Watchtower of Nantong [Photo/mlhaohe.com]

The watchtower of Nantong, alias the Xingshu Tower, was built in the ninth year of the Zhizheng Period of the Yuan Dynasty (1349) and rebuilt in the third year of the Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty (1370) and successive dynasties.

The five-storey Bell Tower was constructed in 1914 on the south of the watchtower. It is 26 meters high and six meters wide. As the symbol of the ancient feudal regime in Nantong, the watchtower was used as the front gate of prefectural or county government organs of Nantong in the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Bell Tower and watchtower of Nantong [Photo/mlhaohe.com]

The majestic and simple Bell Tower was designed by Sun Zhixia, one of the first generation of modern architects in China, and built by Chu Nanqiang, the first magistrate of Nantong County in the Republic of China. The lofty western-style Bell Tower was deliberately placed in front of the old Watchtower, the symbol of feudal sovereignty. The contradiction and unity of the arrangement bears witness to historical change in a symbolic architectural statement relatively rare in China.

Bell tower of Nantong [Photo/mlhaohe.com]