Bianjing Tower in Daixian

Bianjing Tower in Daixian

Bianjing Tower in Daixian is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Bianjing Tower, also known as the Drum Tower or Watchtower, is located southeast of Xibei Street Village, Shangguan Town, Daixian. It was first built in the seventh year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1374), rebuilt in the twelfth year of the Chenghua era (1476), and renovated during the Qing Dynasty under the reigns of Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Guangxu.

The tower faces south and covers an area of 3,402 square meters. It is composed of a brick city platform, a wooden pavilion structure, and a staircase leading up to the platform. With a total height of 40 meters, the base of the city platform is 49.9 meters wide, 40 meters deep, and 13.3 meters high, featuring a north-south arched passageway about 9 meters high. The main body of the tower has a width of seven bays and a depth of five bays, with a three-story, four-eave hip-and-gable roof. It is surrounded by corridors, with balustrades on the second floor and a flat terrace beneath the balustrades on the third floor. Each level features bracket sets (dougong) below the eaves; the second floor has single-curved bracket arms with double upward projections, while the third and fourth floors have double upward-curving arms. The front and rear eaves on the first floor have wooden panel doors, while those on the second and third floors have openings. The surrounding area includes six-panel lattice windows. Two large plaques hang beneath the eaves, inscribed with “Sound Heard in All Directions” and “Majestically Guarding Three Passes.” Under the corridors are two stone tablets from the Ming Dynasty and three from the Qing Dynasty’s renovation periods. In 2001, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council. (Content excerpted from “A Collection of Cultural Relics in Xinzhou”)

Xibei Street Village: Xibei Street Village…… Detailed information about Xibei Street Village++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units