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Bell tower3/13/2023 ![]() There is also a fascinating drum performance demonstrating how these drums were used in ancient times. Today, you can still see some historic relics that were used to keep time, as well as some newer drum replicas inside the tower. The Drum Tower was used to keep time during the night hours. The Drum Tower stands at 46.7m, slightly taller than its sister tower. ![]() Beijing's Bell and Drum Towers are the largest, and the towers once dominated the city skyline. The Bell and Drum Towers are quintessential landmarks of historic Beijing and are worth a visit during your exploration of the city's hutong neighborhoods.īeginning in the Han Dynasty, the system of the "morning bell" and "dusk drum" was adopted, resulting in the construction of bell and drum towers throughout China. The towers, which were used for telling time until 1924, were built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan and were rebuilt after two fires during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Nearby stands the Bell Tower, a 33-meter (108 ft)-tall edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof.Beijing's Bell and Drum Towers are situated on a small square north of the Forbidden City. New drums have been made to replace them. The upper story of the building housed 24 drums, of which only one survives. The Drum Tower is a 47-meter (154 ft)-tall two-story building made of wood. In the 1980s, after much repair work, the Bell and Drum Towers were opened to tourists. The upper story of the Drum Tower currently serves as the People's Cultural Hall of the East City District. Objects related to the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of Beijing and later the May 30 Massacre of 1925 were put on display, turning the towers into a museum. Following the Beijing Coup in 1924, Feng Yuxiang removed the official status of the towers, replacing them with Western time-keeping methods, and renamed the building as the Tower of Clarifying Shame ( Chinese: 明耻楼 pinyin: Míngchǐlóu). The Qing dynasty carried out important renovations in 1800. ![]() ![]() In 1420, during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, the building was rebuilt to the east of its original site. At that time the city was called Khanbaliq and the tower was named the Tower of Orderly Administration ( Chinese: 齐政楼 pinyin: Qízhènglóu). The Drum Tower was built in 1272 during the Yuan dynasty. ![]() That year, the Beijing Coup led to the expulsion of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, from the Forbidden City, and the adoption of Western-style clocks for official time-keeping. The Bell and Drum Towers continued to function as the official timepiece of Beijing until 1924. The Bell and Drum Towers were central to official timekeeping in China in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Later, they were used by government and communities to announce the time. Before the modern era, both towers dominated the Beijing skyline.īells and drums were musical instruments in ancient China. Together, the Bell Tower and Drum Tower have panoramic views over central Beijing. The Bell Tower of Beijing ( traditional Chinese: 鐘樓 simplified Chinese: 钟楼 pinyin: Zhōnglóu), stands closely behind the drum tower. Originally built for musical reasons, it was later used to announce the time and is now a tourist attraction. The Drum Tower of Beijing, or Gulou ( traditional Chinese: 鼓樓 simplified Chinese: 鼓楼 pinyin: Gǔlóu), is situated at the northern end of the central axis of the Inner City to the north of Di'anmen Street. ![]()
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