Latest news with #ZhuYuanzhang
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Roof of historic Ming Dynasty tower collapses in China
Hundreds of tiles have fallen from the roof of a centuries old tower in China's Anhui province, smashing to the ground near visitors to the site. Eyewitness footage showed sections of the roof collapsing, narrowly missing a number of people. Local media cited a Fengyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau statement that said no one was injured in the incident, which happened at around 18:30 local time (11:30 BST) on Monday. The Drum Tower - reportedly the largest in China - was built in 1375 during the Ming Dynasty but had undergone an extensive rebuild in 1995. Officials for the county, around 200 miles away from the capital Beijing, said an investigation was under way, in a post shared on China's instant messaging app, WeChat. Fengyang county is famous for being the hometown of the Ming Dynasty's founding emperor - Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. Local authorities reportedly moved bystanders from the scene following the collapse and secured the area. The investigation will be looking at the repair project's design and construction, a statement seen by local media added. Reports say supervision units were also sent to the site with experts invited to assist in the investigation and verification process. The tower is closed while repairs are carried out, with a reopening date due to be announced at a later date.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Roof of historic Ming Dynasty tower collapses in China
Hundreds of tiles have fallen from the roof of a centuries old tower in China's Anhui province, smashing to the ground near visitors to the footage showed sections of the roof collapsing, narrowly missing a number of media cited a Fengyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau statement that said no one was injured in the incident, which happened at around 18:30 local time (11:30 BST) on Drum Tower - reportedly the largest in China - was built in 1375 during the Ming Dynasty but had undergone an extensive rebuild in 1995. Officials for the county, around 200 miles away from the capital Beijing, said an investigation was under way, in a post shared on China's instant messaging app, county is famous for being the hometown of the Ming Dynasty's founding emperor - Hongwu Emperor, Zhu authorities reportedly moved bystanders from the scene following the collapse and secured the area. The investigation will be looking at the repair project's design and construction, a statement seen by local media say supervision units were also sent to the site with experts invited to assist in the investigation and verification tower is closed while repairs are carried out, with a reopening date due to be announced at a later date.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tourists scramble as 600-year-old Chinese tower partially collapses
Visitors to a centuries-old tourist site in eastern China were sent scrambling after hundreds of roof tiles came loose and cascaded more than two stories to the ground. The Fengyang Drum Tower—built in 1375 and used to announce the beginning of ceremonies and the time of day—is one of the largest such towers in China, according to state media. The tower is a major tourist attraction in Anhui province, which is around 200 miles away from Beijing, China's capital. But on Monday the quiet around the site was shattered as hundreds of roof tiles began slipping from the roof and crashing to the ground, raising a huge cloud of gray-brown dust. 'The tile falling lasted for a minute or two,' one eyewitness told Yangcheng Evening News, a state-controlled newspaper. Another witness described how he heard the crisp sound of one tile falling after another from a shop at the entrance of the Drum Tower. 'There was no one in the square and no one was injured,' he told state media outlet The Beijing News. 'If it happened a little later, there would be many children playing (near the tower) after dinner.' The local culture and tourism bureau said no casualties had been reported and that the 'situation is under investigation.' The collapse happened just a year after the tower was renovated following minor damage to the roof. However, the building consists of two parts: the original Ming-era tower base and the tower on top of it. Damages mainly happened to the latter, which was once rebuilt in 1995, local officials say. Fengyang county is famous for its history and culture, and was the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor), founder of the Ming dynasty. He oversaw a prosperous era fueled by strong international trade and a growing population. During this time, China replaced its traditional currency of silver and gold with paper money.
