys the fame of“the First Scenery under Heaven”and is listed as one of the three most famous towers on the south bank of the Yangtze River．Its cultural significance led to its being made the symbol of Wuhan City．
Up to now，the Tower has a history of over 1，700 years．According to records，it was originally built in 223 during the Three Kingdoms Period by Sun Quan as a watchtower for his army due to the ideal location．As such a famous tower，it is normal that many legends are created as to why it was built．One of the most popular legends goes like that the Tower used to be a wine-shop opened by a Mrs．Xin．One day，a Taoist monk，in order to thank the woman for her favor of free wine，drew a magic crane on the wall and ordered it to dance on hearing claps．Since then，thousands of people came to see the spectacle and the wine shop was always full of guests．10 years later，when the Taoist monk revisited the wine shop，he played the flute and then rode on the crane to the sky．In order to memorize the supernatural encounter and the monk，Mrs．Xin built a tower here named Yellow Crane Tower．
Legends are legends and are created for entertainment．To build a tower in such a place at the wartime was obviously for military purpose．The military function of the Tower，however，had gradually been forgotten and when in Tang Dynasty，it was enjoyed mainly as a picturesque location for celebrities and poets to get together，treat and meet friends，enjoy the beautiful scenery and make merry and compose poetry．Many great poets in the past dynasties such as Cui Hao，Li Bai，Bai Juyi，Jia Dao，Lu You visited the Tower and wrote hundreds of poems and scores of writings in praise of the magnificent Tower．It was estimated that up to the Tongzhi Reign of the Qing Dynasty，as many as 300 poems about the Tower had been found in the historical literature，in which“Yellow Crane Tower”written by Cui Hao，a famous poet of Tang Dynasty made the Tower well known throughout China．It was these poems that made the Tower so renowned and induced for people to visit．Later，the story about the great poem Li Bai's giving up composing poem after reading“Yellow Crane Tower”by Cui Hao brought the Tower greater fame．
Originally built at a place called Yellow Crane Rock projecting over the water on Snake Hill over 1，700 years ago，the Tower was destroyed many times in successive dynasties，and was rebuilt time and again until 1884 when it was for the last time reduced to ashes．The present tower is the result of four years'construction beginning in 1981．The Tower，51．4 meters high，five-storied with yellow glazed tiles and red pillars，overlapping ridges and interlocking eaves，is reconstructed on the basis of the one designed during the Tongzhi Reign of Qing Dynasty，but more magnificent than the old one．Modern construction technology was applied to the construction of the Tower and it was built under the framework of reinforced concrete and with imitation wood surface．The ground floor of the new is 30 meters wide in each side and the top floor is 18 meters wide in each side．The appearance of the Tower is the same regardless of the direction it is viewed from．
