The tower is 36 meters high in total. It stands on a foursquare brick base which is 8.6 meters high and 35.5 meters long on each side. It is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in China.

 

Known as the symbol of Xi'an as well as the witness of Xi’an vicissitude, the Bell Tower was first built in the 17th year of Hong Wu Reign (1384 A.D.) of the Ming Dynasty. The Bell Tower was originally set at the intersection of the West Street and Guangji Street in the Yingxiang Temple, which was the center of the site of the old Tang Imperial City. Later, it was moved to its present site in 1582 as a result of the city’s expansion program.

 

There are many magic legends about the Bell Tower, the one which is known to all is concerned about the earthquakes which made tens of thousands of people died in Ming Dynasty on the Central Shaanxi Plain. A popular explanation goes that an evil gigantic dragon in the huge undercurrent beneath the city caused it. Then the local governor used a 300-metre chain to control the dragon and immediately asked 5000 craftsmen to build the tower to suppress the dragon forever. Consequently, earthquake never happens again after the construction of the Bell Tower.

 

Another legend goes that the Bell Tower was built by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang to protect his reign. As we know, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born into a poor family became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In ancient times, only the emperor was called "real dragon". When he ascended the throne, he was afraid of being replaced by someone as a “real dragon”. Therefore bell towers were ordered to construct all over the country to repress the “spirit of dragons”. Xi’an was established as the site of imperial capital ever since ancient times. Naturally the so-called “spirit of dragons” was indomitable. No wonder Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was in panic. The Bell Tower in Xi’an was not only built earlier, but also taller than any other in the country.

 

In fact, each Ming city had a bell tower and a drum tower. They were traditionally used to tell the time. The bell was sounded at dawn and the drum at dusk.

 

The base of the tower is 1,337.4 square meters in size, 8.6 meters high and 35.5 meters wide. It was laid with blue bricks all over with an arched gateway at ground level leading to the East, South, North and West Avenues. The whole building, 36 meters above ground, is a brick-and –wood structure. A flight of steps shows the way up to the platform and the hall on the first floor. Decorated with square colored sunk panels on its ceiling, the hall is surrounded by the terrace, with four doors on each of its four sides. Many latticed windows and doors lead the way to the outer corridor on the second floor. With green glazed tiles on its roof, the whole tower looks magnificent and grand.

 

Interesting thing is that when you see from the exterior of the building, there are three storeys of eaves, but actually there are only two storeys inside. The eaves are supported by colored dougong, a traditional structural system in which brackets are joined with columns and crossbeams. The use of dougong, made the whole building firm and beautiful. In fact, the dougong, structure has its origin in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 B.C.). The design of dougong appears on bronze wares dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.).

 

Since 1949, Xi’an Municipal Government has launched three repair programs on the tower. As a result, the tower now looks as great and magnificent as it was hundreds of years ago. Today, if you climb the tower by way of its wooden stairs, you will have an extensive view of the city. If you are lucky to get on it on a fine day, you might see as far as Zhongnan Mountain on the southern outskirts of the city.