Yuyang Gulou

Yuyang Gulou, also called Jizhou Drum Tower, stands on Wenchang Road in Jizhou District, Tianjin. Its lower part is a city-gate-style base of grey bricks pierced by a five-coursed arched passage; above sits a single-storey hall with a green-tiled hip-and-gable roof, three bays wide and two deep, ringed by a bracket-set gallery. A plaque reading "Gu Yuyang" hangs on the south face, "Jidong Suoyue" on the north.

Yuyang Gulou was built in 1371, the fourth year of the Ming Hongwu era. In 1642, during the Chongzhen reign, Qing troops attacked Jizhou and destroyed the tower. It was rebuilt several times under the Shunzhi, Kangxi and Daoguang emperors, then neglected for years. The Tianjin municipal government restored it to its original appearance in 1986.

The tower's name links it to Yuyang, an old name for the Jizhou area, and locals also call it Jizhou Gulou. Its two plaques carry the phrases "Ancient Yuyang" on the south face and "Key to the Eastern Capital" on the north, the first written by the Kangxi-era magistrate Zhang Chaozong. The building is listed as a Tianjin cultural relic since 1991 and a Tianjin historic building since 2006.

The tower is easily accessible by buses 161, 168, or 184 stopping at the Gulou bus station, or by the nearby Gulou metro station, about a 5-minute walk away. The area is best explored on foot, especially in early morning or late afternoon when light is pleasant and crowds are lighter.

The tower carries two plaques: on the south face "Ancient Yuyang" (古渔阳), written by the Kangxi-era prefect Zhang Chaozong, and on the north face "Key to the East of the Capital" (畿东锁钥). Both are set above the arched gateway of the blue-brick base.