Beijing’s drum tower, known as ‘gulou’, used to announce the time to the imperial capital’s inhabitants through the sound of its drums. It still does but the beating of the immense drums on its upper storey is more of a spectacle now.
The tower was built in 1272 in Kublai Khan’s reign and must have been familiar to Marco Polo when he visited the Khan, who is also well-known through Coleridge’s evocative, unfinished poem.
The drums are reached via steep and somewhat irregular stairs but the drumming ceremony is well worth attending for its veritable beating of time!
What is also marvellous is the view from the tower’s balcony. One really gets the feel of an older city with its hutongs or traditional dwellings and alleys.
Opposite the drum tower is the bell tower where we attended a tea demonstration and ceremony conducted by a lady who made no bones about making fun of some of the westerners present. Fortunately, she was so prettily witty that they could hardly take offense!
We were then plunged into a large area of hutongs which we visited using a traditional Chinese cycle rickshaw of a type similar to those which have become so popular now in London’s Covent garden area.
Just in time the Beijing authorities have realised what a tremendous heritage they have with their hutongs and many areas are now government-protected. A hutong consists of low rise buildings originally placed around well or ‘hutong’. Alleys connect the various residences together. They are built facing south to capture the sun and are introduced by little gates.
We were cordially received and shown around a characteristic hutong dwelling and very pleasant it was too. Indeed, some westerners have adopted life in a hutong and, no doubt, there will be a time when such dwellings will be highly sought after and gentrified.
A similar phenomenon has occurred in several parts of London where formerly slum areas like Hackney and Spitalfields are now much sought after.
I sincerely hope that Beijing’s remaining hutongs will be truly preserved. The thought of an increasingly high-rise China is not particularly appealing to me….
When aboard the MS Yangtze II I viewed an excellent tv programme about the Hutongs in fact several are actually now owned by Europeans that have transformed them indeed into bijoux dwellings which they thoroughly enjoy and this must certainly add to a better insight into the ancient Chinese way of life a more rounded cultural experience. We were lucky enough to visit these at Mr Wong’s 300 year old home which will be passed onto his son’s son and heir. Their Minha bird greeted us and even said good bye on our departure of their courtyard. The home is modest with sitting room and shrine to the Buddah with a huge vase beneath for water and fish the dining room next door and opposite the bedroom. The kitchen is housed on the other side of the courtyard. The drum tower was tough to reach to the top but well worth the effort as we got there on time for a performance. Opposite the Bell Tower gave us a fine tea preparation ceremony very interesting indeed.
When I went to the Drum Tower, or The Bell Tower (I forget which one), the
ground floor was crammed full of gaming machines! That was either 1995 or 1997. I went twice! I was disappointed as I had thought I would see something historical inside.
No sign of them this time. Instead some good signs about the history.
When I was aboard the MS Yangtze II cruise ship I was lucky enough to view an excellent programme about Hutongs they are now considered bijoux houses which in some cases have been most sensitively transformed into self contained miniature homes in which some enterprising Europeans have managed to secure for themselves to further integrate into the Chinese way of life and culture. I was so happy when in fact we managed to visit a 300 year old Hutong which belonged to a Buddhist family. The central focus of this home was their Buddhist shrine with a large vase filled with water and fish beneath. This Hutong consisted of a courtyard with a minah bird that greeted us and a sitting room dining area and bedroom the kitchen was across the courtyard with washing facilities. The drum tower was amazing with the drummers performance as we arrived in my case quite breathless and the view from the top was sensational. The bell tower we viewed from outside but had an insight and tea ceremony type lesson which was a hoot.