During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, King Min became emperor in the first year of Tiande (AD 943), and transformed the Nancheng gatehouse in Jian 'an County, which was set up in the first year of Jian 'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 196, under the jurisdiction of Nanping, Fujian), into a "Wufeng Tower" to show the imperial atmosphere of "monsoon". The former site of the archway downstairs has been preserved for over 800 years. In the history of 1000 years, the Drum Tower has been destroyed and built several times. In the second year of Duanping in the Southern Song Dynasty (A.D. 1235), a new "Drum Tower" was built on the former site of the "Wufenglou", and Liu Kezhuang, a writer in the Southern Song Dynasty, wrote The Story of the New Builder. * * * It was built five times in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and rebuilt in the 19th year of Qing Qianlong (AD 1754), and it was named "Zhen 'an Building". In the sixth year of the Republic of China (AD 19 17), it was rebuilt again and renamed the Drum Tower, which has been in use ever since. After the founding of the People's Republic, the first reconstruction was completed in 1980 and 1983. (The blue building on the lower right is the Drum Tower before the overhaul in 2005, taken at 1998).
Under the situation of building a well-off society in an all-round way in the new century, this reconstruction is a historic event that conforms to public opinion and unites people's hearts. The project started in February 2004 and was completed in early 2005.
The newly-built Drum Tower, facing south, adopts the architectural style of double eaves in Ming and Qing Dynasties, with a width of 26.5m, a longitudinal length of17m and a height of 28m. It is magnificent and towering into the sky. The main building has double cornices, surrounded by red columns and carved beams and painted buildings, which is very rich in the charm of the ancient city and has a new era style. There are plaques on the north and south sides of the building, which read: "Xiongzhen Nantian" and "Enying the North Pole". (The illuminant installed on the lower floor is the Drum Tower which was overhauled in 2005. It can be seen that it has changed a lot. From the original three floors to two floors, the width of the superstructure is reduced and more decorative patterns are added. ) embodies the traditional architectural style and planning thought of the Han nationality.
Drum Tower is a landmark building in Jian 'ou and an important landscape of a famous historical and cultural city. The Drum Tower, which has witnessed the vicissitudes of the Millennium, will also witness the brilliant tomorrow of Jian 'ou's rise and take-off!