China Guide
Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Gulou
Address: Around the junction between Zhongyang Lu, Zhongshan Lu and Beijing Lu
The Gulou area is the administrative centre in the heart of old Nanjing. When Nanjing became a Treaty Port in the mid-nineteenth century the foreign consulates were all based here, though today it comprises mostly traffic jams overlooked by offices. There are just a couple of relics from earlier times, both rather lost in the bustle. One, immediately west of the main traffic circle, is the 600-year-old Gulou itself (daily 8am–5pm; ¥5), a small, solid drum tower on a grassy mound in the road, entered through a traditional-style gateway. Historically, a drum used to call the watch from here seven times a day, and sound warnings at times of danger; now the interior holds exhibits of amateur paintings, while the tower itself has been semi-converted into a teahouse.
The other sight by Gulou is the Dazhong Ting (Great Bell Pavilion), immediately northeast of the junction behind the China Telecom building, sitting in a well-kept garden and also home to a pleasant teahouse.