Drum Tower



Drum Tower performers.



Beijing is laid out in large, superimposed rectangles. There are important structures built along a central north-south line, which Nancy explained had to do with the overall feng shui of the city. One of those structures is the Drum Tower. Despite its enormous size and height (just over 150 feet), the drum tower has only two floors. There’s one set of stairs leading from the ground floor to the second floor. Sixty nine VERY steep stairs. On the second floor are numerous examples of the drums that would have been used in ancient times to mark the time of day. Among the many things invented by the Chinese is the water clock. Water flows from one container to another at a controlled rate and the depth of the water at the lowest container measured to tell the time of day. At certain hours of the day, two hour intervals according to Nancy, watchmen would beat the drums as a signal to the people what time it was. Five drummers came out at 2:30pm and presented a brief show by playing on some of the huge drums on display.

Hutong rooflines as viewed from the Drum Tower.