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Explore the region
About Drum Tower of Xi'an
Built in the Ming period, it combines a massive brick platform with a timber upper structure and layered roofs. The modern set of solar-term drums explains the tower’s timekeeping associations. Look also at the large plaques: the examples displayed today replace originals lost in the twentieth century.
Construction began in 1380, four years before the neighbouring Bell Tower (西安钟楼), and the building underwent several repairs during the Qing dynasty. Together the towers announced the time, with bells marking morning and drums evening. Both became Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in 1996.
An arched passage beneath the platform originally carried traffic through the building. The present display places twenty-four smaller drums along the northern and southern sides of the first-floor terrace. Their inscriptions identify the solar terms of the traditional lunisolar calendar, connecting the modern exhibits with the seasonal divisions used alongside daily timekeeping.
What to look for
- The tall brick platform and multi-eaved timber tower above West Avenue.
- The restored solar-term drum display and large replacement inscription plaques.
Location & getting there
Getting to Drum Tower of Xi'an
Go to 1 West Avenue, just west of the Bell Tower and beside the entrance to Beiyuanmen.
- The central Bell Tower area provides a convenient approach on foot before continuing to the Drum Tower.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
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Drum Tower exterior
Read the platform and roof proportions from the square.
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Tower displays
If entering, examine the drums and timekeeping interpretation.
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Beiyuanmen回民街
Continue into the adjoining food and market street.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Drum Tower of Xi'an
西安鼓楼 · 莲湖区
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Great Mosque of Xi'an 西安清真大寺
Less than 1 km awayXi’an’s Great Mosque unfolds through courtyards along an east–west axis in Huajue Alley. Its main surviving layout is Ming and Qing, using timber halls, gateways and pavilions while orienting worship towards the west. Chinese…
View guide →Muslim Quarter 回民街
Less than 1 km awayXi’an’s Hui neighbourhood is a network of residential and commercial lanes northwest of the Bell Tower, rather than a single food street. Beiyuanmen is its best-known visitor approach, with other streets such as Xiyangshi and…
View guide →Bell Tower 钟楼
Less than 1 km awayXi’an’s Bell Tower marks the meeting of the four principal streets inside the old city. The timber pavilion stands on a tall brick platform and was moved to this position in 1582 after being built farther west in 1384. Its…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.
- Wikipedia: 西安鼓楼 ↗
- Wikivoyage: Datong ↗
- English Wikipedia: Drum Tower of Xi'an (revision 1372425191, 2026-08-31) ↗
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94116102.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 5297122.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "西安鼓楼", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94116102.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Drum Tower of Xi'an", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1372425191.