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A drum tower (Chinese: 鼓楼; pinyin: gǔlóu) or gulou is a tower in the center of an old Asian city or village, mainly China, housing signal drums.[1] There was usually also a bell tower nearby.[citation needed]
They were once found all over China in villages, marking the symbolic center of the settlement and used to mark nightfall and to summon the people for civic ceremonies and significant occasions, such as Chinese New Year.[2]
The drum tower often being located in the symbolic center of a city, downtown districts of several Chinese cities have been named after the tower.[citation needed]
鼓楼】gǔlóu 名 旧时城市中设置大鼓的楼,楼内按时敲鼓报告时辰。