In the halls of the Tower there are many pictures，portraits and wall-paintings． On the wall of the first floor，there hangs a wide painted porcelain picture Cloud and Yellow Crane which depicts clouds，rivers and cranes to represent a romantic mood in the heaven，with a 7-meter long couplet hung on the column located on each side of the picture．On the second floor，the main wall hangs an inscribed poem written by Yan Bojin which records the historical development of the Tower and anecdotes of celebrities．Two wall paintings on each side of the poems are Sun Quan Building the City and Zhou Yu Hosting Friends with the former illustrating how the Wuchang City and the Tower were built one after another and the latter reflecting the activities held by celebrities in the Tower during Three Kingdoms Period．The third floor mainly shows poems written to praise the Tower in different dynasties．Poems composed by Cui Hao，Li Bai and Bai Juyi are extracted and displayed here．The hall on the fourth floor is divided into several smaller halls，which hosts paintings drawn by famous artists for visitors to appreciate and purchase．On top of the Tower，a fabulous panoramic view of the Yangtze River is presented and so are some other wall paintings．
Outside the Tower，there are a group of auxiliary buildings such as bronze yellow cranes，memorial，gateways，corridors and pavilions，which adds more charm to the Tower．
The Tower has different architectural features in different dynasties，but all magnificent and individualized．Compared with Yueyang Tower and Tengwang Tower，the horizontal design of Yellow Crane Tower is four-faced and octangular which，according to ancient architecture culture，has complex symbolic and ethic meaning．Seen vertically，each floor with yellow upturned eaves seems to have been designed to resemble a yellow crane spreading its wings to fly，making the Tower vigorous but exquisite，varied and beautiful．
3.Tengwang Pavilion
The Tengwang Pavilion(see picture 21-3)，located on the east bank of the Ganjiang River，northwest of Nanchang City，Jiangxi Province，is one of the three most notable pavilions south of the Yangtze River together with Yellow Crane Tower and Yueyang Pavilion．It also has the reputation of being“the First Pavilion of Xijiang River”due to its excellent location，height，overall size，and architectural style．
The reputation of Tengwang Pavilion，to a great extent，is due to a well-known prose—Preface to Tengwang Pavilion by Wang Bo．It is said that when the author，a reputable poet of the Tang，passed Nanchang on his way to Guangdong，he wrote this prose on the subject of the banquet which was being held to celebrate the reconstruction of the Pavilion．With the spread of this prose，Tengwang Pavilion became proverbial．
