In 659, the Governor of Hongzhou, Li Yuanying (brother of Li Shimin, Emperor of the Tang dynasty) built a tower for his villa on the bank of the Ganjiang River. People called it Tengwang pavilion when he was made the Prince of Teng. In the later years the tower became a gathering place for scholars to recite poems and sing. The famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Bo, wrote a famous essay here, "Notes on Tengwang Pavilion", which made the pavilion even more well-known.

The nature varies continuously and this world often in tremendous changes. The Tengwang Pavilion has been ruined and rebuilt as many as 28 times. On October 8th, 1989, the new Tengwang Pavilion (29 times) is towering loftily at the bank of the Ganjiang River, in style of Song Dynasty. The nine stories pavilion is 57.5 meters high and construction area of 13,000 square meters, with its special charm of green tiles and double eaves roof. From the exterior the tower appears that it has three stories, but inside it actually has five.