Xihe Tower stands on Dongmen Slope, Group 10, Xiangdong Village, Wufeng Town. It was first built in the second year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1737 AD), facing 65 degrees northwest from the southeast, covering an area of 100,000 square metres.

Following the replacement of hereditary chieftains with centrally appointed officials in the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign, the county was officially established in the first year of Qianlong. Construction of the city walls and city gates began the next year, taking full advantage of the mountain terrain and spanning mountain streams, and was completed on schedule.

The city had four gates: the East Gate was named Xihe, the South Gate Xunfeng, the West Gate Zhaohua, and the North Gate Zhen’an. The ramparts were equipped with battlements and multi-storey towers, with a stream winding through the city. A wooden bridge, originally named Desheng Bridge, was built across the stream at first. Later, in his tenure, Minister An Shixiong built a stone bridge called Anhua Bridge to facilitate passage for travellers.

The city walls and four gates were constructed with specially fired blue bricks and chiselled bluestone blocks. The pavilions above the four gates adopted the ancient timber framing structure, with upturned four corners and water dripping eaves on all sides. They were covered with clay blue tiles and built into two storeys. The gate arches were hewn from bluestone, formed into double arches with interlocking seal-stone voussoirs.

The city wall and four gates underwent repeated renovations before the Republic of China and remained well preserved for a long time. The original enclosed area was approximately 100,000 square metres. However, from the 1960s to the early 1970s after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, large quantities of bricks and stones were dismantled for urban construction inside the city, causing severe damage.

At present, more than 1,500 metres of city wall survive along the northwest mountain ridge, with a residual height ranging from 0.5 metres to 2 metres and a width between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres. The archway of Xihe Tower is 5 metres high, with a clear span of 3.25 metres, an outer width of 5.64 metres and an inner height of 3.5 metres.

In 2008, the People’s Government of Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County invested funds, together with donations of 550,000 yuan from organisations and individuals, to carry out protective restoration on the East Gate Xihe Tower, bringing it to its present condition.

In April 2006, it was designated a Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Unit by the Yichang Municipal People’s Government. In 2011, it was listed as a Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit by the Hubei Provincial People’s Government