Xian Drum Tower

Xian Drum Tower is located at the intersection of West Avenue and the Beiyuan Gate in Xian, facing Bell Tower in the east. It is one of the existing ancient buildings in the Ming Dynasty Hall in the nation, next only to Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, and Ling En Temple of Chang Ling. Currently it is the largest existing Drum Tower as well. The State Council announced that Drum Tower was an Important Historical Monument under Special Preservation on November 20, 1996.  

History:  
Drum Tower was built in the thirteenth year of Ming Emperor Hongwu, four years older than Bell Tower. With a history of 625 years so far, it is rebuilt twice: One is in the 38th year of the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi and the other is in the 5th year of the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong. 

At the beginning, there was a big drum upstairs. Every day people knocked the drum to tell the correct time, then earning it the name “Drum Tower”.  After years’ vicissitudes, the big drum has gone for a long time, leaving Drum Tower still standing there.

Features:
Xian Drum Tower is constructed without any nails. And the construction of its eaves has adopted the principle of corbel brackets.Seen from the appearance, the building is grand, beautiful and elegant, showing rich ethnic flavor. The high-profile brick base is 52.6 meters long from east to west, 38 meters wide from north and south and 7.7 meters in height. In the centre of the south and north，there is a portal of coupon with both the height and width 6 meters.

Under the southern eave of the tower, a plaque reading" a prosperous birthplace of civil and military "is hanging there, on which there are golden characters with blue ground. It is written by the governor of Shaanxi Zhang Kai after the completion of rehabilitation of this building, imitating the autography of Qing Emperor Qianlong.

Right at the center of north eave, there is a plaque reading “reputation in the heaven”. All the characters are sureness of touch. The two plaques were destroyed in decade of catastrophe known as the "Cultural Revolution". Now the management department of cultural property has begun to repair them.
 

Exhibitions and Shows: 

Exhibition of collection:
A collection of more than 50 are on display, which are treasures stored in the depository of Bell Tower and Drum Tower. The exhibition is divided into two parts: in the first part there are mainly porcelains of the Qing Dynasty ; in the second part there are mainly cloisonnes, lacquerwares and other miscellaneous accessories. In addition, there are exhibition of the Ming and Qing furniture and drum culture.
 

Performances of drumbeats:

There are some famous Chinese percussion programs. In every scene there are 2 to 3 programs performed within 10 to 15 minutes. There are six scenes every day, performed at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 14:30, 16:30, and 17:30 respectively. The performances at Bell Tower and Drum Tower are on play in fixed time. However, groups can make reservations in advance to enjoy extra performances with fixed time between 19:00 and 22:00.

Tips:
1.The square between the Bell Tower and Drum Tower is a good place for leisure and entertainment.
2.You can take No.4, 7, 15, 32, 43, 45, 201, 205, 206, 215 buses and get off at the Drum Tower stop.
3.Opening hours: 8:00-22:00, and 8:00-17:30
4.Accommodation: There are various types of restaurants and hotels with bathrooms, telephones and televisions in suites and standard rooms. And most of the hotels can book air tickets, train tickets for guests.
5.Delicious food: If you want to enjoy snacks, you can go to the snacks street behind Drum Tower. There are a variety of well-known Xian snacks with distinctive flavors. The featured snacks are Bangbang noodle, cold noodle, fried pancake and other snacks. By the way you should not miss Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup, always beloved by the local people.