Zhangye Gulou, Drum tower in Zhangye, China.

Zhangye Gulou is a wooden tower in the heart of the old district featuring multiple tiered roofs and traditional Chinese architectural details. The structure showcases classic construction techniques and serves as a focal point within the historic quarter.

Zhangye Gulou was first built in 1507, the second year of the Ming Zhengde era, under the official Cai Kuan. In 1648, during the Shunzhi era, it was burned down when Mi Layin led an uprising. Gansu governor Zhang Yong oversaw its reconstruction in 1668, and it was repaired again under the Kangxi, Qianlong and Guangxu emperors.

The tower is also called Jingyuan Lou and Zhenyuan Lou, and its four gate arches carry brick plaques: "Xusheng" (east), "Jiacheng" (west), "Yingxun" (south) and "Zhenyuan" (north). Eight further plaques hang on the two storeys of the pavilion, among them "Jincheng Chunyu" and "Yuguan Xiaoyue". A stele of 1899, the Record of Repairing the Ganzhou Suspension Bridge and Zhenyuan Tower, is kept on the north side of the upper floor.

The tower stands at the centre of Ganzhou district, in Zhangye's downtown. Four arched passages, 4 m wide and 5 m high, cross beneath the 9 m brick platform, so pedestrians can walk through in any direction. The Tang bronze bell hangs at the southeast corner of the platform. Repairs carried out from 2013 to the platform base, steps, brick arches, columns, beams and roof were essentially finished by December of that year.

A Tang-dynasty bronze bell hangs at the southeast corner of the platform, cast from a copper-based alloy and weighing about 600 kg. It is 1.3 m tall with a 1.15 m mouth, and its three bands of six panels show flying apsaras, the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise, and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger.