The Historical Evolution, Protection And Utilization Of Nanjing Drum Tower And Big Bell Pavilion

Architecture is a solidified history,witnessing the historical development of a city.Nanjing Drum Tower and Big Bell Pavilion are the cultural relics of Ming and Qing Dynasties,which have important historical and cultural and artistic value.According to historical materials,the drum tower and the bell tower(the predecessor of the Big Bell Pavilion)were built in the Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty.They are public buildings in Nanjing.They have the functions of alarm,time reporting,politics,sacrificial rites,etc.and are managed by the carving and leaking section of the imperial Tianjian.During the period from Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China,the structure,function and management of Drum Tower had changed many times because of the current situation.In the late Qing Dynasty,the bell tower was destroyed because of the war.Xu Zhenyi,the political envoy of Jiangning,built the Big Bell Pavilion to protect the left sleeping bell.The Great Bell Pavilion was once used as a temple and coffin parking place.By the end of 1930 s,it was taken over by Nanjing municipal government as a historic site.The historical evolution of Nanjing Gulou and dazhongting bears the historical memory of Nanjing city for hundreds of years,and plays an important role in the study of Nanjing city development.In recent years,due to its prominent location and high popularity,Nanjing Drum Tower has been well protected,and some achievements have been made in its activation and utilization,but there is still room for its utilization.Dazhongting has low popularity and poor protection.There are many problems such as erosion of building surface,damage of wood components and low utilization rate.Through field investigation,the author analyzes the existing problems of Drum Tower and Big Bell Pavilion in the aspects of noumenon building,internal display and surrounding environment at the present stage,and proposes to strengthen the daily management and maintenance in the aspect of protection,enrich the interpretation content and means of cultural relic buildings in the aspect of utilization,improve the surrounding environment,etc.,hoping to promote the development of Drum Tower and Big Bell Pavilion to a certain extent.