Photography Gulou Drum Tower in Beijing

A black-and-white photograph showing the Drum Tower in Beijing (Beijing Gulou 北京鼓樓). This tower and the Zhonglou 鐘樓 Bell Tower are the oldest buildings in Beijing. They stand together at the end of a long boulevard in the Inner City (Neicheng 内城). The boulevard begins at Mei Hill (Meishan 藝山) or Coal Hill and runs north almost to the outer city wall. As early as the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368), the towers were part of Kublai Khan’s military infrastructure, providing effective control over the area inside and outside the city walls. The drums in the tower were also used for official announcements of the times of day.

The Drum Tower was later destroyed but was rebuilt under the Yongle Emperor (1402–1424). The tower in the photograph dates from the 18th century: a two-story building, almost 47metres high, constructed using the traditional dougong 斗拱 technique. Access to the tower was through four arched entrances, one for each cardinal point. On a raised platform stood the mechanism that connected the water clock to the drums. The mechanism can still be admired in the tower today, as a replica is on display.

The photograph is the 111th of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Trommel-Turm (Gu-Lo). (DZ, MV)