The Bell
Tower in Xi'an is situated in the very heart of the
city and at the junction of four main roads. The original
city Bell Tower was situated to the west of this site
and the present construction was built in 1582 and
restored in 1739.
There is a huge bell hanging on the roof of the tower
which was traditionally used to tell the time by and
there are other, smaller bells on exhibit in the tower
too.
Today, the Tower can only be accessed from the entrance
on Bei Dajie where visitors must also buy their tickets.
To the west of the Bell Tower is the Drum Tower.
This is a smaller building, situated in a lively street
which is filled with street traders and hawkers. This
tower marks the entrance to the city's Muslim Quarter
which is a lovely area to wander and observe. the
felling here is almost of a "city within a city"
and the streets around this district heading up to
the Mosque are like a small village crammed with people
selling all kinds of weird and wonderful things.
How to get there: Both the towers are in the center
of town. Take bus No. 1, 6, 8, 11, 45 to get there.
