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HomeChina GuideChina City GuideNorthwest ChinaShaanxi ProvinceXianXian detail
The Bell Tower and The Drum Tower
The Bell Tower
The Bell Tower, is a stately traditional building, that marks the geographical center of the ancient capital. Standing at the crossing of the East, West, South, and North avenues in city proper. As the representation of the old capital. It is a symbol of the long history of this old city.
The tower was originally built in 1348, over 600 years ago and it was moved the present site in 1552 and then rebuild and enlarged in the Qing Dynasty. There used to be a huge iron bell hung in the tower, which was used to strike hours, thus the name Bell Tower. The bell fell sometime later and now it was placed on the northwest corner of base.
The wooden tower, which is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in China, is 36 meters (118 feet) high. It stands on a brick base 35.5 meters (116.4 feet) long and 8.6 meters (28.2 feet) high on each side. During the Ming Dynasty, Xian was an important military town in Northwest China. 
Thereby the Bell Tower could also used for the city defence.
The tower has three layers of eaves but only two layers. The grey bricks of the square base, the dark green glazed tiles on the eaves, gold-plating on the roof and gilded color painting make the tower a colorful and dramatic masterpiece of Ming-style architecture. The three layers of eaves reduce the impact of rain on the building also.
The Drum Tower
The Drum Tower is located northwest of the Bell Tower, it is the Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square between the Bell Tower and Drum Tower. In ancient China, especially from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the drums were used to signal the running of time and also an alarm when there are emergency situations.
The Drum Tower in Xian was initially built in 1380 during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was renovated twice in 1699 and 1740 in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is a two-storied structure, 34 meters (about 112 feet) high and 52.6 meters (about 172 feet) long from east to west, 38 meters (about 124 feet) wide from north to south. The architecture style of the Drum Tower is a combination of the styles of Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Qing Dynasty.
In modern times, the Drum Tower is not be used any more, but there are some new attractions for visitors to enjoy. In the year of 1996, a new drum which covered by a whole piece of cowhide had been placed in the Drum Tower. It is the biggest drum in China at present. What is more, visitors will enjoy musical performances in the Drum Tower.
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