This is a relatively old piece of news by now, but it will definitely leave a scare in Weishan 巍山, an ancient town on the old Tea and Horse Road (茶马古道) in Yunnan for a while.
The 600-year old Gongchen Tower (拱辰楼), an impressive tower gate topped with a Chinese style pavilion that was home to a tea house where a local orchestra rehearsed old melodies.
The tower is no more. It was destroyed by fire on January, 3rd 2015.
Built in 1390, it was the symbol of Weishan 巍山 and one of the rare early Ming dynasty structure still standing. According to the story run by CCTV1, (video in Chinese), the Gongchen Tower was a protected historical relic at the provincial level (i.e. Yunnan). The Nanzhao orchestra (南诏古乐团) which managed and operated the tower. The orchestra used the wooden pavilion to rehearse melodies classified as ‘immaterial cultural heritage’ (非物质文化遗产). Visitors were welcomed to go up, enjoy the view with a cup of tea and listen to the musical performances.
