The Pavilion of Prince Teng () is a building in the North West of the city of

Nanchang Nanchang (, ; ) is the capital of Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east ...

, in

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

province, China, on the east bank of the

Gan River The Gan River (, Gan: Kōm-kong) runs north through the western part of Jiangxi before flowing into Lake Poyang and thus the Yangtze River. The Xiang-Gan uplands separate it from the Xiang River of neighboring eastern Hunan. Two similarly sized ...

and is one of the Three Great Towers of southern China. The other two are the Yueyang Tower and the Yellow Crane Pavilion. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over its history. The present building was rebuilt in 1989 on the original site. The rebuilding plan was devised by the architect

Liang Sicheng Liang Sicheng (; 20 April 1901 – 9 January 1972) was a Chinese architect and architectural historian, known as the father of modern Chinese architecture. His father, Liang Qichao, was one of the most prominent Chinese scholars of the early ...

, and now the Pavilion of Prince Teng is the landmark of Nanchang. There are nine floors in total. The main architectural structure is in

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

wooden style, showing the magnificence of the Pavilion.

History

The Pavilion of Prince Teng was first built in 653 AD, by Li Yuanying, the younger brother of

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

and uncle of

Emperor Gaozong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628 – 27 December 683), personal name Li Zhi, was the third emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683; after January 665, he handed power over the empire to his second wife Empress Wu (the f ...

. Li Yuanying was enfeoffed as Prince Teng in 639 and spent his early years in Suzhou. In 652 he was assigned the governorship of Nanchang where the pavilion served as his townhouse. The Pavilion of Prince Teng is the only existing royal architecture in southern China. Twenty years later, the building was rebuilt by the new governor. Upon its completion, a group of local intelligentsia gathered to compose prose and poetry about the building. The most famous of these is the '' Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng'' by Wang Bo. This piece made the Pavilion of Prince Teng a household name in China down to the present day. The Pavilion was subsequently destroyed and rebuilt a total of 29 times over the next centuries.Wang: 1. The building itself changed shape and function many times. The penultimate construction was during the Tongzhi era of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

. That building was destroyed in October 1926 during the chaotic Warlord Era.Wang: 31.

Recent

The present Pavilion of Prince Teng was built according to the design of architect

, and was completed on 8 October 1989; now a landmark of Nanchang. The building is of reinforced concrete, but decorated in

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

style. It is tall and has nine stories. The building has a total floor area of . The building sits atop a tall concrete platform, which symbolizes the now-destroyed ancient

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. A stainless steel tablet at the entrance is engraved with a calligraphy work of

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

: 「」 ("Falling snow and lone goose flying together; a single hue, autumn water and the long stretch of sky."), a quotation from '' Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng''. The beautiful garden which is built in 1989 is the perfect ornament of the Pavilion. The building mainly serves tourism purposes. Apart from internal decoration, attractions include a theater that stages performances of period music, and displays of reconstructed ancient instruments. There are some restaurants and souvenir shops. The streets around the pavilion have been designed to conform with its style. This area has become the epicenter of Nanchang's antiques trade.

Influences

The Pavilion of Prince Teng achieved national fame through the ''Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng''. As a result, it was endowed by later generations with almost legendary status as an example of magnificent architecture. When the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

was built, its corner towers were built to imitate the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion as depicted in Song Dynasty paintings. (Strangely, both pavilions are depicted identically in surviving paintings). These uniquely structured corner towers remain some of the most valued architectural treasures of the Forbidden City. The Pavilion of Prince Teng was regarded as the holy land in several dynasties in the history of China. In the meantime, it is the ancient library as well, storing a large number of precious scriptures and poems.

Construction timeline

According to Wang:Wang: 236-246.

Gallery

File:Yong Xia Tengwangge.jpg, Prince Teng Pavilion by Xia Yong,

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...

File:The Prince Teng Pavilion - Yuan dynasty.jpg, Prince Teng Pavilion by anonymous,

File:Prince Teng Pavilion Yong Xia.jpg, Prince Teng Pavilion by Xia Yong,

File:Prince Teng Pavilion Yuan.jpg, Prince Teng Pavilion by anonymous,

Notes

References

*Wang, Qiaolin () et al. 1996. ''Jiangnan Famous Site: The Pavilion of Prince Teng'' (). Baihuazhou Literary Press (). 247 pages. . {{coord, 28, 41, 2.76, N, 115, 52, 32.88, E, region:CN_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Jiangxi Pagodas in China Song dynasty architecture Towers in China Wooden buildings and structures in China Buildings and structures completed in 653 Towers completed in the 7th century Rebuilt buildings and structures in China Tourist attractions in Jiangxi Traditional Chinese architecture