Stork Tower (Guanque Lou)
鹳雀楼
A famous tower immortalized by Wang Zhihuan's poem 'Climbing the Stork Tower'. The current tower is a 2002 reconstruction in Tang style, and visitors can climb to the top for views of the Yellow River.
The Stork Tower was first built during the Northern Zhou dynasty on the bank of the Yellow River, west of the ancient city of Puzhou. The Tang poet Wang Zhihuan's lines 'The white sun sinks behind the mountains, the Yellow River flows into the sea; to see a thousand miles further, climb one more story' made it famous across China. Together with the Yellow Crane Tower, the Yueyang Tower and the Pavilion of Prince Teng, it is counted among the Four Great Towers of ancient China. The original tower was destroyed in the early Yuan dynasty. The present tower, rebuilt in 2002 in Tang style, stands about 73.9 meters tall. Outside it has four eaves and three stories, while inside it has six floors. Exhibits on Hedong history and culture are displayed inside, and from the top you can see the Zhongtiao Mountains and the Yellow River floodplain. The river has since shifted course, so the tower no longer sits directly on the riverbank, but the view remains wide. Admission is tens of yuan (confirm with the official source), and an elevator takes visitors to the upper floors. It is about 5 kilometers from Yongji city center and sits close to Puji Temple (about 6 kilometers away) and the Pujin Ferry Site, making it easy to visit all three in one day.
Opening hours
08:00–18:00 (extended in summer)
Nearby sights
- Pujin Ferry Site & Tang Iron Oxen
- Pujiu Temple
- Wulao Peak
- Guangren Wang Temple (Five Dragons Temple)
- Yongle Palace
- Ruicheng City God Temple
- Dayudu Scenic Area
- Wanrong Houtu Temple