Pianguan. Taliang Hill and Wenbi Tower.

Rem Sapozhnikov / August 2016

The Taliang Hill (塔梁 - Tǎliáng) is located on the east side of the city, next to the hotel where we stayed. Wenbilingxiao (文笔凌霄塔 - Wénbǐlíngxiāo tǎ) or Wenbi tower is on its top. The tower name derives from its similarity to the shape of a ink pen. At least, it's considered so. Its complete name can be translated as "sky soaring pen". Nowadays it is a symbol of enlightenment. The tower was built in 1621 during the reign of Zhu Youxiao (1605-1627), the 15th emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1620-1627). By the way, he was only 16 years old by then. First, the tower had seven floors. But in 1635, during the next, and the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, additional 4 floors had completed. The Wenbi Tower has octagonal shape, and its height is 35 meters.