Bell and Drum Towers
Bell and Drum towers, the telling time center during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1271-1911), located at Dongcheng District of Beijing, is a unique tourist attraction.
Drum Tower was initially built in 1272 during the Yuan Dynasty, was rebuilt in 1297 during the Yuan Dynasty and in 1420 and 1539, during the Ming Dynasty. The two-story structure was made of wood with a height of 47 meters. On its second floor there originally were 25 drums. Among them, there were one big drum and 24 smaller drums. Now, only the big drum is left. The drum is beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time. There are many shops on the first floor where you can buy what you need.
Bell Tower made of bricks and stone, is 48 meters high and also is two stories. On all four sides of the tower there is an arched door on the first floor. A stairway leads to the second floor. On the second floor there is also an arched door with a stone window framing each side. Right in the middle of the second floor is the big copper bell that tells the time. It is hung on a wooden framework. It is the heaviest bell in China. There is a round wooden peg that knocks the bell.
Bells and drums were musical instruments in ancient China. Later they were used to tell time and became watches for the officials and common people as well.
At the very beginning in the Ming Dynasty, the bell and drum were beaten together both during the day and nighttime. When Qian Long was emperor in the Qing Dynasty, the bell and drum were beaten together only two times at night by two workers who were assigned to beat the bell and drum respectively. First the drum and then the bell was beaten.
At seven o’clock in the evening, the drum was beaten followed by the bell to inform people it was time to go to sleep. At nine o’clock, eleven o’clock, as well as one and three o’clock in the morning, only the bell was beaten to avoid awakening the sleeping people. At five o’clock in the morning, again the drum was beaten followed by the bell to inform people to rise. Each time this ritual of the drum being beaten occurred 108 times, 18 times very rapidly and 18 times very slowly. The bell was beaten following the same method.
Although the Bell and Drum Towers have lost their function of telling time (The function was completely lost in 1924 when the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty was forced to leave the Forbidden City), you can still hear the rings of these ancient timepieces even now.
A bird view to the south of Drum Tower
To the west of the Drum Tower, you can see the old houses in the narrow alleys.
To the east, from the Drum Tower.
