"Zengchong's drum tower 增冲鼓楼, which survived Cultural Revolution, is China's oldest at 343 years [built in 1672]
"Built without nails, its 11 octagonal tiers stack up like a wedding cake 82 feet tall. * * * An [additional] octagonal two-story turret caps the structure like a fancy stopper on a giant perfume bottle. * * * In the center of the tower's open-sided ground floor, a massive hearth beckons citizens to warm their kettles over the coals and discuss important village business, town-hall style — or simply shoot the breeze.
"Another Dong 侗族 village in the region, Sanbao, claims to have the world's tallest drum tower 三宝鼓楼 [建于2001年; that is right, 2001]. Local authorities have gussied it up for tourists.
"In Zengchong, a construction crew is hard at work paving the bumpy dirt slope that links the village to a main road that connects to the town of Tingdong 从江县 停洞镇, 29 miles away.
Note:
(a) The “Beating Heart” in the title alludes to a hub of activities.
(b) Zengchong 贵州省黔东南苗族侗族自治州从江县增冲乡增冲村
(c) Sanbao 黔东南苗族侗族自治州榕江县车江乡 三宝侗寨 (百度百科: “分上、中、下宝寨，合称 ‘三宝侗寨’ ”)