Haizhou Bell and Drum Tower Gate

Haizhou Bell and Drum Tower Gate

The Haizhou Bell and Drum Tower Gate is a cultural relic protection unit of Lianyungang City.

The Haizhou Bell and Drum Tower Gate is located on Gulou Street in Haizhou District. The gate stands about 4 meters tall, has an inner diameter of 3.15 meters, and is 10.38 meters long. It is built from a combination of brick and stone, with the stone portion rising 1.9 meters, topped by a brick arched opening. Originally, there was a bell and drum tower structure above the gate, but it has long since collapsed and no longer exists. However, the “Record of the Reconstruction of the Bell and Drum Tower Platform” stele, erected by Wang Tong, the magistrate of Haizhou during the Ming Dynasty, remains intact. The stele’s top is arched, measuring 2.5 meters in height, 1.03 meters in width, and 0.28 meters in thickness. On the other side of the stele is the “Record of the Construction of the New Maritime Route,” dating from the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty. According to the Haizhou Annals and the inscriptions on this stele, the Haizhou Bell and Drum Tower Gate was built in the early Ming Dynasty. The bricks used measure 33 cm in length, 13 cm in width, and 8 cm in thickness, which also corresponds precisely to the dimensions of bricks from the Haizhou city wall marked with the Hongwu era. Historical texts from the Northern and Southern Dynasties through the Tang and Song dynasties, as well as the Ming Dynasty Haizhou Annals, record that this gate was originally the west gate of the Quxian County during the Qin and Han dynasties and of Qushan County during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. In this regard, it holds significant value for the study of the ancient establishment of Haizhou. Today, it is the only remaining gate of the Haizhou city wall, further underscoring the necessity of its preservation. It was designated as one of the first batch of cultural relic protection units of Lianyungang City in 1982. In 1991, the Haizhou District government restored the bell and drum tower structure above the gate — the Zhenyuan Tower.