Jianyang Tower

Jianyang Tower stands as a monument of timber and memory in the heart of Jianchuan Ancient City. Rising 21.5 meters above the stone streets of Jinhua Town, this pure wood structure represents the architectural heritage of the Bai people. The original tower perished during the late-Qing Du Wenxiu Uprising. In 2011, local builders resurrected the structure, following classic Ming and Qing blueprints to secure Jianchuan’s status as a National Historical and Cultural City.

The tower features a structural design known as "three visible exterior stories and four interior stories." Outside, the sweeping flying eaves slice the mountain air, while wind chimes sway from the corners. Inside, the scent of aged pine fills the air. Visitors can touch the smooth, hand-planed columns and look up at the interlocking bracket sets, or dougong, carved by generations of Bai woodworkers.

Two historical figures left their physical marks on the tower's facade. The late-Qing scholar Zhao Fan brushed the bold calligraphy for the "Jianyang Tower" sign. Nearby hangs the "Wenxian Mingbang" plaque, meaning "State of Documents and Famous Land." Lijiang Prefect Zhong Nianzu originally gifted this title in 1867 to honor local scholarship. The modern sociologist Fei Xiaotong reinscribed these characters, which workers hung on the tower on Chinese New Year's Day in 2013.

Today, the tower serves as the primary pavilion of the State Chronicle Museum Southern Silk Road Branch, which opened in August 2022. Inside, a 1,200-square-meter exhibition space unfolds across four chapters: opening, expanding, traveling, and new roads. The galleries house over 900 artifacts, including ancient bronzes, fossils, and local chronicles. Visitors can hear the rustle of historic pages and view relics of the ancient trade route. Outside, on the stone-paved Jianyang Tower Square, the sounds of traditional Bai folk songs and the warmth of community festivals bring the past into the present.