Xiuning Bell and Drum Tower

Xiuning Bell and Drum Tower

The Xiuning Bell and Drum Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Bell and Drum Tower

It is the iconic building of Xiuning County. The Bell and Drum Tower from the Zhizheng era was historically recorded to have been renovated through fundraising efforts led by the then Xiuning County Magistrate Tang Di, who gathered contributions from 14 wealthy locals. Construction began in June of the fifth year of Zhizheng (1345) and was completed in November of the following year. At that time, the Bell and Drum Tower was a two-story pavilion structure. In the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1641), it was destroyed by fire, and County Magistrate Zhu Tongyu rebuilt it, changing it to a three-story pavilion. In the sixth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1649), the local magistrate Weng Renlong renovated it again, removing the top floor and reverting it to a two-story structure. The lower level was built upon a 5-meter-high stone platform, with a central arched gateway serving as a pedestrian passage. Stone steps leading up to the tower were built at the back. A horizontal plaque inscribed with the three characters “Xiuning County” was hung in front of the tower. In front of the tower, water was channeled to create a pond, over which a stone bridge named “Three Reflections Bridge” was erected. During the Ming Jiajing era, County Magistrate Song Guohua replaced the bridge with a screen wall to serve as a barrier for the county government office. According to the Xiuning County Annals from the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, the Bell and Drum Tower was reconstructed eight times between the second year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1369) and the fifteenth year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1767) due to wars and fires. The Bell and Drum Tower we see today was extensively renovated in 1984 and completed in 1986. It now houses the “Number One Scholar Museum,” and the open spaces on the north and south sides are planned to be developed into a “Number One Scholar Culture Square.”