The Pavilion was built in 653 A．D．，when Tengwang Li Yuanying，a younger brother of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty，was the military governor of Nanchang．The Pavilion was named after him but it had undergone reconstruction as many as 28 times as a consequence of events during its 1，300 year-long history．In 1926，the Pavilion was destroyed by fire during the conflicts between the Northern Warlords and as a result，the building was burned to ashes and only the bluestone plaque“Tengwang Pavilion”remained．The current building，based on the style of architecture in the Song Dynasty，is the result of rebuilding that was carried out between 1983 and 1989．
The existing pavilion is even more spectacular and magnificent than its predecessors．The main building is 57．5 meters in height and occupies a construction area of 13，000 square meters with a 12-meter-long base symbolic of ancient city walls．Taking the two-storey basement into account，it has nine storeys，that is，three bright，three dark and one top．
The six floors of the Pavilion treasure scores of artistic writings each with a theme relevant to the exhibition there．On the first floor there is a huge white marble relief“Timely Wind Sending Wangbo to Tengwang Pavilion”which is drawn based on the story that Wangbo composed Preface to Tengwang Pavilion．The second floor is a dark floor on which stands a 2．55-meter high and 20-meter long wall-painting named“Pictures of Outstanding Figure”with all the renowned celebrities from Qin Dynasty to Ming Dynasty．The third floor is a bright floor surrounded by cloister．The pictures here are wall-painting“Linchuan Dream”and a huge bronze relief which depicts the dancers in the Tang Dynasty，reflecting a prosperous and peaceful look of the Tang Dynasty．The fourth floor，a dark floor，houses a large mural“The Rich Land”describing the beautiful mountains and streams in Jiangxi Province from south to north:the Mei Pass of Da Yu Mountain，the magnificent Guifeng Mountain，the Dragon and Tiger Mountain—the birthplace of Taoism，the Chinggang Mountain—the cradle of the Chinese Revolution，the Lu Shan Mountain，the Po Yang Lake—the largest freshwater lake in the country，the Stone Bell Hill—an important military pass in the ancient time，etc．The fifth floor is the ideal place for enjoying the scenery and meeting friends．The paintings such as Playing Long Flute to Make Phoenix Coming，Waiting for Boat at the Foot of Xi Mountain drawn by Huang Qiuyuan，Preface to Tengwang Pavilion，a calligraphic work by Su Dongpo on a bronze stele，and a lacquer painting One hundred Flowers and One Hundred Butterflies are placed．The sixth floor is actually the ninth floor if counting the basements，so it is called“the Ninth Level Heaven”．On the walls of north，south and east，there is a tri-colored glazed wall painting Dance Troupe in Tang Dynasty．
