University of Bristol – Historical Photographs of China reference number: WS01-011. This is a utilitarian version of the historic landmark, Yellow Crane Tower (Huanghe Lou Huanghelou, Huang He Lu, 黄鹤楼). Originally built as a watch tower in the Three Kingdoms Period, it has been demolished and rebuilt many times. The 'Yellow Stork Tower' is described on page 217 in A Leaf in the Storm by Lin Yutang (Heinemann, 1942), as 'an ugly brick building of nondescript foreign style ... a place for tourists to go up and look down on the river'. One could take tea at the restaurant there and watch boats navigate the strong cross currents, as the Han and Yangtse rivers converge below. The brick version in WS01-011 has now been replaced by a tower built in a traditional style in a different location. See RA-m122 and JS02-127.
