One of the city's major landmarks, the Bell Tower, will be closed after the National Day holiday for a month of renovations.

The 700-year-old structure, built in 1272 along with its counterpart to the south, the Drum Tower, has been deteriorating and is in need of repairs, especially in the upper part of the tower, including the terrace and the exterior wall, according to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics on Tuesday.

The refurbishment was confirmed by Chen Junqiu, a staff member at the Beijing Drum Tower & Bell Tower Preservation Institute.

"When the heavy rains lashed the city this summer, we found that the wall began to leak. Further damage could happen if it is not repaired," he told METRO on Tuesday.

The closure will start on Oct 8, so visitors still have a chance to visit it during the National Day holiday.

During the holiday and throughout the duration of the repair work, the Drum Tower and the square between the two towers will remain open to the public, he noted.

The project, which is scheduled to wrap up before Nov 15, will be conducted by a professional team and the original appearance will be preserved. With a total investment of 1.6 million yuan, the repair work will also cover readjusting the lightening conductors and consolidating the structure.

Located at the northern end of the central axis of the city center, the two towers were built to announce the time of day. Today, they are major tourist attractions and the area around them, with its hutong and courtyard houses, has remained relatively unchanged.

It was once reported that a redevelopment project named "Beijing Time Cultural City" would be launched in the area where the two towers and square are located and that public art would be installed to celebrate the time-keeping role of the two towers. An underground complex of parking lots, shops and a museum was also slated to be built. However, according to media reports earlier this month, the plan has been postponed.

Chen said the renovation of the Bell Tower is not connected to "Beijing Time Cultural City".

"It has nothing to do with it but is just to renovate and better preserve the architecture."

China Daily

(China Daily 09/29/2010)