Hutong have been around for some seven centuries; dating back to the Yuan dynasty when Kublai Khan established his capital at Dadu; on the site of present-day Beijing. In fact; the word hutong is believed to derive from the Mongolian word hong tong; which means water well.

The Drum (Gul髐) and Bell (Zhongl髐) towers were originally built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan (r.1260-1294). Emperor Yongle (r. 1402-1424) rebuilt the towers in 1420 and they were again renovated during the reign of Qing Emperor Jiaqing (r. 1796 - 1820).

Both the Drum and Bell towers were used as timekeepers during the Yuan; Ming and Qing dynasties.