The Bell Tower & The Drum Tower

On our first full day in Xi'an, we decided to jump a taxi to the downtown area and get ourselves oriented and acquainted with the city center. There are at least 3 major attractions in the center of the city, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower and the Muslim Quarter including the Great Mosque.

We actually had our taxi driver drop us off outside of the South Gate of the City Wall. It is about a 1/2 mile walk, along the city's main North-South thorough-fair, from the South Gate to the Bell Tower. There are many busy shops and restaurants along the way and it is a good way to see the downtown and provides an exciting approach to the Bell Tower.

The Bell Tower sits in the very center of downtown and is circled by a large round-about. Constructed in 1384 in classic Ming architecture, the bell used to be rung and dawn. Originally the tower was located in the center of the old Tang imperial city. It was moved to the current location in 1582. There is a large pedestrian underpass beneath the entire downtown intersection. Although this is much more convenient than crossing the busy downtown streets, it is somewhat easy to get disoriented while underground. It can be difficult to find the right exit to the street even though signs clearly mark the way. As we arrived downtown, we grabbed a snack from a vendor on the lower level of the gigantic shopping mall and took in the incredible view of the Bell Tower with the Drum Tower in the near distance.

At the Bell Tower, we purchased a double ticket which paid for access to both the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. Then we proceeded to climb the stairs to the various floors of the Bell Tower. The views of the surrounding downtown are wonderful. And the carved and painted wood all over the Bell Tower is incredibly detailed and beautiful. The original bell resides on the Northwest corner and you can ring it yourself for a small fee. It stands at least 10 feet tall and is an impressive sight. Looking West from the Bell Tower's upper-most level provides a nice overlook of the center square, restaurant and shopping district, and the Drum Tower. There are a few interesting displays inside the Bell Tower and about once every hour a short concert is performed using a multitude of various sized traditional Chinese bells.

We then made our way, underground, to the large center square where street vendors are selling everything from ice cream to kites. The kite vendors were a little aggressive, but I must admit we were showing interest in the different designs of the Chinese kites. Most of the designs include many, many small kites all strung together, in succession, along one string. These were really fun to watch as they stretched from the ground to altitudes quite high above the city.    

The Drum Tower was first erected in 1380, also during the Ming Dynasty. While the bell was rung at dawn, the drum was beat at sunset to signify the end of the day. The outside of the Drum Tower's first level is encircled by many large drums. Each symbolizes some good fortune and is labeled with beautiful Chinese writing. These you are not allowed to pound. But there is a extra large drum near the front entrance that you may pound and pose for a picture, for a small fee. There is a small, but fascinating, drum museum inside. It displays all kinds of drums, many of which I had never seen. The Northward views from the Drum Tower provide good views of the bustling Muslim Quarter.

As with the City Wall, the Bell Tower is beautifully lit at night. And it's well worth the trip downtown, in the evening, to see the city at night. On this particular night, it was raining lightly so the water on the sidewalk reflected the colors of the lights. I encountered no issues what-so-ever setting up a small tripod in the downtown areas. In fact, some curious locals almost always stopped beside me and paused to enjoy, and admire, their spectacular city right along with me. Of course few words were exchanged, but smiles and nods of appreciation portrayed or thoughts just perfectly. More than once I was kindly asked to take the picture of a couple or a family. And on this specific spot, my grand arm sweeping gesture along with a smile, raised eyebrow and a thumbs-up brought giggles from a group of young couples headed out for a night on the town.

Ticket for both the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower