Drum Tower District - 鼓楼

Drum Tower District photos

Presentation of the Drum Tower District in Beijing

You can spend a whole day in this district of Beijing. One of the most charming of the capital.

Why not start your day with a visit to the Lama Temple?

After this highly spiritual visit, you will enjoy walking the Hutong streets of this historic district by walking east. Through the narrow streets, you can see the simple way of life of Pekingese.

Perhaps you will have the chance to hear the whistles of Beijing pigeons, a great Peking tradition. Hutongs have dovecotes on their roofs, domesticated pigeons are sometimes trained for races, sometimes high for pleasure. The whistles that are attached to them at the base of the tail produce a very distinctive sound. Flocks of birds fly over the neighborhood and delight fans and passersby.

Take your time before arriving near the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower. Separated by a nice little place where you can linger and watch the players practice dacau (jiànzi 毽子), a very popular sport in Asia that consists of keeping in the air a kind of feather wheel using feet and other body parts.

And now that you’re rested, buy a ticket to visit the two towers, and preferably start with the Drum Tower. A tower several times rebuilt that will still have, with the bell tower, crossed the ages since the 13th century. The time when the two towers played a fundamental role in the daily life of the inhabitants of the district. In fact, the drums and the bell sounded and sounded at regular times and punctuated the daily life of the inhabitants.

After a steep climb, you finally see the famous drums, only one is original, the rest are reenactments. Visit the tower during the drumming schedule. For 10 minutes, the ten or so musicians revive this tradition in a reviving reverberation. In good weather you can see the coal hill looming on the horizon. Be careful going down and head towards the bell tower.

Climb the steps of the tower, you will appreciate the panoramic view. At the top you’ll find stories and legends about the imposing 600-year-old bell.

Once back down, take time to wander around Qiánhai Lake. The atmosphere is particularly warm at the end of the afternoon. Taste the Beijing specialties that merchants offer in the street, and look up, in the sky there will certainly be kites ….

360 ° Photos of the Drum Tower

Find below a 360 ° photos taken by our team!

Useful information :

Lamas Temple: Yōnghégōng Lama Temple Subway 雍和宫Drum Tower and Bell Tower: Shíchàhǎi 什刹海 subwayTicket two rounds: 30 yuan (4-5 euros)Drum demonstration schedule: 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:45