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 (G?l籀u) and Bell (Zh?ngl籀u) 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.