Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
older-looking Bell Tower, which stands behind it, the magnificent red-painted
Drum Tower used to be the city's official timekeeper, with drums and bells
beaten and rung to mark the times of the day; effectively the Big Ben of
Beijing.
Originally built in 1272, the Drum Tower was once the heart of the Mongol
capital of Dadu, as Beijing was then known. That structure was destroyed in a
fire before a replacement was built, slightly to the east of the original location,
in 1420. The current structure is a later Qing-dynasty version of that 1420
tower.
You can climb the incredibly steep inner staircase for views of the grey-tiled
rooftops in the surrounding
hutong
.
One of the original 25 drums: the
Night Watchman's Drum
( Genggu), is
also on display; now dusty, battered and worn.
Redevelopment Plans
In early 2013 controversial plans to redevelop the
hutong
-rich area around the
Drum and Bell Towers looked like they were back on the table. At the time of going
to print it was not clear if, when and how much of the area might be demolished.
