Beijing's Drum and Bell towers: past, present,future

2012-03-30 17:01

By (China Daily/chinadaily.com.cn)

Beijing's Drum and Bell towers: past, present,future

Editor's Note: Building new lives Or demolishing old bonds? These are the questions facing planners and residents who live near Beijing's Drum and Bell towers. Cheng Anqi, Zhang Zixuan and Han Bingbin report in Beijing.

Building new lives

or demolishing old bonds? These are the questions facing planners and residents who live near Beijing's Drum and Bell towers.

The Drum Tower and the Bell Tower

The Drum and Bell towers are situated at the northern end of the central axis of the Beijing Inner City to the north of Di' anmen Street.

The Drum Tower was built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan, at which time it stood at eh very heart of the Yuan capital Dadu. More...

Not another Qianmen?

“They want it to be a commercial tourism district, but we want to save it,”the
77-year-old says.

“The reconstruction of Qianmen is a lesson.”

"Tourists won't go if the style isn't authentically historic."
more...

The key appears to be tourism

There are few tourists taking the rickshaws in the soon-to-be renovated area surrounding Beijing's Drum and Bell towers in the cold months, even though they stock blankets.

"More tourists means I can earn more and my income is more stable,"more...

On Guloudajie Road, you will appreciate the tranquility of Beijing's few remaining hutong neighborhoods, with narrow alleys and single story traditional courtyard houses.

Food: Yao's Chao Gan

Every hour is peak hour at Yao's Chao Gan restaurant.

The line streams outside the building for several twists as the clock strikes 11 am.