Huozhou Drum Tower

Huozhou Drum Tower

The Huozhou Drum Tower is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Huozhou Drum Tower

Era: Ming and Qing Dynasties

Address: Downtown Huozhou City

The drum tower, also called the Wenchang Pavilion, was built in the 11th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1583) and has undergone repairs over various dynasties. It features a triple-eaved, cross-shaped hip-and-gable roof, stands 27 meters tall, and has a floor area of 225 square meters. The ground floor is 7 meters high and has a brick cross-vaulted passage that runs through the city’s four main streets—east, west, south, and north. Above each entrance is an inscribed bluestone tablet: the eastern one reads “Facing Huo,” the southern “Welcoming the Fragrance,” the western “Guarding Fen,” and the northern “Embracing the Pole Star.”

The elevated base is constructed from a mix of bluestone and blue bricks, forming a cross-vaulted passageway that extends in all four directions. Above it stands a two-story wooden structure, five bays wide and five bays deep, with a triple-eaved, cross-hipped roof on the second level. The surrounding corridor is carved with patterns of flowers and animals. The roof is adorned with glazed tiles depicting the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions and three-color glazed ridge beasts. The drum tower stands 29 meters tall in total. Climbing to the top offers panoramic views of the mountainous landscape and the scenery of Huozhou City.

On October 7, 2019, the Huozhou Drum Tower was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units