There is an ancient saying that there are bells and drums in the morning, and the bells and drums stand to tell the time. The ancients divided day and night into twelve hours, in the order of earthly branches, and each hour is equivalent to two hours today. Time is measured by a watch or a copper pot. When the tower strikes the hour, the bell and drum ring. Every dynasty has its own rules. In the Tang dynasty, the morning bell and the evening drum, the city gate were closed and a curfew was imposed; Zhong Ming, the city gate is open and every household is active.

The Drum Tower is 200 meters northwest of the Bell Tower.

The bell and drum tower in this city has long been a special time-telling building. In the ancient Li Fangcheng (Li See), a curfew was imposed, and drumming every morning and evening was a signal to open and close the square doors. Xi 'an Bell and Drum Tower, built in Hongwu period of Ming Dynasty, is the oldest existing example. In addition, there were bells and drums in temples in the Tang Dynasty, which developed into bell towers and drum towers in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties for the use of Buddhism.