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Flower Opera Tower

The Flower Opera Tower stands in the Daguandi Temple in the northwest corner of Boxian County, Anhui Province.

The Flower Opera Tower, also known as the Song Stage, was built particularly for opera performances. Built 1676, the 15th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Flower Opera Tower is both an independent construction and part of the Daguandi Temple.

The tower covers an area of about 1,000 square meters. Its gate was built on an imitation-wood structure in the shape of a memorial archway with three roofs. It was engraved with exquisite patterns from top to bottom, including figures, carts pulled by horses, cities, hills, trees, flowers, birds and beasts, as well as six complete play texts and over 70 kinds of stories. A pair of 2.4-meter-high stone lions sit on both sides of the gate. Next to the lifelike statues are two iron masts 16 meters high. A bell tower and a drum tower were also built on both sides of the opera tower. Although the huge bell has been destroyed, but the massive drum has been well preserved. An inscription on the drum reads: the second year of the Kangxi reign (1663).

Sitting in the north and facing the south, the Flower Opera Tower has a huge wooden stage shaped like the Chinese character, , that reaches the bell and drum towers. Colored wooden carvings decorate the stage, which is paved with glazed tiles. The Flower Opera Tower is supported by six columns. In the center of the stage is a folding screen with carvings of two dragons playing with a huge pearl. Hanging above the screen is a horizontal tablet with four inscribed characters: Beautiful Song, Excellent Dance. There are four gates leading to the stage. Two viewing towers were built in front of the stage, each with two stories and six rooms. Facing the central gate of the stage is the main hall of the Daguandi Temple. Its front hall is decorated with color patterns, while the back hall has a Guangong statue and various cultural relics displayed inside. There are also many carvings and examples of calligraphy stored in the hall. The Flower Opera Tower is of great value to the study of architectural art and traditional opera of the early and mid-Qing period. The Boxian County Museum has been set up at the site.

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