Jiuquan Drum Tower
酒泉鼓楼
An ancient city gate tower in central Jiuquan, first built during the Eastern Jin dynasty, with plaques on its four sides reading “Facing Mount Hua to the East, Reaching Yiwu to the West, Gazing at the Qilian to the South, Connecting with the Desert to the North.”
The Jiuquan Drum Tower stands at the central crossroads of Suzhou District, Jiuquan. It was originally the east gate of Fulu County during the Eastern Jin dynasty. The current tower was rebuilt in the Guangxu era of the Qing dynasty. It has a brick platform with gateways on all four sides and a three-story wooden pavilion on top. The plaques above the four gates read “Facing Mount Hua to the East, Reaching Yiwu to the West, Gazing at the Qilian to the South, Connecting with the Desert to the North,” which describe Jiuquan’s geographic location. The drum tower is a traffic roundabout, so visitors cannot climb it. It is a good stop for photos on the way through. Nearby are Jiuquan’s night market and commercial streets, where you can try local snacks such as huguo (a hot pot–style dish) and grilled meat. It is about 30 minutes by car from Jiayuguan.
Opening hours
All day (exterior only)
Nearby sights
- Jiuquan Park (Western Han Spring Site)
- Xincheng Wei-Jin Tombs
- Fantawild Adventure Jiayuguan
- Wenshushan Grottoes
- Zixuan Winery
- Great Wall Museum (Jiayuguan)
- Jiayuguan Fort
- First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall & Taolai River Gorge