Bell Tower and Drum Tower 钟楼·鼓楼Zhōnglóu · Gǔlóu

Why go to Bell Tower and Drum Tower

The Bell Tower stands in the middle of the roundabout where the four main streets of Xi'an's walled city meet, and the Drum Tower faces it across a broad square a few minutes' walk to the west. Climb the Bell Tower first, cross the square to the Drum Tower and its rows of drums, then walk on through the Drum Tower's arch into the Muslim Quarter.

The story

The Drum Tower went up in 1380 and the Bell Tower in 1384, though the Bell Tower first stood about a kilometre away and was moved to this crossroads in 1582. Traditionally the bell marked the morning and the drum the evening, and the drums along the Drum Tower's terraces are inscribed with the names of the 24 solar terms of the traditional calendar.

What to see at Bell Tower and Drum Tower

• Bell Tower 钟楼: A Ming tower of about 36 metres, built in 1384 and moved in 1582 to its present crossroads. Its brick base carries a timber tower under a three-tier roof of green glazed tiles with a gilded top.
• Door-panel reliefs 门扇浮雕: The doors carry eight carved panels per leaf, each illustrating a story or legend, from Mulan going to war to Chang'e flying to the moon and the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.
• Jingyun Bell replica 景云钟: A 6.5-tonne copy hung in 1997 at the north-west corner of the base. The Tang original, cast in 711, now stands in the Beilin Museum.
• Drum Tower and solar-term drums 鼓楼·二十四节气鼓: The Drum Tower is nine years older than the Bell Tower, built in 1380. Its terraces hold 24 drums for the solar terms and a very large drum, and its plaques read Wenwu Shengdi and Shengwen Yutian.

How to visit Bell Tower and Drum Tower

Buy the combined ticket and start at the Bell Tower, whose entrance is in the underpass, and climb to the upper level. Cross the square to the Drum Tower, then walk out through its archway into the Muslim Quarter. Each tower takes about an hour at most; together with the Muslim Quarter this makes a half day.

How to get to Bell Tower and Drum Tower

Take Metro Line 2 or 6 to Zhonglou (Bell Tower): exit C comes up in the underpass a few metres from the Bell Tower's ticket office, and the Drum Tower is about 5 minutes' walk west across Bell and Drum Tower Square.

Where to stay

Stay inside the city wall near the Bell Tower, where Metro Lines 2 and 6 meet and the Muslim Quarter and the wall are on foot.

What to eat

• Yangrou paomo 羊肉泡馍: Mutton or beef broth poured over crumbled flatbread with noodles and meat, said to go back to a Ming-era Xi'an shop; it is the dish Xi'an is best known for.
• Roujiamo 肉夹馍: Stewed meat chopped into a baked flatbread, a Shaanxi street food; in Xi'an's Muslim areas the filling is usually beef.
• Liangpi 凉皮: Chilled wheat or rice noodle sheets in a sour-spicy dressing, a Xi'an speciality.

Tips for visiting Bell Tower and Drum Tower

• The Bell Tower stands in a busy roundabout and cannot be reached at street level; its ticket office and entrance are in the pedestrian underpass beneath the junction.
• A combined ticket covers both towers; book it in advance with your passport details through the official WeChat account of the Bell and Drum Tower Museum or through Ctrip, where tickets go on sale three days ahead.
• Short music performances, with drums in the Drum Tower and bronze chime bells in the Bell Tower, are staged several times a day; check the day's times when you arrive.

Nearby

• Muslim Quarter 回民街 under 10 km
  Halal street food and a temple-style mosque in the lanes north of the Drum Tower
• Forest of Stone Steles Museum 西安碑林博物馆 under 10 km
  Inscribed stone tablets of classics, calligraphy and Silk Road history by the south wall
• Xi'an City Wall 西安城墙 under 10 km
  Cycle all 14 km of a Ming city wall, high above Xi'an's rooftops
• Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔 under 10 km
  A slender Tang brick pagoda, cracked by earthquakes, in the grounds of the Xi'an Museum
• Daming Palace National Heritage Park 大明宫国家遗址公园 under 10 km
  Earthen terraces and a rebuilt gatehouse marking out the lost palace of the Tang emperors
• Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆 under 10 km
  Tang gold and silver, original tomb murals and finds from Shaanxi's Zhou, Qin and Han past

Also within 30 km: Yisushe Theatre 易俗社剧场 (under 10 km), Xi'an City God Temple 西安都城隍庙 (under 10 km), Eighth Route Army Xi'an Office Memorial Hall 八路军西安办事处纪念馆 (under 10 km), Revolution Park 革命公园 (under 10 km), Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall 西安事变纪念馆 (under 10 km), Guangren Temple 广仁寺 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open Bell Tower and Drum Tower on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)