黄鹤楼雄踞长江之滨，蛇山之首，背倚万户林立的武昌城，面临汹涌浩荡的扬子江，相对古雅清俊晴川阁，登上黄鹤楼，武汉三镇的旖旎风光历历在目，辽阔神州的锦绣山河也遥遥在望。由于这独特的地理位置，以及前人流传至今的诗词、文赋、楹联、匾额、摩岩石刻和民间故事，使黄鹤楼成为山川与人文景观相互倚重的文化名楼，与湖南岳阳楼、江西滕王阁并称为“江南三大名楼”，素来享有“天下绝景”和“天下江山第一楼”的美誉。
关于黄鹤楼因何而建，流传下来很多的传说，这就更给黄鹤楼增加了几分神秘色彩，引得无数人景仰。

传说一：
一千多年前，有位姓辛的老人在蛇山上开了酒店，常客中有一道士，回回喝酒不买酒菜，只用随身带着的水果下酒。店主人揣想他一定清贫，执意不收他的酒钱，同他交了朋友，道士也不推辞，就此领受。一天，他用橘子佐酒，饮罢，用橘皮在酒店的壁上画了一只黄鹤，自言道：“酒客至拍手，鹤即下飞舞。”遂去，再也没有见他回来。
店中吃酒的人里，有好奇的，想当场试试，面对壁上的画拍手，那黄鹤展翅飞下，在店外舞了一圈，又复原位，此事迅速传开，酒店大旺，连店里的井水也喝干了。当地一名贪官借口要除妖，命人把那面墙壁移到官府，谁想船行到中途，黄鹤抖翅飞走了，贪官追鹤，葬身江中。卖酒老人为怀念仙鹤，在原址建立了黄鹤楼。

传说二：
黄鹤楼始建于三国吴黄武二年，公元223年，当时吴主孙权处于军事目的，在形势险要的夏口城即今天的武昌城西南面朝长江处，修筑了历史上最早的黄鹤楼。黄鹤楼在群雄纷争，战火连绵的三国时期，只是夏口城一角嘹望守戍的“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，随着江夏城的发展，逐步演变成为官商行旅“游必于是”、“宴必于是”的观赏楼。
往事越千年，黄鹤楼时毁时建、时隐时现，历经战火硝烟，沧海桑田，仅明、清两代黄鹤楼分别七建七毁。公元1884年，清代的最后一座楼阁在一场大火中化为灰烬，百年后，一座金碧辉煌、雄伟壮观的楼阁在武汉横空出世，正可谓千古风云传盛事，三楚江山独此楼。

ocated on the top of Snake Hill, the Yellow Crane Tower stands against Wuchang, faces the vast Yangtze River and the elegant Qingchuan Pavilion. Ascending the tower, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wuhan.

Thanks to its unique geological location, and the poems, proses, couplets and folk stories, the Yellow Crane Tower is reputed as one of the “three famous towers south of the Yangtze River”. It enjoys such titles as “best scenery under heaven” and “the first tower under heaven”

There are many legends about the reason why the Yellow Crane tower was built, which brings mystery to the tower and attracts many people to admire the tower.

legend 1
More than 1000 years ago, an old man surnamed Xin ran a restaurant on Snake Hill. A Taoist who was a regular visitor never ordered dishes, but drank wine with fruits he brought along. The owner refused to accept the Taoist’s money, assuming that he was poor. They became friends. One day, the Taoist drew a yellow crane on the wall with the orange skin, said, “The crane will dance upon hearing the clap”. Then he left and never returned.

The curious customers clapped their hands and the crane flew from the wall, danced and then returned to its original place. The restaurant became very famous as the story was widely spread. A corrupt official ordered somebody to move the wall to the local authorities. But the crane flew away and the official chased after the crane but drowned in the river. The old man selling wine built the Yellow Crane Tower on the original site to commemorate the crane.

Legend 2
The tower was first built in 223 A.D of the Three Kingdoms Period. Sun Quan, the King of Wu built the earliest Yellow Crane Tower on the Town of Wuchang. During the Three Kingdoms Period, the tower served a significant military purpose. After the three kingdoms were united, with the development of the city, the tower lost its military value and gradually became an ornamental tower.

The tower was built and ruined many times and undergone many wars and changes. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the tower was built and ruined seven times. In 1184 A.D., the tower was reduced to ashes. One hundred years later, a magnificent tower, the only one in China, appeared in Wuhan.

小贴士

价格：50元
位置：武汉市武昌区，蛇山西端
交通：64、36路及各路经长江大桥的公交均到
电话：027—88874914
Add: Western Side of Snake Hill, Wuchang District, Wuhan
How to get there: bus No. 64, 36, and other buses that pass the Yangtze River Bridge Tel: 027—88874914