This bell tower is the building of Amin dynasty. Taking it as the center, it radiates four streets in the east, south, west and north, which are connected with the east, south, west and north gate of the Ming city wall respectively. This is the largest and best-preserved bell tower left over from ancient China.
Xi 'an was the military and political center in the northwest of Ming Dynasty, and its bell tower ranked first among similar buildings in China in terms of building scale, historical value and artistic value.
History: This square brick-wood building is 36 meters high from the ground to the roof, and consists of three parts: the base, the building body and the roof. Each side of the base is 35.5 meters long and 8.6 meters high, all made of blue bricks, and each side has a cross-shaped coupon hole with a height and a width of 6 meters in the middle. The building is a square wood structure with a side length of 22 meters and a height of 26 meters. There are five bays and a cloister around it. The roof is a quadrangular structure covered with bright green glazed tiles. The top dome is 5 meters high, with a wooden core inside and copper skin outside. The copper skin is covered with a layer of gold foil, which is glittering and dazzling. There is a Ming Dynasty iron bell in the northwest corner of the bell tower, weighing 5 tons, with eight patterns cast on its side, which was cast in Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty (1465- 1487). But it is much smaller than the bronze bell hanging on the bell tower earlier. It is said that the "Jing Yun Bell" originally hung in the bell tower (now in the Beilin Museum) has been moved to this site, but although the style and size of the building have not changed, the Jing Yun Bell cannot ring. There is no alternative but to change. For this matter, the chronicle secretary carries all kinds of speculations at that time. Some people think that the clock (701-711) cast in Tang Ruizong Jingyun is "eternal and supernatural" and unwilling to be moved. Later, some people said that putting the clock indoors was like "shouting in an urn", and it should be moved outdoors at that time. Anyway, this adds a layer of mystery to the history of the bell tower ~
This is the characteristic of the bell tower, and then there are different food cultures around the bell tower. For example, Laosunjia mutton buns in Dongjie, Xi 'an Hotel are century-old shops, and Defachang Dumplings Banquet. There are many famous snack bars in the north of the bell tower, such as Tongsheng Lane with Hui characteristics, Jiasan soup packets, fried rice with red sauerkraut and so on.
Then East Street and South Street are bustling commercial streets, and Fortune 500 companies are pouring in. People, rich or poor, can live happily. Perhaps it is this blend of classical and modern culture that has formed a unique "Xi 'an Bell Tower".
Now people say that "Xi 'an Bell Tower" refers to that area in general, and the impression is not just a tower with a clock ~ ~