Jingzhou Juanxue Tower

In the summer of 1610, the dying writer Yuan Hongdao envisioned a three-story tower on the edge of the Yangtze River. He died before the final timber was placed, leaving his son, Yuan Shuzhi, to complete the structure. They named it Juanxue, meaning 'rolling snow,' to describe the white, frothing waves that crashed against the riverbanks below. From its wooden balconies, members of the Gong'an School gathered to watch the shifting sandbars of Jiushijiu Zhou. They championed a literary philosophy of expressing one's true nature, free from rigid academic rules.

The river eventually claimed the original tower, eroding its foundations until it collapsed into the currents. In 1933, a wealthy merchant named Deng Xintian rescued the memory of the site. He donated a three-story wooden replica from his private family garden to Shashi Zhongshan Park, relocating it to the northern ridge of Wugong Ridge. This second iteration stood for only a few years. In June 1940, artillery fire from the invading Japanese army reduced the wooden pavilion to ash.

For decades, the ridge remained empty. In September 2013, local citizens pooled their donations to rebuild the tower once more. Completed in 2018, the modern structure rises 26.19 meters above the park. It stands on a high ridge, surrounded by thick green foliage. Today, the tower overlooks the calm, wide waters of Jiangjin Lake, a departure from its original riverfront home.

Visitors today can read the words of the Juanxue Lou Ji carved into a stone monument near the northern entrance. Inside the first floor, exhibits display the writings of the three Yuan brothers. The Jingzhou Sanyuan Culture Association still hosts an annual essay contest here, keeping the founders' creative spirit alive. The tower remains a monument to resilience, having survived water, fire, and war to look out over a changing landscape.