The Bell and Drum towers, with about 100 meters in between, brings the rhythmic central line to an end. The Bell Tower used to send out chimes at dawn and the Drum Tower told the time in the evening. They ceased this function more than 80 years ago.

The towers are still surrounded with crisscrossing Hutongs (lanes and allays) and courtyard residences, setting off the magnificence of the imposing tower gates and imperial palaces along the central line.

As early as in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), there was “a morning bell and a dusk drum.” Telling the time by bell and drum played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of the time. As a result, bell and drum towers became public architectures, and were widely constructed in almost every city throughout the country since the Han Dynasty. In the history of their construction, the bell and drum towers of Beijing are the largest and highest. Their layout is unique, in that they were placed fore-and-aft, not as the traditional sense of standing right-and-left horizontally.

Lying to the north of Beijing-south axis line in Dongcheng District, the bell and drum towers are visibly prominent constructions and represent the symbol of this old city. They were built in 1272, and rebuilt twice after two fires. At one period in history they were the time-telling center of the capital city during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1271-1911).