The base of the Drum Tower

The base of the Drum Tower

The drum tower base is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Fengyang Drum Tower was first built in the eighth year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty. Although it has been repeatedly damaged by wars and fires, the drum tower base — hailed by experts as the finest in China — remains well-preserved. The drum tower consists of a platform and the main hall. The platform has three gateways in the center, with the central one slightly larger. Above the middle of the central gateway are four regular script characters “万世根本” (Eternal Foundation), personally inscribed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. The meaning of these imperial calligraphy characters remains an unsolved mystery among historians of the Ming Dynasty to this day. The drum tower features nine rooms above, described as having “three layers of eaves, towering columns stretching a hundred feet high, majestic and soaring, exquisitely set apart from the dust of the world.”