What role did the bell tower play in ancient times? For early warning?

The ancients divided a day and a night into 12 hours. In order, one hour today is equivalent to two hours. Standard watches and copper pots are used to record time, and clocks and drums are used to tell time. At the same time, in order to better let the residents in the city hear the sound of bells and drums, the bell tower and Nanjing Drum Tower were professionally built in the management centers of cities such as government offices, and large and medium-sized bronze bells and drums were placed. In the Tang Dynasty, government departments required to use bells and drums to open and close doors, which is the origin of the word "twilight drums and morning bells".

I. Application of "Bell and Drum Tower" Since ancient times, the main uses of the Bell Tower and Nanjing Drum Tower have changed to some extent, but the most essential functions have never changed.

In ancient times, Zhong Ming opened the door and everyone started their daily life. The sound of gongs and drums came, the doors were closed, every household turned off the lights and had a rest, and the whole city imposed a night ban. At this time, passers-by are not allowed to fly freely in the street. If they violate the night ban, they will be detained by the government. In the face of war, the Bell and Drum Tower also has the function of "alarm". If you find an opponent's attack, you will ring a big bronze bell as a warning to make the troops and residents in the city fully prepared.

In contemporary times, the role of the bell and drum tower is not so remarkable. Real-time and efficient internet technology will make people no longer rely on clocks and watches in the bell and drum tower. Most bell towers have become local city landmarks or tourist attractions. For example, Xi's bell tower, wall building and long history have attracted thousands of tourists.

Second, the bell tower in Xi' an Now most cities have "bell towers", among which Beijing Bell and Drum Tower and Xi' an Bell Tower are more famous. Nowadays, when we mention "bell tower", everyone will think of Xi 'an's bell tower. The bell tower in the center of Xi is the most detailed and largest bell tower building in China.

From 65438 to 0996, Xi 'an Bell Tower was announced by the General Office of the State Council as a national key cultural heritage protection enterprise. It is not only a representative building in the urban area, but also one of the most distinctive and iconic buildings among many ancient buildings. At the bottom of the bell tower is a square base, and the whole building lies flat on the base. The building structure of the main actor is wooden house, and three super-heavy buildings are piled up above it. The way the four corners save the roof shows its authority and authority as a time alarm building. From the perspective of architectural plastic arts, the construction of the bell tower not only follows the architectural standards of the Southern Dynasties, but also integrates the innovative architectural technology of the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the overall design style of double eaves and three drops of water, woodcut and art painting on each floor make the unique style of Xi' an Bell Tower more prominent in ancient times.

From the perspective of architectural technology, the structure of Xi 'an Bell Tower must be the crystallization of the exquisiteness and wisdom of ancient laborers in China. The roof saving system of "three drops of water on the cornice" outside the bell tower not only comes from the need of architectural artistic beauty, but also properly integrates the basic principles of structural mechanics, reducing the impact of raindrops on the building itself in rainy days. The basic principle of balancing the positive and negative bending moments of each part of the beam in structural mechanics is also used to draw the beam bucket arch structure, which makes the bearing capacity of the beam more symmetrical. From the roof to the four corners, the roof with the top corner also makes Jinding look calm and dignified. From the architectural point of view, the architectural style and standard of Xi 'an Bell Tower are very high, even surpassing the then capital Nanjing. Xi 'an's bell tower is sharp in shape, just like the Zhonghe Hall in the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the design and writing of the dragon and phoenix patterns in it are also unique to the royal family.

3. Beijing Bell and Drum Tower Beijing Bell and Drum Tower is located at the northernmost part of Beijing's north-south center line and the northernmost part of Di 'anmenwai Street in Dongcheng District. Like Xi 'an Bell Tower, it belongs to the national key cultural heritage protection enterprise. Beijing Bell and Drum Tower was built in the Yuan Dynasty, located in the management center of the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. It suffered several fire accidents and lightning strikes in ancient history and was preserved after several repairs. As the time management center of the capital in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing Bell and Drum Tower is the largest building in the history of bell and drum tower system software in the province. It is one of the most distinctive representative buildings in this ancient city, and it also confirms the historical time changes of China in the past hundred years.

The bell and drum tower in Beijing is more than 46 meters high, which is also based on the "three eaves" method. Its top is a sloping mountain, with dark gray floor tiles and emerald glass decoration. It is a typical wooden structure building. Nanjing Drum Tower is divided into two floors, and the second floor shows the leakage of stone tablets and bronze carvings used in ancient times. According to historical records, the brass woodcut prints on Nanjing Drum Tower were widely spread after the production and manufacture in Song Dynasty, and then lost. Today, the bronze sculptures leaked from Nanjing Drum Tower are all genuine copies, with a deviation of only 20 seconds every day.

1924, Xuan Tong Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, left the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the bell and drum tower completely lost its function of telling time. Today, the Bell Tower, Nanjing Drum Tower and its surrounding hutongs and quadrangles have long been the key components of the protection of ancient buildings in the ancient capital Beijing. With a folk culture, the "twilight drum and morning bell" has long been the representative of "Beijing time-honored brand" in everyone's mind, and it is also the unique historical and humanistic utilization value of this city.

Fourthly, apart from the bell tower, there are actually many ways to tell the time before the historical time is confirmed, such as the ancient night watchman, the noon cannon in the late Qing Dynasty, and even the overseas way to tell the time by falling the ball. This way of telling the time on the hour is a kind of timing method created by everyone before the development of high technology. "Night drum and morning bell" is not only a way to report on the hour, but also a way to alert everyone to the passage of time and cherish youth. This countless bell and drum tower seems to be the embodiment of time messengers and historical time witnesses.

When they inadvertently looked up and saw this outstanding person, it also made people feel that nearly a hundred years was just a flash, and time was fleeting. It is important to cherish youth.