The Drum Tower of Nanjing () on Gulou Mountain in the Gulou District of downtown

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, was first built in the 15th year of the reign of

Hongwu Hongwu () (23 January 1368 – 5 February 1399) was the era name of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty of China. Hongwu was also the Ming dynasty's first era name. Comparison table Other eras contemporaneous with Hongwu * C ...

, of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1382 AD). The Drum Tower, which is an important part of Drum Tower Park, is 44 meters long, 22 meters wide and 30 meters high. Its shape is like a Chinese traditional city gate, with a square foundation pedestal made of stone. In the pedestal, there are three arch gateways, one larger in the middle and two smaller on the side. In the side gateways, there are four side-rooms, which were guarded by the imperial drumming officers with hundreds of soldiers during the ancient dynasty. On the pedestal is a red two-story watch tower, made of wood and bricks, which was a sacred place to hold some important ceremonies, such as giving a correct time, welcoming honorable guests, offering sacrifices to the god, and others.

External links

China-tour.cn: Drum Tower of Nanjing
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Nanjing Towers in China Drum towers Ming dynasty architecture

See also

External links