Yellow Crane Tower

 

Basic Information of the Yellow Crane Tower

Chinese Name: 黄鹤楼 Pronunciation: huáng hè lóu

Recommended Time for Visit: One day

Address: No.1 Xishanpo of Snake Mountain, Wuchang District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province

Building Area: 3,219 square meters

Building Time: In 223AD, rebuilt in 1985

Popular Activities: Poetry competitions, and reading activities of classical poetry about the Yellow Crane Tower

Best Visiting Season: All year

Building Function: It was used for military affairs in the beginning, and then served as a sightseeing tower.

 

Admission Ticket Fee

Tourists	Ticket Price
Adults	70 yuan
Children 6-18 years old (except 6 years old, including 18 years old) & seniors 60-65 years old	35 yuan

• Ticket Free of Charge Policy

1.Free for children under 1.2 meters（including 1.2 meters） or under 6 years old (including 6 years old)
2.Free for seniors over 65 (including 65 with valid certificates)
3.Free for active duty service members with valid certificates and disabled people with disability cards

 

Opening Hours

Yellow Crane Tower	All Seasons
Gate Opening Hours	8:30-17:20
Ticket Office Opening Hours	8:00-17:00

       
 

Overview of the Yellow Crane Tower

The Yellow Crane Tower, towering over Snake Mountain in Wuchang, enjoys a reputation of “the world’s unique scenery”. The Yellow Crane Tower, Yueyang Tower (Hunan Province), and Tengwang Pavilion (Jiangxi Province) are called “Three Famous Buildings in the South of the Yangtze River”. The Yellow Crane Tower was built in 223AD for military purposes. To realize the goal of “governing the country by force”, Emperor Sun Quan ordered to build it as a lookout tower. In the Tang Dynasty, it evolved into a famous scenic spot. Scholars of all ages visited here and left many well-known poems.

 

History of the Yellow Crane Tower

It was built in 223AD, the second year of Huangwu of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280).
 

In the first year (765AD) of Yongtai of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Yellow Crane Tower had already taken shape. However, with frequent wars, the Yellow Crane Tower was ruined and rebuilt repeatedly. Only in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912), it had been destroyed seven times and repaired ten times.
 

The last one, built in the 7th year (1868) of Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, was destroyed in the 10th year (1884) of Guangxu.
 

The Yellow Crane Tower was rebuilt in 1981 and is located on the Snake Mountain. The main building is based on the pattern of the Tongzhi building of the Qing Dynasty.

 

Hot Attractions at the Yellow Crane Tower

A Scroll of Cui Hao Inscribing a Brilliant Poem in Relief

The Scroll of Cui Hao Inscribing a Brilliant Poem in Relief is 118 meters east of the Yellow Crane Tower and 163 meters west of the White Cloud Pavilion. It is called a poem stele, also known as a poem inscription map with a length of 12 meters and a width of 8.2 meters. It was completed in June 1990.
 

Sacred Stupa

Sacred Stupa is also called Baoxiang Stupa. Because of its white color, it is also called the White Stupa or the White Stupa of the Yuan Dynasty. It is located about 159 meters in front of the Yellow Crane Tower and 433 meters west of the White Cloud Pavilion. It is the oldest and most complete building preserved in the former site of the Yellow Crane Tower.
 

The Sacred Stupa is 9.36 meters high and 5.68 meters wide. The external part is built with stones and the internal part is built with bricks. In 1956, it was listed as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit and was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2013.
 

White Cloud Pavilion

The White Cloud Pavilion is located at the top of Mount Gaoguan of the Snake Mountain and about 274 meters east of the Yellow Crane Tower. It is 75.5 meters above the sea level, 41.7 meters high, and is only 10 meters lower than the Yellow Crane Tower. It serves as a landmark building connecting the east, south, and north areas. It is an excellent scenic spot for viewing the building (the Yellow Crane Tower), the mountain (the Snake Mountain), and the river (the Yangtze River).

 

Local Story of the Yellow Crane Tower

There are two versions of the name of the Yellow Crane Tower: “originating in the mountain” and “originating in the immortal”.
 

As for the “originating in the immortal”, there are also two versions. One is that there was an immortal riding a crane through the tower, the other is that a Taoist once painted a dancing yellow crane on the wall of the Xin’s Hotel, and then the business of the Xin’s Hotel was booming. Ten years later, the Taoist came back and summoned the yellow crane with the sound of the flute and flew away. In the end, the Xin family provided funds for the construction of the tower.
 

According to researches, it was named the “Yellow Crane Tower” because the tower was built on Huanghu Mountain (黄鹄山). In ancient times, “鹄” (hú) and “鹤” (hè) shared the pronunciation and were jointly used by people, so it is called the “Yellow Crane Tower” (黄鹤楼, huáng hè lóu).

 

Suggested Travel Route

Sacred Stupa →South Pavilion and North Pavilion → Yellow Crane Tower → Millennium Bell → White Cloud Pavilion→ A Scroll of Cui Hao Inscribing a Brilliant Poem in Relief → Gallery of Steles of Poems → Exit from the South Gate.

 

Ways to Get to the Yellow Crane Tower

By Bus

East Gate: Take bus YX10, 522, 701, or Tram 1, and get off at the Yuemachang (Wuluo Road) Station; take bus 511 and get off at the Dadongmen (Zhongshan Road) Station.

West Gate: Take bus 10, YX10, or Tram 1, and get off at the Yellow Crane Tower Station.

South Gate: Take bus 10, YX10, and get off at the Yellow Crane Tower Station.

Northwest Gate: Take bus 402, 61, 522, and get off at the Yuemachang (Wuluo Road) Station.
 

By Subway

Take Rail Transit Line 4 and get off at the Fuxing Road Station and exit D.

Take Rail Transit Line 7 and get off at the Xiaodongmen Station and exit B1.
 

By Taxi

Chinese: 请带我去黄鹤楼。English: Please take me to the Yellow Crane Tower.

Chinese: 请带我去黄鹤楼的东门。English: Please take me to the East Gate of the Yellow Crane Tower.

Chinese: 请带我去黄鹤楼的西北门。English: Please take me to the Northwest Gate of the Yellow Crane Tower.

If you go to the Yellow Crane Tower from the center of Wuhan (New World Hotel), it takes about 20 minutes (about 25 yuan).

If you go to the Yellow Crane Tower from Wuchang Railway Station, it takes about 10 minutes (about 10 yuan).

If you go to the Yellow Crane Tower from Wuhan Railway Station, it takes about 30 minutes (about 50 yuan).

If you go to the Yellow Crane Tower from Wuhan Tianhe International airport, it takes about 45 minutes (about 100 yuan).