Beijing Bell Tower

The Beijing Bell and Drum Tower, originally named Qizheng Tower and Mingchi Tower, is located at the north end of Di'anmen Outer Street on the central axis of Beijing, with a height of 46.7 meters, a length of about 56 meters from east to west, and a width of about 33 meters from north to south. It was opened to the public during the Republic of China period and served as an ancient time-reporting station. It is a double-eaved three-tiered wooden structure pavilion building and a key cultural relic protection unit in China. In ancient times, the Drum Tower had a regular schedule for beating drums, and the Bell Tower for striking the bell to tell the time. The night was divided into five 'watches,' with each watch lasting for the duration of one 'hour,' equivalent to two modern hours. The time-telling methods of the Yuan and Ming dynasties are no longer known, but during the Qing dynasty, the original time-reporting method was as follows: for the first and last watches, the drum was beaten before the bell was struck, while for the second to fourth watches, only the bell was struck without beating the drum. After the Qianlong period, the method was changed to report the time only twice at night, with the drum beaten before the bell was struck for both the first watch (19:00—21:00) and the last watch (03:00—05:00). When the bell rang at the first watch, the city gates were closed and traffic was stopped, a practice known as 'clearing the streets'; when the bell rang at the last watch, the city gates were opened, hence the saying 'morning bell and evening drum.' The method of beating the drum and striking the bell was the same, commonly described as: 'eighteen fast, eighteen slow, and eighteen neither fast nor slow. Repeat this twice for a total of 108 strikes.' The ancient people used 108 strikes to represent a year, with a year having 12 months, 24 solar terms, and 72 pentads (five days as one pentad, six pentads as one month, totaling 72 pentads in a year), which add up to 108. In ancient times, time was measured with a water clock, and the drummers would beat the drum to signal the time after hearing the cymbals, while the Bell Tower would strike the bell after hearing the drum. This scientific method of measuring time with a water clock, setting the time with drums, and reporting the time with a bronze bell systematically provided an important time reference for the court attendance of civil and military officials and the daily work and living routines of the people. During the Qing dynasty, the time-measuring instrument was changed to incense clocks, which were strictly regulated spiral-shaped incense that burned evenly. Small balls were hung on precisely calculated scales and connected to a metal plate below. When the incense burned to that scale, the ball would drop into the plate to signal the time, reminding the drummer to beat the drum. The Bell Tower has a total height of 47.9 meters, with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with black glazed tiles and green glazed tile edges, making it a large-scale ancient building with a full brick and stone structure. A small ticket gate opens at the northeast corner of the Bell Tower, and one can ascend 75 steps to the second floor. The entire building structure emphasizes the functions of resonance, sound amplification, and sound transmission, which is a unique design in the history of Chinese bell and drum tower architecture. The time-reporting bronze bell displayed on the second floor of the Bell Tower was made during the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty. The bronze bell hangs from an octagonal wooden frame, with a total height of 7.02 meters, a body height of 5.5 meters, a diameter at the bottom of 3.4 meters, a wall thickness of 12 to 24.5 centimeters, and a weight of 63 tons. It is the earliest cast and heaviest ancient bell still in existence in China, and is known as the 'King of Ancient Bells.' According to historical records, the bronze bell was cast using the traditional clay mold method, with a group of furnaces melting and casting in a pit. The bell body was entirely made of resonant bronze, producing a deep and prolonged sound when struck, as the saying goes, 'Within and beyond the capital, for more than ten miles, all listen in awe.' There is also a touching legend about the casting of this bronze bell. It is said that when the bell was long in the making and the deadline was approaching, the old coppersmith Huayan was extremely anxious. His daughter, Huaxian, jumped into the furnace, and the great bell was finally cast. To commemorate Huaxian, who sacrificed herself to save her father, the people built the 'Golden Furnace Holy Mother Bell Casting Temple' in Xiao Heihu Hutong, and its ruins can still be found today.