4.Penglai Pavilion
Penglai Pavilion(see picture 21-4)，seated on the cliff of Danya Mountain close to the sea in the north of Penglai City，is a famous coastal tourist site in eastern China's Shandong Province．It is listed as one of the four famous towers in China together with Yellow Crane Tower，Yueyang Tower，and Tengwang Pavilion．Having long been known as a fairyland and famous place for watching mirages，Penglai Pavilion is regarded as the place where immortals inhabited，and thus it was frequently visited for wonder herbs by emperors since Qin and Han dynasties．
Built in 1061 by Governor Zhu Chuyue in the sixth year of Emperor Jiayou of the Northern Song Dynasty，the Pavilion was intended for people to enjoy the sea view．In the 17th year of Wanli of Ming Dynasty，official Li Dai added more buildings around，which together with the Pavilion was called Pavilion complex．In the 24th year of Emperor Jiaqing of Qing Dynasty，the Pavilion was expanded again on the basis of the existing buildings sponsored by local government secretary Yang Fengchang and garrison commander Liu Qinghe to the present complex occupying a construction area of 18，960 square meters．After 1949，the government has appropriated funds many times for its renovation．In 1965，the Pavilion had resumed its original look，reflecting the traditional architectural characteristics of ancient China．
The Pavilion complex occupies a land of 32，800 square meters，a construction area of 18，960 square meters，composed of six buildings and their attached constructions:main hall of Penglai Pavilion，Longwang Palace，Tianhou Palace，Sanqing Temple，Lüzu Temple and Mituo Temple．Constructed with double-deck wood，the main hall of Penglai Pavilion is seated on the north，facing the south，with symmetrically built side rooms and wing rooms in front of both east and west sides．Wing rooms perform the role of halls，with hallways linking side rooms and stone stairs running up the Pavilion．Its ground floor measures 14．8 meters in length，and 9．65 meters in width，with winding corridors and 16 columns surrounding all sides．Hung on the front door is a huge horizontal tablet inscribed with three Chinese characters:Penglai Pavilion(Penglai Ge)，written by famous calligrapher Tie Bao of the Qing Dynasty．
Three huge stone tablets are embedded in the outside of the north wall of the Pavilion's ground floor．One reads Blue Sea，Cool Breeze(Bi Hai Qing Feng)，written by Lu Qiguang，a renowned Qing calligrapher．Another reads Placid Seawater(Hai Bu Yang Bo)，of which the word Bu was struck by a cannonball during the 1894 to 1895 Sino-Japanese war，leaving a visible scar．The other reads the Clear Sea(Huan Hai Jing Qing)．
