Wangjianglou, Chengdu

Wangjianglou, or Wangjiang Tower, which means River Viewing Pavilion Park, is a park on the south bank of the Jinjiang River in Chengdu. It is one of three famous cultural relics in Chengdu, along with Wuhou Memorial Temple and the Du Fu Thatched Cottage.

While Wuhou Temple honors the legendary minister of Shu, Zhuge Liang, and Du Fu Cottage honors the Sage of Poetry, Wangjianglou, which was built in 1889, during the Qing Dynasty, is dedicated to a woman, Xue Tao, a poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This is especially fascinating considering the lack of social status accorded to women in those times.

Xue Tao was born in a turbulent time. Because of that, her father named her "tao", which means wave. She led a hard life after her father's death, eventually becoming a singer. According to history, she wrote 500 poems and was greatly admired by her contemporaries.


Pagoda at Wangjianglou.

There are over 150 kinds of bamboo, both local and foreign strands, planted in the Wangjianglou park. The bamboo garden of Wangjianglou is the finest in Chengdu. When Wangjianglou was built, the sponsor wanted the building to conform to fengshui to enhance literate luck. It was only after the tower was completed that the sponsor revealed in two poems that his true motivation was to honor Xue Mao.

The greatest building in the park is the 39-meter (128 ft) Wangjiang Tower. It is also called Chongli (grand and beautiful in Chinese) Tower, derived from an ancient article describing Chengdu as beautiful and grand. The tower has four stories. Of these, the upper two are octagonal in design while the lower two are square with every eave layer exquisitely decorated with sculptures.

Other memorial buildings in Wangjianglou include Yinshi (poems-chanting) Building, Wuyunxian (five fairy clouds) Hall, Quanxiang (fragrance of spring) Pavilion, Pipa (loquat) Alley, Qingwan (refreshing and pretty) House, and Huanjian (paper-washing) Pavilion, all elegantly arranged within the Sichuan-style gardens.

Another feature not to be missed is Xue Tao Well. It is from the water of this well that Xue Tao invented Xue Tao Paper, which is better than the yellow and coarse paper used at that time. In comparison, Xue Tao Paper was colorful and delicate. There is a white marble statue of Xue Tao deep in the bamboo groves.

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