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In modern times the Beijing Drum Tower is one of China's most popular tourist spot. Located at the center of the Beijing’s inner city to the northern part of the Di’anmen Street, the Drum Tower is one of the oldest structures in Beijing which is nearly 610 years old. It was once the center point of the Old Mongol capital Da Du which was founded in the early 13th century.
The Drum Tower in Beijing was built in 1272 during the Kublai Khan Empire. At that time it was known as the Tower of Oizhenglou or the Tower of Orderly Administration. In 1420 under the Ming Dynasty and Emperor Yongle, the Drum tower was reconstructed to the east of the original construction site. After that, it was fully renovated and escalated to a higher level of architecture under the Qing Dynasty and in the 1920’s the name was finally changed into The Drum Tower. At the time it was renovated, it had steeper steps which allowed far views over the Beijing rooftops. The Drum Tower was the time telling center during the Ming, Yuan and Qing Dynasties. The two storey building was made up of wood with a height of 47 meters and on its second floor there were 25 drums: one big drum and 24 surrounding smaller drums. Today, if you visit the Drum Tower, the only one left is the big drum in the center. The big drum is beaten for 15 minutes, four times a day. In other words, the Drum Tower is the Big Ben of Beijing ! The Drum Tower is made up of a single ox hide which is 1.5 meters in width. Drums were originally musical instruments in China, but since Chinese people are culturally and traditionally inclined, they were used to tell time and thus became the modern watch for officials and common people. The mechanism behind the time telling drum was the water clock. On the side of the Drum Tower is a sword which is said to be a souvenir from one of Beijing's greatest invasions in the 1900's. Further north away from the Drum Tower is the Bell Tower which was built at the same period with the Drum Tower but was later destroyed in the 18th century. |
