Wenchang Douping Tower, Hainan

Douping Tower is located on the main peak of Qixing Ridge. Located at the northeast end of Hainan Island, it was a must-pass place on the ancient Maritime Silk Road and served as a beacon for merchant ships and fishing boats sailing in the South China Sea. Douping Tower was first built in the fifth year of the Tianqi period of the Ming dynasty (1625) and rebuilt in the third year of the Tongzhi period of the Qing dynasty (1874). The tower was built on the main peak of Qixing Ridge, like the handle of the Big Dipper, hence the name Douping Tower. The tower is octagonal in shape, with seven stories, and is 21 meters high. It is a hollow pavilion-style brick tower with dense eaves. The base of the tower is 44.8 meters in circumference, and the body of the tower gradually shrinks from the first floor upwards, with eaves made of blue-gray bricks and corner bricks. There is an arched door on the west side of the first floor, with a rectangular stone plaque engraved with the words "Douping Tower" on the door. The upper part of the plaque is inscribed with "Built in the first month of winter in the fifth year of the Tianqi period of the Ming dynasty," and the lower part is inscribed with "Rebuilt in the first month of winter in the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi period of the Qing dynasty." The tower has small arched windows for ventilation and lighting, with two on each of the second to fifth floors, one on the sixth floor, and none on the seventh floor. There is a staircase on the south side of the tower, which leads to the top of the tower. Douping Tower is beautifully and stably shaped, majestic and spectacular, and has stood on the main peak of Qixing Ridge for hundreds of years. It provides important cultural relics for the study of the historical development and architectural art of ancient towers in Hainan and the culture of feng shui towers in Hainan. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit.