The most impressive architectures in the center of the Xi’an are the two towers, namely Bell Tower and Drum Tower. In ancient times, the bell and the drum were used to strike time in the morning and at dusk because people didn’t have clocks or watches, so there is a saying ‘Morning Bell and Dusk Drum’ in Chinese. The two towers are the namecard of Xi’an, as they are the best preserved all around China.
Legend of the Bell Tower
The Bell Tower is in the centre of the entire city and at the joint point of the four main streets namely the North Street, the South Street, the West Street and the East Street. As the best preserved Bell Tower in China, it was originally built in 1384 in the Yingxiang Temple on the west street, and was moved here in 1582 due to the city expansion. A legend has that in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644), tens of thousands people were killed in frequent earthquakes happened in central Shaanxi plain. Some one said the earthquakes were caused by a dragon in an undercurrent beneath the plain. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor Ming Dynasty emperor believed this saying and ordered many smiths in the city to make a 300-meter long chain to chain the dragon. Zhu ordered to build a tower on the site where the dragon was chained to weight down it to the bottom of the undercurrent. From then on, the dragons stopped its evil spells and the Shaanxi Plain became quite safe.
The truth is that Zhu wanted to keep his throne safe. Zhu was from a peasant family without royal bloodline. Xi’an was intermittently taken as the imperial city since ancient times. In Chinese, we call royal descent ‘royal dragon’, so there must be many ‘royal dragons’ in Xi’an. Zhu was afraid that the ‘royal dragons’ would take the place of him, so he ordered to build the Bell Tower to repress the ‘royal spirit’.
Outlook of the Bell Tower
The Bell Tower is built on a base which covers an area of 1,377.4 square meters, 8.6 meters high and 35.5 metres wide. It is laid with blue bricks and has four arch gates respectively opened to four directions. The Bell Tower is about 36 meters high and is a mixed structure with blue bricks and wood. From the exterior, we see it has three storeys; while from the interior it only has two storeys. The eaves of the tower are supported by several colorful Dougong, a traditional Chinese architecture system of brackets that are inserted on the top columns and crossbeams. The use of Dougong makes the building more firm and artistic.
Since 1949, the Xi’an Municipal Government has launches three restorations on the Bell Tower. Now it looks as magnificent as when it was first built in the Ming Dynasty, and has become a symbol of Xi’an.
Inside the Bell Tower
Inside the tower are some exhibitions of the local traditional handicrafts and arts. Inside the first floor of the tower, a group of traditional Chinese musicians plays the ancient instrument Chime Bell in a fixed schedule every day. The Chime Bell is a set of bells of different sizes and scales. The bells are arranged in order and tied to a supporter. The musicians taps the bells in a certain sequence and beautiful music will be produced. The Chime Bell can not only play the ancient music, but also modern and foreign music such as the ‘Friendless Lasts Forever’.
Outlook of the Drum Tower
The grand architecture about 500 metres way to the northwest of the Bell Tower is the Drum Tower. It was built in 1380, four years earlier than the Bell Tower. The huge drum inside it was used to give people warnings at war times instead of striking time later on. The base covers an area of 1,924 square meters and is 35 meters high. The base is also coated with blue bricks. The tower takes in a rectangular shape with tiers of eaves and golden-tiled roof. It has two storeys inside. There are corridors around the tower on each tier. The outer eaves are decorated with wood arches, making the tower more elegant and beautiful.
The Drum Tower has been repaired twice to its original beauty, and has become a historical monument in Shaanxi Province.
Inside the Drum Tower
The Drum Tower is also decorated with splendid ceiling and colorful walls. A drum exhibition is shown inside the drum tower. You can see all kinds of drums all over China made of different materials. There is a drum band who gives drum performance at fixed time everyday.
Tips
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Location
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In the center of the city
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Opening Time
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8:00 to 18:00
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Ticket Price
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Bell Tower: RMB 35yuan per person
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Drum Tower: RMB 35yuan per person
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Joint Ticket for Both: RMB 54yuan per person
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Visiting Time
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Bell Tower: half an hour
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Drum Tower: half an hour
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