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Beijing Bell and Drum Tower Maps

Beijing Bell and Drum Towers are a group of ancient buildings with grand and magnificent sights in the north of Beijing. They were originally used as musical instruments in China and later the telling time center during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. There was 'a morning bell and a dusk drum' as early as Han Dynasty. Thus telling the time by bell and drum played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of the time.

Beijing Drum Tower was made of wood with a height of 46.7meters. In ancient times the upper story of the building housed 24 drums, of which only one survives. Close behind the Drum Tower stands the Bell Tower, a 33-meter-high edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof.The big bell is famous in the world for its royal position, first-class technique, and unique style of hanging and telling time function. It is the heaviest and biggest copper bell in China. It can produce long and heavy sound. In the three dynasties, it was beaten 108 times every two hours from 19:00 to 3:00 at night.

The Drum and Bell Towers lost their function in 1924 amd after nearly one century later in January 1st 2002, they alive again, beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time since. From then on, every New Year Eve, the drum is beaten with the bell 108 times to send a blessing to the people.Today, when visiting, you can climb onto the bell tower and drum towers to have a birdsview to the entire city, and even take part in the activity of knocking the bell and drum, appreciating all kinds of folk-customs, such as the loong and lion dance, and other folk-custom exhibitions.