Guiyang · Guizhou · Place

Jiaxiu Tower

A 400-year-old triple-eaved Chinese pavilion standing on boulders in the Nanming River — Guiyang's most iconic cultural landmark.

Written and signed by Marcus Yang

4.8 / 5RatingFree admissionTicket09:00 – 18:00 dailyOpening hours

What it actually is

Jiaxiu Tower is a three-story triple-eaved wooden pavilion built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). It rises from boulders in the Nanming River at the heart of Guiyang. The original structure was destroyed in wartime and rebuilt as a replica — yet it remains Guiyang's defining cultural symbol, drawing visitors with its elegant silhouette, riverside setting, and nightly illumination.

Editor's take

Marcus YangWritten and signed by

The verdict

Worth a 30-minute evening stop if you're already in Guiyang and want a lit-up riverside photo — it's free and central. Go after dark, well before the lights cut at 11pm, or don't bother. I'd skip it entirely as a daytime visit or if you're expecting a real 'landmark tower' to explore; it's one small pavilion, and the photos oversell it.

What's great

The tower itself is small — it's one triple-eaved pavilion sitting on a stone bridge over the Nanming River, and that's the whole thing. What makes it work is the setting: the reflection in the water with the bridge lit up.

This is a night attraction, full stop. The light display is the reason to come, and the water reflection at night is what people actually photograph. During the day it's just an old pavilion.

It's free to walk in and centrally located in Guiyang, so it's an easy stop rather than a planned excursion — fold it into an evening walk instead of a dedicated trip.

It photographs far better than it looks in person, so if you frame it from the bridge or the riverbank angle at night, you'll get a good shot even though the site is compact.

Worth knowing

Manage your expectations hard. More than one person who actually went said it's smaller and less impressive in the flesh than the photos suggest — 'in reality it's not this pretty' and even 'just a run-down tower' came up. The pictures are doing heavy lifting.

The lights get switched off around 11pm, and some nights it's dark earlier. If the night lighting is why you're going, get there by dusk — a couple of visitors got caught out arriving too late.

There's very little to actually do. You can't always go up inside, the night river cruise isn't always running, and the 'attraction' is essentially the one pavilion plus some LED lighting on the bridge. Budget 20-30 minutes, not an afternoon.

It's a photo spot more than an experience, and it gets busy with people angling for the same shot from the same few positions on the bridge.

Grounded in 58+ traveller reviews. Distilled by our editors from traveller reviews on Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

Essentials

Opening hours09:00 – 18:00 daily

TicketFree admission

Contact0851-85503811

Rating4.8 / 5

Good to know

Wear comfortable shoes for the riverside walkway

Visit in clear weather for best photos

Try the night market stalls near the south embankment after visiting

Trending now

Triple-Eaved Pavilion Architecture

Jiaxiu Tower is a three-story, triple-eaved, quadrilateral peaked wooden and stone structure in the authentic Chinese pavilion style. Its compact elegance — neither towering nor sprawling — is precisely what makes it visually striking against the river backdrop.

Nanming River Setting

The tower rises directly from large boulders in the Nanming River, creating a rare urban scene where a historic pavilion sits mid-stream. The river walkways on both banks offer continuous vantage points for photography at any time of day.

Night Light Display

After dark the tower is illuminated in warm golden tones, and its reflection shatters into golden fragments on the river surface — an effect described by visitors as 'like a dream you don't want to wake from.' This nightly show is the tower's most-praised experience.

Getting there

busRoutes 15, 34, 46, 52 — stop at Jiaxiu Tower station, 5 min walk

metroLine 1 to Nanmen Station, 10 min walk south

walkApproach from Cuiwei Lane south entrance; scenic3-min stroll along the river bank

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