Beijing Drum and Bell Tower

Brief introduction to Drum & Bell Towers

Situated in the centre of old city, Drum & Bell Towers originally used as musical instruments in ancient China and later as a bell to regularly pronounce the time during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Even today people can still ring the bell or hear the beats. However this is not to tell the time. Visitors do it for good luck! Currently, the bell and drum towers of Beijing are the largest and highest in Beijing and act as important tourist attractions. Their layout is indeed unique, in that they were placed fore-and-aft, not as the traditional sense of standing right-and-left horizontally, the bell and drum towers are visibly prominent constructions and represent the symbol of this cultural and historic city.

The Drum Tower

The Drum Tower used as the time keeping center for the whole old city and was equipped with bronze or copper, and drums that were beaten to track the time and record the hours in history.

Built In 1272 of the Yuan Dynasty Originally, the Drum Tower has undergone repair on several occasions during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, remaining largely unchanged through its current state. The drum tower was used to mark the time, with a total of 24 drums whereas only one remains. As a tourist attraction, the tower still marks the time with drum performances by three drummers who perform every half hour. The tower ceased to have a practical function when the last emperor evacuated the city in the 1920's.

Bell Tower

First built in 1272, and rebuilt in 1420 and 1745 respectively, today there are still two floors in the tower: an arched door on all four sides of the tower on the first floor, and you can go up to the second floor through stone stairs to have a wonderful view of the surrounding hutongs. The Bell Tower is double built with black glazed tiles and dark-red materials, with a black glazed roof and gray stone walls. Additionally, there is a stone window on each side of the four doors. Hanging on an eight-square wooden frame of the second floor, the bell in this tower is the largest and heaviest in China. It was made of copper which is perfect to transmit the sound, and you can hear its round and clear sound from far away. Therefore, it could be used to tell the time to public in ancient times. Some visitors beat the bell and with to get good luck and health. It is really fun.

Location: Northern end of Di'an Men Wai Dajie Dongcheng, Beijing

Opening Hours: 09:10 to 17:00 (Mon--Friday)

How to get Drum & Bell Towers?

Subway: Subway Line 2 (Ring Line): get off at Guloudajie Station, get out of the station from Exit B (southwest exit), and walk south.

Bus Route: Take bus No: 5, 60, 107 or 124 and get off at Drum Tower Station.

Weather/Best Time to Go

Beijing enjoys the humid continental climate with hot humid summers, cold dry winters, shorter spring and autumn. You can have a Beijing tour any time of the year, because it can give fresh feeling by enjoying the special tour of the four seasons.

You can visit Drum and Bell Tower at any time of the year, which will impress you with different scenery. Choose a sunny day and explore the Beijing Drum and Bell Towe on foot, or by rickshaw and bicycle. Would like to know how the weather looks like during your Beijing tour? Pay attention to the Beijing weather forecast.

Travel tips:

•  It is much better to travel in sunny days. And you can climb the tower and see the surrounding hutongs clearly.
•  Do not  climb the towers with friends at the same time in parallel. It is narrow.
• Where to eat: Walk south from the Drum Tower to Di'anmenwai Dajie. Try Wangdelou Muslim Restaurant, 40 - 50 yuan/person
•  1 or2 Hours can relax you can relax you from the exhaustion of tower climbing.
•  Before the night comes, it is fantastic in the tower to view the sunset glow in a sunny day.