Zhonglouwan Hutong

　　Zhonglouwan Hutong is located in the northwest part of the area, north of the Drum Tower, under the jurisdiction of Andingmen Subdistrict Office, and runs from north to south. It starts at the north end at Doufuchi Hutong, has two southern exits leading respectively to Gulou West Street and Gulou East Street, connects to Caochang North Lane to the east, and links to Zhongku Hutong, Lingdang Hutong, and Tanggong Hutong to the west. It is 757 meters long and 7 meters wide, with an asphalt road surface.

　　Zhonglouwan Hutong was called Zhonglouwan during the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947), named for being around the Bell Tower. After 1949, it became known as Zhonglouwan Hutong. The hutong currently houses the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, which were designated as municipal-level cultural heritage sites in 1957.

　　The Bell Tower was originally built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1420), but was later destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt in the 10th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1747) and completed two years later. To prevent fires, the reconstructed Bell Tower was entirely built with brick and stone structures. The base is a high brick-and-stone platform with arched gateways on all four sides, surrounded by a low wall. Above it sits the Bell Tower itself, featuring a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with black glazed tiles trimmed in green. A stele inscribed with Emperor Qianlong’s decree for the reconstruction of the Bell Tower stands to the south of the tower. The Bell Tower houses a bronze bell weighing approximately 63 tons, which is the heaviest bronze bell in China.