Serious Travel Article 23: Xian Part 2. The Drum Tower and The Wild Goose Pagoda

Overlooking the end of the Muslim quarter is the drum tower. A rectangular based, traditional Chinese tower which looks solid enough to withstand a tsunami if it had to. Nearby the Drum Tower is Xi'an's famous Bell Tower. Despite my student card getting me half price entry, I still decided to choose only one to save a little money. Considering the bell tower's new job as roundabout centrepiece, and the unlikelihood that I'd be allowed to ring the bell, I decided to climb the drum tower. It exceeded my expectations. The tower seemed old (which in China is all you can really ask for) and it had lots of big drums. It sounds simplistic but sometimes a great sense of satisfaction can be gained by banging a drum bigger than oneself, especially when you suspect it may be forbidden. It wasn't a very strictly enforced rule, everyone seemed to be doing it. 

The Drums of the Drum Tower, Xi'an

Inside the second floor was an exhibition of ancient Chinese musical instruments. Although many were truly old drums, there were many other instruments on show a multilingual explanation of how the instruments were used as well as the story of the tower itself. On the top floor of the Drum Tower was a room filled with nineteenth century, European looking antiques. It was odd that no photos were allowed, it seemed like a rule for the sake of a rule but I followed it after being told off. On the top floor was a little shop selling tourist tat. It seemed there was no escape. Hawkers tried to sell me a box of postcards, for 30 yuan. My indifference to the postcards seemed to intrigue them as when I began to walk away, they were shouting “only pay 5 ok!”. I left the drum tower happy at having banged some big drums. 

The Bell Tower. A fine roundabout centerpiece.

The next atoll of interest in the Xi'an archipelago was the Wild Goose Pagoda. We took a bus from the Bell Tower changing at an intersection close to the university and filled with young people. Xi'an, outside the tourist areas, seems more vibrant than other inland Chinese cities like Beijing or Wuhan. The Wild Goose Pagoda is surrounded by a ghastly new, sprawling shopping complex, inspired half by the architecture of the Tang Dynasty, half by glassy modernism. 

It looks good from a distance, and the musical fountains are fun, especially watching security guards furiously whistling at members of the public walking across them. However when you see the fake LED ceiling inside the mall itself, changing every five minutes from a blue sky (Xi'an dwellers might need to be reminded what that looks like) to comets hurtling thorough space, I felt it trivialized an important historical monument in a cheap, Las Vegas way. 

The Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. Don't walk across the fountains or you will be whistled at. 

The wild goose pagoda itself is a grand yet austere old building dating back to the seventh century. Although it has been remodeled and repaired , in the 8th century it had 5 floors added and was extensively repaired during the Ming dynasty and in 1964 in the early Mao dynasty, it has the appearance of ancientness, unlike the Drum Tower and especially the Bell Tower which to me was just a pretty centerpiece for a busy intersection, like the Arch de Triumph. 

If you find yourself having to choose between sights in Xi'an, a visit to the Wild Goose Pagoda is a better use of your time than the Drum or Bell Towers. 

For Part 1: Click Here

For Part 3: Click Here

For Part 4: Click Here