There used to be a huge drum in the tower which told the time at dusk; hence, the name Drum Tower. The bell in the Bell Tower and the drum in the Drum Tower, have been referred to as the Morning Bell and the Dusk Drum. Later, the drum was no longer used to tell time but only to give warnings to people in times of war. The base of the Drum Tower covers an area of 1,924 square meters and is 34 meters high. It was also built with blue bricks.

The building is rectangular with tiers of eaves and has golden-tiled roof. It is only two storeys inside. There are corridors around the tower on each tier and the outer eaves are decorated with networks of wood arches. The elegance and grandeur of its structure reveals much of the superb workmanship in architecture of the Chinese people.