A comprehensive guide to the Bell Tower and Drum Tower in Xi'an | Morning and evening bells and drums that span 600 years

The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are located in the center of Xi'an. They are "sister towers" built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1380). After more than 600 years of wind and rain, they are still the landmark buildings of the ancient city. The Bell Tower is the largest and best-preserved Ming Dynasty bell tower in China. It has a double-eaved, three-drop-of-water structure with four corners and a pointed roof, and is magnificent. The Drum Tower is famous for its hip-and-gable, double-eaved, three-drop-of-water structure. A huge drum used to be hung in the tower, and it was beaten every day to tell the time. The two buildings are only 200 meters apart and complement each other. They are known as the living history of "morning bells and evening drums" and are also the most core "city living room" within the Xi'an city wall. 📍Address: 🌟Bell Tower: Located at the intersection of East Street and West Street in Beilin District, Xi'an (the center of the four streets in the east, west, south and north within the Ming City Wall). 🌟Drum Tower: Located at the southern end of Beiyuanmen Fengqing Street, Lianhu District, Xi'an (north side of West Street), it is about 200 meters away from the Bell Tower, facing each other from east to west. 🚇Transportation: Take Metro Line 2 or Line 6 to Zhonglou Station, exit from Exit C, and go directly to the Bell Tower through the underground circular passage. It is about a 5-minute walk away. ✅Collision between ancient architectural aesthetics and time and space 🌟Architectural wonders The bell tower is 36 meters high and has a square base. The four sides of the tower lead to the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest streets. Climbing the tower, you can overlook the entire ancient city. The painted brackets and the plaque "A Place of Civil and Military Prosperity" on the drum tower are originals from the Ming Dynasty, and the ingenuity of the craftsmen is fully reflected in the details. 🌟Shooting in the same frame: Standing in the Bell and Drum Tower Square, you can use a wide-angle lens to capture the two towers at the same time. Especially when the lights are on at night, the picture of the fusion of ancient and modern times is a classic. ✅Immersive experience 🌟Morning bell and evening drum performances: Every day at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., the bell tower performs an ancient timekeeping ceremony, and the drum tower has a drum performance, as if traveling through the Ming Dynasty in a second. 🌟Light show: The Bell and Drum Tower is wrapped in golden lights at night, and with the light and shadow of the traffic, it looks like a suspended "golden palace". Every shot is a blockbuster. ✅Hidden gameplay 🌟High-altitude perspective: The viewing platform on the 5th floor of Kaiyuan Shopping Mall (the entrance is inside the Li Ning store), with "Klein Blue" as the background, offers a free panoramic view of the clock tower, and you can easily get an aerial perspective! ✅Surrounding linkage: Where else can you go after visiting the Bell and Drum Tower? 🌟A treasure trove within a 5-minute walk ✨Muslim Street: Walking north from the Drum Tower, the ceiling of Xi'an food! Lao Jin’s egg and vegetable steamed bun and Liu Xin’s beef and mutton soup steamed bun are must-try, but don’t squeeze into the main street; the "Ma Hong Stir-fry" in the alley is more authentic. ✨Shuyuanmen: A street of calligraphy and painting on the south side of the bell tower, where you can experience brushes, inkstones, and intangible cultural heritage rubbings, which will delight literary and artistic youth. ✨Defu Lane: Xi'an's version of "Nanluoguxiang", lined with cafes and bars. In the evening, have a cup of "Chang'an Special" to experience the collision of old and new. 🌟Classic attractions within 2 subway stations ✨Beilin Museum: A holy place for calligraphy lovers, with authentic inscriptions of Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan. Remember to take part in the explanation. ✨Xi'an City Wall: Ride a bike for 15 minutes from the Bell Tower to the South Gate, rent a bicycle and ride. The silhouette of the city wall is beautiful under the sunset. 🌟A must-see for night view ✨The Tang Dynasty City That Never Sleeps: Directly accessible by Metro Line 3, the city is brightly lit after 7pm. Wearing Hanfu and taking photos will turn you into a "royal concubine" in seconds. ✨Big Wild Goose Pagoda Music Fountain: The largest matrix fountain in Asia, the 9pm show with the most stunning lighting. ✅Check-in strategy: Dominate the ground, the sky, and the same frame 🌟Check in on the ground ✨Drum Tower Steps: Take a panoramic photo of the Drum Tower from above. The secret to avoiding the crowd is to lower your phone and use wide-angle mode. ✨Bell Tower Roundabout: Stand on the safety islands at the four intersections and capture the traffic and the ancient tower in the same frame while waiting for the green light, which is full of dynamics. 🌟High-altitude perspective——Kaiyuan Shopping Mall 5th floor observation deck ✨Inside the Li Ning store on the 5th floor of Kaiyuan Shopping Mall, open the door and you will see the "Best Observation Deck" sign, free entry! ✨After 4 pm, the light is soft, with a slogan board that says "We love Xi'an so much" as the foreground, "Klein Blue" as the background + golden clock tower, and a harvester of likes on WeChat Moments. 🌟Bell and Drum Tower in the same frame ✨Southwest corner of the Bell and Drum Tower Square: Use a telephoto lens to compress the space, with two buildings in the same frame and passers-by blurred, giving the story a full sense. ✨Guangji Street Overpass: Standing on the bridge at night, the light of the train tracks and the lights of the ancient buildings are intertwined, and the long exposure photography effect is explosive.