In front of the wing rooms'north gable wall are three monuments，built during the reigns of Emperors Jiaqing，Daoguang and Guangxu respectively after each renovation or construction of attached buildings．In the west of west-wing room，a 2．3-meter-tall tablet is erected facing the east．Engraved on the tablet is Daoguang's Notes on“Repairing Penglai Pavilion in Dengzhou”，written with full power and grandeur．Inside the west-wing room，tablets are embedded into the west wall，with four Chinese characters on each，describing the ten scenes of Penglai:Sunrise on the Sea(Ri Chu Fu Sang)，Evening Tide under the New Moon(Wan Chao Xin Yue)，Countless Jade Fragments(Qian Hu Sui Yu)，Ten Thousand Miles of Clear Water(Wan Li Deng Bo)，Pavilion in the Air(Xian Ge Ling Kong)，Snow Covered Peak(Shen Shan Xian Shi)，Mist and Clouds(Shi Dong Yan Yun)，Fishing and Singing on the Yuliang (Yuliang Ge Diao)，Shining Waves in Well(Tong Jing Jin Bo)and Rain Drops from Heaven(Lou Tian Di Run)．Another ten tablets of past dynasties are in the west side room，all of which have great historiography and calligraphy values．
The second floor of the Penglai Pavilion is 13．5 meters in length and 8．55 meters in width，surrounded by winding corridors，wooden fencing guardrails and 16 columns．The door opens to the south and windows are opened in the north wall for visitors to look over the sea．Wooden folding screens are displayed in the north，east and west．Hung above the outer side of the door is a board carved with Blue Sea，Warm Spring (Bi Hai Chun Rong)，and the inner side is a board carved with Scenic Spot on the Divine Land(Shen Zhou Sheng Jing)．Tie Bao's powerful handwriting Penglai Pavilion (Penglai Ge)is just hung on the center of north wall，along with Dong Biwu's inscription and Ye Jianying's couplets hung on the west wall．The wooden roof beams are painted with colored drawings like Penglai Ten Scenes，Eight Immortals and Bamboos，etc．With sculptures of eight drunken immortals placed in the center and an old-fashioned square table and chairs placed around，the arrangement of the room is just as what was described in the famous legend of“Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea”．It is said that the Eight Immortals(Lu Dongbin，Tie Guaili，Zhang Guolao，Han Zhongli，Cao Guojiu，He Xiangu，Lan Caihe，and Han Xiangzi)got drunk at the Penglai Pavilion and they crossed the sea by different tricks of their own without ships or boats．Their performance hovering over the waves against wind left a popular saying that“like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea，each one showing his or her special feats;each tries to outwit the other”．
Beneath the Pavilion is the bridge said to be the place where the Eight Immortals crossed the sea．East section of the pavilion are Palace of Lucidity(Sanqing Temple)，Lüzu Temple(Luzu miao)，the Tower of Universal Enlightenment(Puzhao lou)and Wave Watching Pavilion(Guanlan ting);west section are Wind sheltering Pavilion (Bifeng ting)，the Palace to the Goddess of the Sea(Tianhou gong)，and the Palace to the Dragon King(Longwang gong)．These buildings，finely arranged and divided， constitute one integrated mass with the Pavilion，which adds glamour to the whole complex．
