[Chang Sha]Xizi Tower

A view of the Xizi Tower in Chating Town, Wangcheng District, Changsha City. (Photo/official WeChat account of Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio and Television)

Xizi Tower was once a place to burn paper that had writing on it, embodying the traditional concept of "respecting paper with written words." The tower is now a popular tourist attraction in Changsha. First built in 1838, the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty, the tower has gone through the vicissitudes of wind and rain. In 1900, the 26th year of Emperor Guangxu, the top of the tower was unfortunately damaged by lightning, and then a hackberry tree began to grow atop the tower. Now, more than 120 years later, this sapling has thrived with a canopy of leaves, forming an unusual coexistence between the tree and the tower. There are only eight such wonders of symbiosis in the world, which is why Xizi Tower has been successively registered as a cultural relic site under municipal-level and provincial-level protection.

Address: Chating Town, Wangcheng District, Changsha City

Chinese source: Changsha Online