Drum Tower and Bell Tower of Beijing

The Bell and Drum Towers were central to official timekeeping in China during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

That year, the Beijing Coup led to the expulsion of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, from the Forbidden City, and the adoption of Western-style clocks for official time-keeping.

[1] The name symbolizes what were known as the comprising elements of the universe in ancient China, including metal, wood, water, fire, earth, the sun and the moon.

Objects related to the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of Beijing and later the May 30 Massacre of 1925 were put on display, turning the towers into a museum.

Nearby stands the Bell Tower, a 33-meter (108 ft)-tall edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof.