From Yuan to Qing dynasty, Bells were used to announce time in the day while Drums were used at night. Another function was to sound alarm in an emergency. The towers were built to house them and were usually one of the tallest building in the ancient city. This is a list of some of the Bell and Drum Towers across China.
Bell Tower together with Drum tower lies along the central axis of the city. Both Towers were built in 1272 and used to announce time from the Yuan dynasty till 1924. The Bell Tower is 47.9m high and has the largest and heaviest bell in China.
Era:
Location: Dongcheng District
Province: Beijing Municipality
Beijing Drum Tower
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Era:
Location: Dongcheng District
Province: Beijing Municipality
Mihong Park Drum Tower
The original drum tower, built in 1443, was the tallest building in the ancient city of Miyun during the the Ming Dynasty. This is a reconstructed tower.
Era:
Location: District
Province: Beijing Municipality
Baoding City
Region: North China
Baoding Bell Tower
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Era:
Location: Baoding City centre
Province: Hebei Province
Baoding Bell Tower
Nanjing City
Region: East China
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Era:
Location: Nanjing City Golou District
Province: Jiangsu Province
Jingjiang City
Region: East China
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Era:
Location: Jingjiang City centre
Province: Jiangsu Province
Jinan City
Region: East China
Site of Ming Dynasty Drum Tower
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Era:
Location: Jinan City Lixia District
Province: Shandong Province
Qufu City
Region: East China
Qufu Drum Tower
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Era:
Location: Qufu City centre
Province: Shandong Province
Hangzhou City
Region: East China
Drum Tower
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Era:
Location: Hangzhou City centre Shangcheng District
Province: Zhejiang Province
Putian City
Region: East China
Putian Drum Tower
The only remaining drum tower in Fujian province.
Era:
Location: Putian City centre
Province: Fujian Province
Fengyang County
Region: East China
Fengyang County Drum Tower
The stone foundation was constructed in 1375. The wooden drum tower was destroyed and reconstructed several times. The current drum tower was constructed in 1995. The stone foundation of the drum tower is the largest in China.
