三国时期黄鹤楼只是夏口城一角瞭望守戍的“军事楼”,晋灭东吴以后,三国归于一统,该楼在失去其军事价值的同时,随着江夏城地发展,逐步演变成为官商行旅“游必于是”、“宴必于是”的观赏楼。
NowweareonthewaytoYellowCraneTower.YellowCraneTower,locatedonSnakeHillinWuchang,isoneofthe"ThreeFamousTowersinthesouthofYangtzeRiver
Accordingtothehistory,theyellowcranetowerwasfirstbuiltin223ADduringthethree-kingdomperiod.Atthebeginning,thetowerwasoriginallyusedformilitarytoobservetheenemy’sactivity.Whenthewarfinished,thetowergraduallybecameascenicattractionwherepeoplecanappreciatetheviewofthecityaswellasthelake.Inancienttime,manyliterativisitedthisplace,andsometimesevenputdownpoemsforit.SuchasCuihaoinTangDynasty,hewroteafamouspoemwhichwasnameYELLOCRANETOWER,andanotherfamouspoetLiBai,whosepoemsaffectedthewholedynastyinhistime,alsovisitedthisbeautifulplacemanytimes.Inthisplaceheoncesawoffhisfriend,anotherpoetMengHaoran,andwroteafamouspoemforittoshowhisemotion.Fromthenon,theyellowcranetowerwaswellknownthroughoutchina
Overthecenturiesthetowerhadbeendestroyedbywarsformanytimes,butitspopularitywithChineseensuredthatitwasalwaysrebuilt.Thecurrenttowerwascompletedin1985anditsdesignderivedfromapictureofQingdynasty.Itstands51.4metershighandhas5floors.Theappearanceofthetoweristhesameregardlessofthedirectionitisviewedfrom.Thetowerhas60upturnedeaveslayeruponlayer,coveredwithyellowglazedtilesandsupportedwith72hugepillars.Theexportscommentthatitisanauthenticreproductionofboththeexteriorandinteriordesign,withtheexceptionoftheadditionofair-conditionerandanelevator.Sinceancienttime,theyellowcranetowerhasbeenregardedasthesymbolofWuhan.
Nowwearestandinginfrontofthetower.Withyellowupturnedeaves,eachfloorseemstohavebeendesignedtoresembleayellowcranespreadingitswingstofly.Let’senterthehallonthefirstfloor.Onthewall,thereisanine-meter(about30feet)longandsix-meter(about20feet)widepaintedporcelain瓷制的picturewhichdepicts描画clouds,riversandcranestorepresentaromanticmoodintheheaven.DoyouknowwhywecallthetowerYELLOWCRANETOWER?Theanswerliesinthepicture.Haveyounoticedthat,inthepicturethereisaTaoistwhoplayedaflute笛androdeacranegliding滑翔throughthesky?Itisastoryaboutkindnessandrewarding.