Worth a Bit of Time: Visiting the Drum Tower's Exhibition on Time, the Towers, and the Central Axis
It’s been quite some time since we last visited the Bell and Drum Towers (钟鼓楼 or 钟楼鼓楼; Zhōnggǔlóu, Zhōnglóu Gǔlóu), but on a trip this weekend we were met with crowds of people and something to breathe fresh air into our revisit: an exhibition spanning the entire first floor of the Bell Tower, detailing the history of the two towers and their connection with the Central Axis.
While it’s not entirely new – the exhibition has been open to the public since August 2022 – due to the constant closing and reopening of the towers all last year it completely flew under our radar.
The exhibition itself seems to be part of efforts to revitalize the two timekeeping towers and the Central Axis, which cuts Beijing down the center from Yongdingmen to the Bell Tower, which is currently up for a UNESCO World Heritage site listing. Thus, there’s quite a bit of info on the Axis itself.
The exhibition kicks off with just that: details of the Central Axis before moving to methods of timekeeping in old China – the fun part here is a handful of digital activities to learn about stuff like sundials and “stele-shaped clocks.” It moves from there into cutaways of the towers, and then to the history.
It should be noted there’s an immersive film shown on the walls and ceilings of the first floor at regular intervals. The film itself is all in Chinese, and crowds can get big on weekends.
Even if you’ve been to the towers a few times already, this exhibit is a fun way to learn a few new things, best of which, in our opinion, was near the end: a wall of microphones where you could listen to various street hawkers’ calls – a throwback to when the open area between the Bell and Drum towers was a market.
At the end of the exhibit, you’ll exit not by the gift shop but by the entrance to the second level of the Drum Tower, with its drum replicas and, of course, some commanding views looking south upon the capital (the rest of the second floor has been blocked off to tourists).
The Drum Tower isn’t the same old place anymore. There’s a lot more inside for history buffs and those curious to learn about Beijing, making a first visit – or a revisit if you’ve not been for some time – well worth it.
Drum and Bell Towers 钟鼓楼
9 Linzi, Zhonglouwan Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区钟楼湾胡同临字9号
Hours: 9.30am-4.30pm (Oct-Apr); 9.30am-5.30pm (Apr-Oct)
Tickets: RMB 20 (Gulou), RMB 10 (Zhonglou), RMB 30 (Through ticket for both)
READ: Bells, Drums, Cannons & Clocks: A Brief History of Timekeeping in Beijing
Images: Uni You, Vincent R. Vinci
