Yanyu Tower — China Travel

South Lake's Misty Rain Tower traces its origins to the Five Dynasties era of 940 AD, predating the Norman Conquest of England. Originally standing on the eastern shore, it was relocated to the artificial lake-center island in 1549 when silt deposits created new land, transforming it into the romantic islet pavilion it remains today. The current structure was rebuilt in 1918 during the early Republic period. Like England's medieval chapter houses preserved through centuries of reinvention, the tower is a layered palimpsest of Chinese history, rebuilt yet never replaced. The two-story main hall rises about 20 meters with sweeping upturned eaves and a heavy double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, a style that evokes the soaring rooflines of Kyoto's temples more than anything European. Surrounding it are elegant Jiangnan garden features: the Qinghui Hall, imperial stele pavilions, rockeries, and covered corridors. Inside, visitors can admire stone rubbings of calligraphy by Song dynasty masters Su Shi and Mi Fu, offering a refined counterpoint to the bolder imperial inscriptions left by the Qianlong Emperor, who visited eight times across his six southern tours in the 18th century. The tower's name comes from a celebrated Tang dynasty poem by Du Mu: "Of the four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many pavilions stand in misty rain?" This poetic sensibility, comparing the Jiangnan landscape to Venice seen through fog, captures exactly the ethereal atmosphere that greets visitors. Equally significant, in July 1921 the founding congress of the Chinese Communist Party relocated here from Shanghai and concluded its historic meeting on a boat just offshore, making the tower a place where classical aesthetics and modern political history meet as intimately as in Moscow's Kremlin or Paris's Conciergerie. Entry is included with the South Lake scenic area ticket (about 60 RMB, or roughly $8), and visitors reach the island by a short ferry ride (20 RMB round-trip, running until 16:30) from the Huijing Garden dock. The site opens daily from 8:00 to 17:00, and 90 minutes to two hours is sufficient. Multilingual guides can be booked in advance to explain both the "Red Boat Spirit" commemorations and the Qianlong-era poems carved into the steles. The best moments to visit are early morning (8:00–10:00) when mist still clings to the water, or after 16:00 when the light softens. A light drizzle, paradoxically, enhances the experience, fulfilling the very promise of the tower's name. Practical tips: wear comfortable shoes for steep interior stairs, bring insect repellent in summer, avoid flash photography inside, and treat the Red Boat memorial with quiet respect. Afterward, stroll a few minutes to the Nanhu Tiandi shopping street to sample local specialties such as Wufangzhai sticky-rice dumplings and braised Jiaxing duck.