Architectural wonders without one nail and one rivet

    The Drum Tower is a unique building of the Dong nationality in China. The Drum Tower stands high in the Dong Village, and the Flying Pavilion is in the shape of a pagoda with overhanging eaves. It stands tall and majestic. The structure of the Dong Drum Tower is unique and exquisite. It can be firmly fixed without a nail and a rivet. With only a few measuring rods and sophisticated construction art, it can be tightly jointed and firmly fixed. It can be immortal for a hundred years after wind and rain; The eaves of the tiles are painted or carved with landscapes, flowers, dragons and phoenixes, birds and figures in ancient costumes, with clouds rising and fogging. Its wooden construction techniques were listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list in China.

    The Drum Tower originated in ancient times. For local residents, it is more than a building. At that time, life was extremely unstable and often invaded by the enemy. There was a big drum on the top of the drum tower, made of cow leather. In case of an emergency, someone would climb to the top of the drum tower and beat the big drum. The reason why the drum tower is built much higher than the surrounding stilted buildings is also to make the drum spread farther. In this process, the Drum Tower played a very important role of warning and notification.

    Or if there are major issues to be discussed, the payment will be made, and the drum will also be played to call on the masses. The drumming of the village valley can quickly gather people.
    If there is a drum, there is a building, and if there is a building, there is a drum. Later, people used to call it the Drum Tower.

    The Dong people must first set up the drum tower to build a village. If it is impossible for them to do so, they must also set up a cedar column as a substitute for the drum tower. The four main supporting columns in the Dong Drum Tower symbolize the four directions and four seasons, and the twelve lining columns symbolize the twelve months. The main beams and columns for the construction of the drum tower are selected by the elders of the clan who are old and prestigious. The wood is fine, thick, uniform in height, and old in age, and can be used as the materials for the construction of the drum tower.

    From the perspective of appearance, the Dong Drum Tower is a very visually effective building. The top of a completed drum tower is a chain of gourd-shaped tops. In the middle, there are layers of buildings, shaped like a pagoda. The eaves of the building are generally hexagonal, octagonal and quadrangular. Its double eaves are stacked one after another, from top to bottom, and each floor is larger than the other.

    The whole body of the drum tower is an essential structure, which does not need to be nailed and riveted. Because of its tight and solid structure, it can be immortal for hundreds of years. This fully shows the superb architectural skills of skilled craftsmen among the Dong people.
    The drum towers of the Dong nationality are singular in the number of double eaves. The minimum is 1 layer, and the maximum is 21 layers. This is because the Dong people regard odd numbers as auspicious numbers.
    The construction of the Drum Tower combines many architectural forms such as pavilions, towers and halls. Especially for the design of the top part of the drum tower, it completely borrowed the style of the palace pavilion tower in the Han architecture.