Things to do in Xi'an Bell and Drum Towers

Bell and Drum Tower is a combination of bell tower and drum tower, the national key protection unit, located in the center of Xi ‘an, was built in the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, more than 600 years of history.

In ancient times, the Bell Tower housed a large bell that was used to signal alarms and mark the hours, hence its name. Similarly, the Drum Tower contained a massive drum that was struck at dusk to announce the time to the city’s inhabitants, which is why it was called the Drum Tower. The practice of “morning bells and evening drums” involved striking the bell to herald the dawn and beating the drum to signify the dusk, serving as a temporal beacon for the people.

The Bell Tower is primarily constructed of brick and wood, comprising three sections from bottom to top: the base, the tower body, and the spire. The tower body is made of wooden structure. The Drum Tower, rectangular in shape, consists of two levels with a base that is 38 meters wide, 52.6 meters long, and 7.7 meters high, entirely built of blue bricks.

Many people come here just to take a look from the outside, but the Bell and Drum Towers are definitely worth climbing up to explore, especially the Bell Tower. Its four sides directly face the four city gates of the ancient city walls.

Between the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower lies the Bell and Drum Tower Square. Next to the Drum Tower is the bustling Muslim Street. The best viewing spot for the Bell Tower is on the fourth – floor viewing platform of Kaiyuan Square nearby. When the evening lights are just lit, overlooking the Bell Tower, you can see the dazzling neon lights, a perfect integration of history and modernity.