Word Bank
pavilion阁
dispatch派遣
renovate修复
applaud高度称赞
pillar柱子
interlocking使连接
monolith整体
couplet对联
flagstone石板
hexagonal六角的
supernatural神奇的
fabulous神话般的
panoramic全景的
proverbial公认的
spectacular壮观的景色
garrison驻军
appropriate拨款
symmetrical对称的
参考译文
岳阳楼、黄鹤楼、滕王阁、蓬莱阁并称中国四大名楼，它们独特的建筑风格对了解中国古代的建筑风格和特点具有重要的意义。
1.岳阳楼
雄踞岳阳市西门城头的岳阳楼(见图21-1)，与武昌黄鹤楼、南昌滕王阁合称为中国江南三大名楼，赢得“洞庭天下水，岳阳天下楼”之美誉。它屹立于岳阳古城之上，背靠岳阳城，俯瞰洞庭湖，遥对君山岛，北依长江，南通湘江，视野开阔，气象万千。
据说，岳阳楼最初是供据守城门的卫兵憩息和瞭望的谯楼。三国时期，东吴大将鲁肃在岳阳操练水兵，将其改建为阅军楼。
唐开元4年(716年)，中书令张说谪守岳州(今岳阳)，对此楼再次进行了扩建，起名南楼，又叫岳阳楼。从此以后，历代著名诗人如杜甫、韩愈、刘禹锡、白居易、李商隐等均前来登临览胜，留下了不少名篇佳作，使岳阳楼名扬天下。
宋庆历4年(1044年)，滕子京谪守巴陵郡(今岳阳)，重修岳阳楼，并请自己的好友、著名文学家范仲淹作《岳阳楼记》。文中他不仅凝练地描绘出岳阳楼的景色，而且抒发了他“先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐”的高洁情操，岳阳楼因此更加声名远扬。岳阳楼久经沧桑，屡毁屡修。现在看到的岳阳楼，是清同治6年(1867年)重修的。
岳阳楼的建筑很有特色。岳阳楼主楼高3层，高达15米，以4根楠木大柱承负全楼重量，再用12根圆木柱子支撑2楼，外以12根梓木檐柱，顶起飞檐，结为整体，整幢建筑物未用一根铁钉及横梁。楼顶的形状酷似一顶将军头盔，雄伟壮丽，风格独特。岳阳楼这种“纯木结构，盔式楼顶”的古老建筑，充分显示了中国古代建筑艺术的独特风格和辉煌成就。
岳阳楼内陈设别具特色。各层内悬挂历代名家撰写的楹联。一、二楼各嵌有一副《岳阳楼记》雕屏。一楼的雕屏是19世纪的复制品;二楼所嵌雕屏为清朝大书法家张照所书，字形方正、笔力雄浑、技法多变、独具匠心，为传世一级珍品。三楼所嵌雕屏是毛泽东书杜甫诗《登岳阳楼》，笔法雄健奔放、形神兼备。雕屏金光耀眼、熠熠生辉。
楼的两侧有三醉亭和仙梅亭，与主楼相互衬托，相得益彰。三醉亭始建于1755年，位于岳阳楼的右侧，原名“望仙阁”，后改为“斗姆阁”，用以专门祭祀北斗星神。传说八仙之一的吕洞宾曾三次到岳阳神游，为这里秀美的山水所迷，每次喝得酩酊大醉。因此，1987年重修时改名为“三醉亭”。仙梅亭建于明崇祯十二年(1639年)，传说在施工中获得一块大青石，青石上刻有花纹，酷似枯梅，当时的人视之为仙迹，等到亭子建成以后，就将此石竖立在亭中，此亭也因此名为“仙梅亭”。亭高60米，六方形，双重檐攒尖顶，檐角高翘，玲珑素雅。
2.黄鹤楼
黄鹤楼(见图21-2)濒临万里长江，雄踞蛇山之巅，挺拔独秀，辉煌瑰丽，享有“天下绝景”的盛誉，是“江南三大名楼”之一。黄鹤楼在文化方面的重要性使其成为武汉的标志。
黄鹤楼始建于三国时期(223年)，距今有1 700多年的历史，传说是孙权因此地位置极佳，筑城为守，建楼瞭望。名楼多传说，黄鹤楼更是如此。关于黄鹤楼的起源，另一传说为:黄鹤楼原为辛氏开设的酒店，一道士为了感谢她的请酒之恩，临行前在壁上画了一只鹤，告之它一听到拍掌声便下来起舞助兴。从此宾客盈门，生意兴隆。过了10年，道士复来，取笛吹奏，跨上黄鹤直上云天。辛氏为纪念这位帮她致富的仙翁，便在其地盖楼，取名“黄鹤楼”。
以上当然是神话传说。战时在这临江的山巅建楼，首先还是出于军事上的需要，但到了唐朝，其军事性渐弱，逐渐演变为著名的名胜景点，历代文人墨客到此游览，成为文人荟萃、宴客会友、吟诗赏景的游览胜地。历代的名人如崔颢、李白、白居易、贾岛、陆游等都曾先后到这里游览，吟诗作赋，留下不少脍炙人口的诗篇。据估计，到清同治时期，描写黄鹤楼的诗篇已达三百多首。唐代著名诗人崔颢的一首《黄鹤楼》已成为千古绝唱，更使黄鹤楼名声大噪。后来李白也登上黄鹤楼，放眼楚天，胸襟开阔，诗兴大发，正要提笔写诗时，却见崔颢的诗，自愧不如只好说:“眼前有景道不得，崔颢题诗在上头。”崔颢题诗，李白搁笔，从此黄鹤楼名气更盛。
黄鹤楼原址在湖北武昌蛇山黄鹤矶头，1 700多年来屡建屡毁，1884年黄鹤楼彻底被毁，此后近百年未曾重修。1981年10月，黄鹤楼重修工程破土开工，历时4年完成，整个建筑具有独特的民族风格。主楼以清同治楼为蓝本，但更高大雄伟。运用现代建筑技术施工，钢筋混凝土框架仿木结构。飞檐5层，攒尖楼顶，金色琉璃瓦屋面，通高51．4米，底层边宽30米，顶层边宽18米，层层飞檐，四望如一。
黄鹤楼内部布置有大型壁画、楹联、文物等。底层大厅正面墙壁上为一幅巨大“白云黄鹤”陶瓷壁画，两旁立柱上悬挂着长达7米的楹联。二楼大厅正面墙上，有用大理石镌刻的唐代阎伯瑾撰写的《黄鹤楼记》，它记述了黄鹤楼的兴废沿革和名人轶事。楼记两侧为两幅壁画，一幅是《孙权筑城》，形象地说明黄鹤楼和武昌城相继诞生的历史;另一幅是《周瑜设宴》，反映三国名人在黄鹤楼的活动。三楼主要展示历朝诗人赞美黄鹤楼的诗句，如崔颢、李白、白居易等，也摘录了他们吟咏黄鹤楼的名句。四楼大厅用屏风分割成几个小厅，内置当代名人字画，供游客欣赏选购。顶层大厅有《长江万里图》等长卷、壁画。
楼外有铜铸黄鹤、神像宝塔、牌坊、轩廊、亭阁等一批辅助建筑，将主楼烘托得更加壮丽。
黄鹤楼的形制自创建以来，各朝皆不相同，但都显得高古雄浑，极富个性。与岳阳楼、滕王阁相比，黄鹤楼的平面设计为四边套八边形，谓之“四面八方”。这些数字透露出古建筑文化中数目的象征和伦理表意功能。从楼的纵向看各层排檐与楼名直接有关，形如黄鹤，展翅欲飞。整座楼雄浑之中又不失精巧，富于变化的韵味和美感。
3.滕王阁
滕王阁(见图21-3)位于江西省南昌市西北部沿江路赣江东岸，与湖南岳阳楼、湖北黄鹤楼并称“江南三大名楼”。因其绝佳的位置和高度、整体规模及建筑风格，享有“西江第一楼”之誉。
滕王阁之所以享有巨大名声，很大程度上归功于一篇脍炙人口的诗文《滕王阁序》。传说当时有名的诗人王勃在去广东途中路过南昌，正赶上阎都督重修滕王阁后，在阁上大宴宾客，王勃当场一气呵成，写下这一千古名篇。从此，序以阁而闻名，阁以序而著称。
