History of Wenchang Tower

Gaoming was under the jurisdiction of Duanzhou (now Foshan) in ancient times, and the county ruled Dongmen Market (now town). According to the Records of Gaoming County in the 20th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, there were many famous bachelors in Duanzhou in Ming Dynasty. "Yunzhen, Gaoming County, is surrounded by mountains and waters, with four arches, a slightly depressed outline in the east, a house with no corners and clothes, and a strong atmosphere." Wang Pan, deputy envoy of the District Inspection Office stationed in Duanzhou, is a national official who is "good for the people" and a "geomantic fan". In order to make up for the deficiency of Gaoming's geomantic omen and make Gaoming produce more talents, he and Gaoming county magistrate Zhang Zuozhi initiated and donated money to build Wenchang Pagoda on the east side of Mingcheng and on both sides of Cangjiang River. Only two years later, the tower was built, and officials, gentry and ordinary people cheered.

After the completion of Wenchang Tower, it is certain that Hakka people will continue, during which hundreds of famous articles on loyalty training will go down in history and be praised as "the county with high style of writing". Unexpectedly, on the evening of May 23rd, the second year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1797), the top of Wenchang Tower suddenly burst into flames, and the tower collapsed for no reason and was razed to the ground. Until the 22nd year of Jiaqing (18 17), gentlemen in the county got together to discuss the reconstruction of Wenchang Tower, and everyone donated money to choose a date, so in March 2008, the reconstruction began on the original site. After reconstruction, Wenchang Tower experienced long-term wind and rain, thunder and lightning, and was damaged in many places. After liberation, the county people's government allocated funds for many times to repair, so that the ancient pagoda still stands, with undiminished elegance. During the period of 1985, many overseas Chinese returned to their relatives in the province and were very moved to see that the ancient pagoda was well protected. They generously donated tens of thousands of yuan to decorate it. Colored lights are installed in each tower, and at night, the whole ancient pagoda is colorful and dazzling. Mingcheng Town Government also built Wenchang Paradise here. There are antique glazed tile walls outside the park, and pavilions, flowers and trees are planted in the park. 1983 was listed as a key protected cultural relic at the county level: 1990, and was designated as "Wenchang Overlooking", one of the eight scenic spots in Gaoming.