Zhongshan-Gulou (Drum Tower)

Gulou (Drum Tower) was constructed in 1382 as the central drum-and-bell signalling tower of Ming Nanjing. The original tower was substantially destroyed and rebuilt several times; the current structure dates from a 1923 reconstruction. The square in front of the tower has been Nanjing's geographic and administrative centre throughout the modern period.

Nanjing University's Gulou Campus, immediately south of the tower, is the historical core of one of China's strongest research universities — itself the successor to the Republican-era Central University and the late-Qing Liangjiang Academy. The campus retains substantial Republican-era buildings; the university's historical archives are open to researchers.

Yihe Road, running west from the Drum Tower district, is the most concentrated stretch of Republican-era foreign-villa architecture in Nanjing. From 1928 to 1937 (and again 1945–49) the Republican government used these villas as ambassadorial residences, foreign-mission offices, and senior-official housing. Several villas now operate as boutique hotels, restaurants, or museums — the United States Embassy compound, the Soviet Union Embassy, the Nationalist Foreign Affairs official residences are all preserved.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, while not in Gulou itself, is the major modern-history site of Nanjing and is reached via Metro Line 2 from this district. Visitors should allow at least 2-3 hours and plan emotionally for a substantive memorial museum.