Tengwang Pavilion, together with the Yellow Crane Tower (Huang He Lou) in Wuhan, Hubei province, Yueyang Pavilion in Hunan province, are renowned as the three most notable pavilions in Jiangnan (the region south of the Yangtze River). The building was first commissioned in the year 653 (the fourth year of the Yonghui Reign) by Li Yuanying, a younger brother of Taizong, the second emperor of Tang dynasty, when he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Hongzhou Prefecture (currently known as Nanchang). And the Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion, a prose written by Wang Bo, a celebrated poet in the early Tang dynasty, made this structure a household name in China down to the present day. The literary scholar Han Yue once praised the Tengwang Pavilion, "There are many places in Jiangnan that allow us to overlook a beautiful view from up high, yet of all which the Tengwang Pavilion is without any doubt the best of the best for its magnificence and uniqueness." Therefore, the building also enjoys the reputation of the No. 1 Pavilion along the west of the southern region to Yangtze River.
The Tengwang Pavilion complex is located in the junction of Fuhe Road and the old course of Fuhe River. Covering an area of 4.16 hectares, it is facing downtown Nanchang and backed by the bank of Gan River. It¡¯s only more than 100 meters away from where its previous site was in the Tang Dynasty, and is a large-scale building complex modeled after the Song dynasty classic style. The main pavilion boasts nine floors with net height 57.5 meters and a total covered area of 13000 square kilometers. It was constructed with double-hipped roof, cascaded stones, painting color building columns, carved doors with windows, preserving the breathtaking architectural feature of a typical Tang Dynasty pavilion that is as if flying in the sky while the ground beneath is out of a visitor¡¯s sight. Climbing atop the pavilion, one will marvel at the gorgeous beauty described in Wang¡¯s aforementioned prose that goes ¡°rosy evening clouds flying with lonely bird, while autumn water sharing the same color with the sky¡±. Inside the pavilion, the exhibition of numerous quaint and fascinating antiques proudly demonstrates the splendid ancient culture of Jiangxi, the province that is famous for its abundant resources and gifted talents.
The vicissitudes of times witness the rise and fall of Tengwang Pavilion, which had been destroyed due to many different causes and repeatedly reconstructed for up to 28 times. The current Tengwang Pavilion, the 29th rebuilding, was completed on October 8th, 1989. In 2004, it was entitled as ¡°National Key Scenic Spots¡±. In 2018, it won the highest recognition of the National 5A Tourist Attraction. It has successively earned the honors of National Civilized Scenic Area Pilot Spot, National Civilized Scenic Area Advanced Unit, National Civilized Unit, National March 8 Red-Banner Unit, Jiangxi Provincial Civilized Scenic Area Unit and etc.
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