Located in the intersection of East£¬West£¬South£¬and North streets£¬the Bell Tower was first built in l384£®Its original site was in Guangji Street and the tower was renovated in l582£®It has been the symbol of Xi’an£®There used to be a huge bell hung in the tower for reporting time everyday£®Hence the name Bell Tower£®The fifteenth-century iron bell£¬weighing 2£®5 tons£®now rests on the northwest corner of the base£®
    The brick foundation of the Bell Tower is square£¬35£®5 metres on each side and 8£®6 metres high£®Above the brick is a tower of three layers with graceful eaves£®Not a single nail is used in this Ming style wooden architecture¡£for the columns and crossbeams are joined by mortise and tenon joints£®This is called dougong construction--sets of brackets on top of the columns supporting the beams within and roof eaves without(each set consisting of tiers of outstretching arms called gon9£¬cushioned with trapezoidal blocks called dou)£¬ and more simply it is called a system of supporting brackets inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam£®
   The entire structure is 36 metres high£®In the base are four arched doorways£¬each six metres square£®The first floor is beautifully appointed with ornate Qing furniture£®The Ming and Qing designs are found on the ceiling and roof£®Two grand flights of stairs lead to the top of the Tower£®The climb to the second—storey balcony is rewarded a magnificent view over the whole city of Xi’an.