The Pavilion of Prince Teng or Tengwang Pavilion is a building in the north west of the city of Nanchang

Nanchang

Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...

, in Jiangxi

Jiangxi

' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...

 province, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, on the east bank of the Gan River and is one of the Four Great Towers of China

Four Great Towers of China

The Four Great Towers of China are four towers famous in Chinese History for a variety of reasons. They refer to:* Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan - * Pavilion of Prince Teng, Jiangxi - * Yueyang Tower, Yueyang - * Penglai Pagoda, Shandong - )...

. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over its history. The present building was rebuilt in 1989 on the original site.

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

Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...

 and uncle of Emperor Gaozong of Tang

Emperor Gaozong of Tang

Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...

. Li Yuanying was enfeoffed as Prince Teng in 639 and spent his early years in Suzhou

Suzhou

Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...

. In 652 he was assigned the governorship of Nanchang where the pavilion served as his townhouse. 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

Tengwang Ge Xu

Tengwang Ge Xu Tengwang Ge Xu Tengwang Ge Xu (Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavilion, full name Qiuri deng Hongzhou Tengwang Ge Jianbie Xu (Preface to a farewell feast atop the Prince of Teng's Pavilion in Autumn) or Tengwang Ge Shi Xu (Preface to a Poem on the Prince of Teng's Pavilion), is...

by Wang Bo

Wang Bo

Wang Bo , courtesy name Zi'an , was a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty.Wang Bo is one of the Four Literary Eminences in Early Tang, known as ChuTangSiJie . He opposed the spread of the Gong Ti Style of the Sui Dynasty, and advocated a style rich in emotions...

. This piece made the Pavilion of Prince Teng a household name in China down to the present day.

The Pavilion was to be destroyed and rebuilt a total of 29 times over the next centuries. The building itself changed shape and function many times. The penultimate construction was in the Tongzhi

Tongzhi Emperor

The Tongzhi Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro Dzai Šun, was the tenth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. His reign, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother, the Empress...

 era of the Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

. That building was destroyed in October 1926 during the chaotic warlords era.

The Present

The present Pavilion of Prince Teng was completed on 8 October 1989, and is now a landmark of Nanchang

Nanchang

Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...

. The building is of reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...

 structure, but decorated in faux-Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 style. It is 57.5 metres tall and has nine stories. The building has a total floor area of 13000 square metres.

The building sits atop 12-metre tall concrete platform, which is intended to symbolise the now-destroyed ancient city wall

Chinese city wall

Chinese city walls refer to civic defensive systems used to protect towns and cities in China in pre-modern times. The system consisted of walls, towers, and gates, which were often built to a uniform standard throughout the Empire....

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

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...

.

The building mainly serves tourism purposes. Apart from internal decoration, attractions include a theatre staging simulated period musical performances, 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 centre 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

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...

 was built, its corner towers were built to imitate the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion

Yellow Crane Tower

Yellow Crane Tower is a famous and historic tower, first built in the year 223 AD, the current structure however, was rebuilt in 1981. The tower stands on Sheshan , at the bank of Yangtze River in Wuchang District, Wuhan, in Hubei province of central China.-History:- Legend :There are at least two...

 as depicted in Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 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.

Construction Timeline

Year	Event
653	Constructed
675	Reconstructed
790	Reconstructed
820	Reconstructed
848	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire
1108	Reconstructed. Smaller structures added to the north and south of the main pavilion. The northern structure is named "Pulling Emerald-Green Pavilion" and the southern structure is named "Pressing River Pavilion" .
1294	Placed on top of the city walls after being damaged several times during wars.
1336	Reconstruction started in 1334 and completed in 1336
1436	Reconstructed after sinking into the river. It is renamed "Greeting Kindness Hall" .
1452	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire. It is renamed "Number 1 Building in Xi Jiang" .
1468	Reconstructed after it collapses. Its original name restored.
1527	Reconstructed after being destroyed earlier in the Chen Hao Uprising .
1599	Reconstructed after being near collapse.
1616	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire.
1634	Reconstruction starts in 1633 and completes the following year.
1648	Destroyed when it catches fire while defending Ming Ming Dynasty The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...  generals torch surrounding area to open a clear perimeter against advancing Qing Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....  troops.
1654	Reconstructed
1679	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire.
1682	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire.
1685	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire.
1702	Reconstructed
1706	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire.
1731	Destroyed in a fire
1736	Reconstructed
1743	Reconstructed and again renamed "Number 1 Building in Xi Jiang".
1788	Reconstructed after it collapses.
1805	Reconstructed
1812	Reconstructed
1847	Reconstructed twice after multiple fires.
1853	Destroyed with much of Nanchang in a three day fire during Tai Ping Rebellion attack.
1873	Reconstruction started in 1872 and completed the following year.
1909	Reconstructed after being destroyed in a fire.
1926	Destroyed by defenders when Nanchang is attacked by the Northern Expedition.
1935	An attempt to reconstruct is halted due to the Japanese invasion.
1985	Reconstructed
1991	The smaller buildings "Pulling Emerald-Green Pavilion" and "Pressing River Pavilion" are restored.