The Drum Tower stands at the northern end of the old city's main axis, a reconstructed Tang dynasty gate tower that now serves as the symbolic centre of Ningbo's historic district. The current tower is a modern reconstruction but the location has been the city's focal point since the ninth century, and the surrounding area — Gulou district — contains the highest concentration of old lanes, traditional courtyard houses, and pre-modern street patterns remaining in central Ningbo.
The tower's terrace offers views across the old city and the Yong River beyond. More interesting than the tower itself are the lanes running south from it through the Gulou district, where sections of traditional Ningbo domestic architecture survive among the apartment blocks: narrow alleys, carved stone gateways, tile-roofed courtyard houses with the characteristic Ningbo aesthetic of grey tiles, white plaster, and restrained carved detail.