Beijing's Drum Tower Tests Longer Weekend Opening Hours

鼓楼 gǔlóu, aka the Drum Tower, once one of the chief timekeeping buildings in the capital and now the center of a bustling culture and nightlife district, is now open later – but only on weekends.

New weekend hours were announced via the Bell and Drum Tower official WeChat account (ID: 北京钟鼓楼) for the first time last weekend.

Per the announcement (above image) instead of the usual 9.30am-5.30pm, Drum Tower hours were extended to 7pm from Friday to Saturday. While at first it seemed like a one off thing, that no longer seems to be the case as a post went out today (Aug 23) featuring a similar announcement.

As with the previous announcement, the Drum Tower will be open 9.30am-7pm from Friday, Aug 26 to Sunday, Aug 28 (as with last time, only the Drum Tower will be open later, not the Bell Tower). During this time, drum show times have also been changed, with shows happening at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, and 6.30pm.

When we reached out to the Bell and Drum Tower for comment, they told the Beijinger that the weekend opening hours were a means of testing the waters. If more people show up thanks to the longer hours, then the two sites might be open later for the foreseeable future.

Originally constructed during the Yuan Dynasty in 1272, the bell and drum towers were used to keep time – bells were rung in the morning and drums beaten throughout the night – all the way up until 1924, in the Republican/Warlord era.

Today, the two sites are great to ascend for some of the best views of the city. Now that one is opening later, it might just be a great place to view Beijing from above at night as well.

READ: Bells, Drums, Cannons & Clocks: A Brief History of Timekeeping in Beijing

Images: Uni You, the Beijingers