Bell and Drum Tower Beijing

Beijing Bell and Drum towers date back to the Kublai Khan Period of the Yuan Dynasty. Throughout centuries of turbulent history, the Bell and Drum towers remains standing tall and proud at the northern end of the central axis of the Beijing Inner City to the north of Di' anmen Street, Dongcheng District, as a symbol of old Beijing. The Bell and Drum Towers were initially used as musical instruments. It soon became a way for people to tell the time and a significant part of the everyday lives of residents, aiding people to work and sleep at expected times. Bell and drum towers took off during the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC) and featured in most Chinese cities. Quick Facts on Bell and Drum Tower Beijing Location : Zhonglouwan, Dongcheng District, Beijing Opening Hours : 9:30-17:30 in low season, 9:30-16:30 in high season Ticket Price : CNY30 for a Cosmos ticket, CNY20 for Drum Tower, CNY10 for Bell Tower How to Get : Take Line 8 and get off at Shichahai Station. Exit from C. Or take Line 2 and get off at Gulou Dajie Station. Exit from G. The Bell Tower The original Bell Tower was destroyed by fire. The grey-walled and green-painted glazed roof tower that we see today was built in 1747. It is at a height of 108 ft, which is the biggest and highest bell tower in China. The bell was struck 13 times at 19:00 to indicate and alert dwellers to the start of the evening hours. Throughout the night, at two hourly intervals inaugurating at 5:00. By this time, officials in attendance at the imperial audience were required to be kneeling in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony of the Forbidden City and it said that punishment for being late was severe. The iron bell clanged at 7:00 to proclaim the official start of the day and was later substituted by an even bigger bronze bell to be heard 20 kilometres away. The bronze bell has disappeared, but the original iron bell can be viewed on display behind the tower. The Drum Tower The Drum tower is a two-storey wooden building with a height of 47 metres. It has survived from the Yongle period and used to contain one big drum and 24 small drums ; unfortunately, only one big drum remains. It is now beside two painted replicas that let us see what the original was thought to have been like. The Towers Today In January 1st 2002, the towers became a live again after years of abandonment and have rang out four times daily and for 15 minutes