滕王阁始建于653年，为唐太宗李世民之弟李元婴任洪州(今江西)都督时所创建。此后的1 300多年，滕王阁屡毁屡兴达28次。1926年此阁毁于兵灾，被北洋军阀纵火烧毁，仅存一块“滕王阁”青石匾。后经过南昌市民的6年努力，1989年重阳节，滕王阁终于重新矗立于赣江之滨。
重修后的滕王阁，主体建筑净高57．5米，建筑面积为1．3万平方米，其下部为象征古城墙的12米高台座。全阁共9层，高台以下为两层地下室，以上为“明三暗七”，即三层明层(主层)、三层暗层(次层)及最高层(设备层)。
阁中六层的陈设各有特色，层层不同。第一层有一幅表现王勃创作《滕王阁序》的大型汉白玉浮雕《时来风送滕王阁》。第二层是一个暗层，正厅有大型壁画《人杰图》，画高2．55米、长20多米，生动地描绘了自先秦至明末的江西历代名人。第三层是一个回廊四绕的明层，陈列有壁画《临川梦》和描绘唐朝盛世繁华景象的大型铜浮雕《唐伎乐图》。第四层也是一个暗层，厅中有大型壁画《地灵图》，集中反映了江西名山大川自然景观精华。画面从南往北依次是大庾岭梅关、圭峰、道教发源地龙虎山、中国革命摇篮井冈山、庐山、中国最大淡水湖鄱阳湖、石钟山等。第五层也是一个回廊四绕的明层，是登高览胜、披襟抒怀、以文会友的最佳处，陈列了已故江西当代著名山水画大师黄秋园先生所作的《吹箫引凤图》和《西山待渡图》、苏东坡手书黄铜板制作的王勃的《滕王阁序》碑以及磨漆画《百蝶百花图》。第六层是滕王阁的最高游览层。从台座之下的底层算起，这一层实为第九层，故大厅题匾“九重天”。大厅南北东三面墙上，嵌有大型唐三彩壁画《大唐舞乐》。
4.蓬莱阁
蓬莱阁(见图21-4)位于山东省东部，坐落在蓬莱城北面的丹崖山上，与黄鹤楼、岳阳楼、滕王阁并称中国四大名楼。蓬莱，因有海市蜃楼之胜，被视为仙境，历史上曾是秦汉之君巡视的地方。
蓬莱阁始建于北宋嘉祐六年(1061)，由郡守朱处约建一幢单独的阁楼供人游览。到了明万历十七年，地方官李戴在蓬莱阁附近增设了一批建筑物，还是总称蓬莱阁。清朝嘉庆二十四年，知府杨丰昌和总兵刘清和主持在原有基础上扩建，蓬莱阁才形成了现在的规模:一个占地约1．89万平方米的古建筑群。新中国成立后，国家多次拨款修缮，至1965年，蓬莱阁古建筑群基本恢复原貌，集中体现了中国传统优秀建筑的特点。
蓬莱阁古建筑群占地32 800平方米，建筑面积18 960平方米，由蓬莱阁主阁、龙王宫、天后宫、三清殿、吕祖殿、弥陀寺等六部分组成。蓬莱阁主阁是一座双层木结构建筑，坐北朝南，东、西两侧前方各筑偏房、耳房，对称分布。耳房亦做门厅，有道路联结偏房及登阁石阶。主阁底层长14．8米，进深9．65米，四面回廊，明柱16根。正门上方悬“蓬莱阁”巨匾，为清代书法家铁保手迹。
蓬莱阁底层北墙外壁嵌有“碧海清风”、“海不扬波”、“寰海镜清”大型石刻3方。“碧海清风”石刻为清代著名书法家鲁琪光墨宝，十分珍贵。中日甲午战争期间，日舰炮击蓬莱，击中“海不扬波”石刻，“不”字受损，伤痕至今可见。
阁前两耳房北山墙下均立有清代碑刻，共3方，系嘉庆、道光和光绪年间修葺蓬莱阁及其附属建筑竣工后立下的纪念性碑刻。其中西耳房北面东而立的道光《重修登州蓬莱阁记》碑高2．3米，文以行体大字书就，颇有气势。西耳房内西壁嵌有“日出扶桑”“晚潮新月”“千斛碎玉”“万里澄波”“仙阁凌空”“神山现市”“狮洞烟云”“渔梁歌钓”“铜井金波”“漏天滴润”等蓬莱十大景石刻10方，均为清代之物。西偏房内存有历代碑刻10余块，均具较高的史学价值和书法艺术价值。
蓬莱阁二层长13．5米，进深8．55米，四面回廊，明柱16根，木栅格扶栏，北、东、西侧木屏风，北侧开窗，供游人凭栏观海。二层阁门南向，门外额书“碧海春融”，内额书“神州胜境”。阁内北壁正中高悬清代书法名家铁保所书“蓬莱阁”巨匾，字体雄强浑厚。西壁悬挂董必武题诗、叶剑英题联。室内木质梁柱彩绘“蓬莱十大景”“八仙图”“风竹图”等图案。周遭摆放八仙桌、八仙椅，中央塑有“八仙醉酒”组塑，是根据“八仙过海”传说中八仙在蓬莱阁酒醉后各显神通渡海遨游的情节创作的。谚语“八仙过海，各显其能”就出自这里。
蓬莱阁下方有结构精美、造型奇特的仙人桥，那是神话中八仙过海的地方。东侧有三清宫、吕祖殿、普照楼和观澜亭等;西厢为避风亭、天后宫(俗称娘娘殿)和龙王宫。蓬莱阁楼亭殿阁分布得宜，高低错落有致，与蓬莱阁浑然一体，建筑园林交相辉映，遂成为名扬四海的游览名区。
Exercises
Section A Thought-provoking questions
1．What are the architectural features of Yueyang Tower？
2．What was the Yellow Crane Tower originally built for？
3．Why is Penglai Pavilion so famous？
Section B Cloze
The age of the 1 is disputed．However，it is generally believed that the pavilion was built more than 1，700 years 2 ．During the Three Kingdoms Period the rudimentary 3 of the building was that of a parade(ceremonial)pavilion．During the Western Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties，the pavilion was 4 by the military with the name of“Baling Tower”．It was 5 until the Tang Dynasty that it was renamed as the Yueyang Pavilion．The Yueyang Pavilion was damaged in the chaos of wars and was 6 in the Song Dynasty． 7 then，it has become a tourist 8 and a place of inspiration for both poets and writers．The pavilion was made very 9 during the Northern Song Dynasty by the works of Fan Zhongyan 10 was a great politician and writer．
※A sovereign employs a minister with propriety，and a minister serves his sovereign with conscientiousness.
From Analects of Confucius
(君使臣以礼，臣事君以忠。)
——《论语》