Beijing Ningxia Hotel and the Bell and Drum Towers
Taking a few minutes walk from the Beijing Ningxia Hotel, you will find the ancient Bell and Drum Towers. The towers are locally known as Gulou (drum) and Zhonglou (bell) which were China’s ancient musical instruments.
Gulou or the Drum Tower is a two-storey building made entirely of wood with a height of 47 meters. It was constructed as the Tower of Orderly Administration (Qizhenglou) during the reign of Kublai Khan.The upper storey of the building used to house 24 drums, of which only one survived. The Drum Tower was the time keeping hub of the whole city which was equipped with bronze clepsydras (water clocks) and drums that were beaten to mark the hours. You won’t even need an alarm clock in your Beijing Ningxia Hotel room.
Behind the Drum Tower stands the Zhonglou or Bell Tower, a 33-meter-high structure with gray walls and a green glazed roof. The tower used to house a huge iron bell, but because it’s produced sound is not loud enough, it was later replaced with a solid, 10-inch cast bronze bell. The ringing bell could be heard 20 kilometers from the Beijing Ningxia Hotel.
The Confucian Temple Next to Beijing Ningxia Hotel
The Temple of Confucius or the Confucian Temple is also located near Beijing Ningxia Hotel. Visiting this old memorial temple, you will find accounts of the ancient religion that shaped the beliefs and faith of the Chinese people.
From you Beijing Ningxia Hotel room window, you can see the Old Temple of Confucius. It was first built in 1302 and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, few renovations were made. The temple has a total area of 22,000 square meters (5.4 acres) and is the second largest temple constructed for Confucius, the supreme thinker and educationalist in ancient China.
One notable feature of the Confucian Temple is the names given to their gates and buildings. The Temple of Confucius has four courtyards. The main structures include Xianshi Gate (Gate of the First Teacher), Dacheng Gate (Gate of Great Accomplishment), Dacheng Hall (Hall of Great Accomplishment) and Chongshengci (Worship Hall). Dacheng Hall is the focal area of the temple, where memorial ceremonies for Confucius were mostly held. And you will feel blessed as you get out of the temple and return to Beijing Ningxia Hotel.
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Find Trinkets to Treasure in Panjiayuan next to Henan Beijing Plaza
 Henan Beijing Plaza Pottery Outside Henan Beijing Plaza, you will find an old flea market that surrounded with different kinds of items that are the local products of Chinese folks within the area. People gather here to find small items like Mao caps to Ming pottery, Yinxing teapots.
Almost all sorts of products are sold in Panjiayuan. The old flea market has everything, including Tibetan trunks, bronze door knobs, antique locks, wooden puppets, even actual kitchen sinks. Its amazing to see so many people flocking the area for just about anything. It seemingly plays a major part of Panjiayuan’s particular charm. Some markets in the area specialize in flowers, silk or jade. Others more typically offer whatever is trendy like clothes and shoes and all the latest consumer gadgets and bobbles.
Every weekend, your delightful discoveries are renewed from old musical instruments one week then postcards or pottery the next.
A Tour Inside Di Tan Park, the Temple of Earth Henan Beijing Plaza
Di Tan Park is located north of the Lama Temple. It covers an area of 40 acre square with towering pine and cypress trees. This where you see many native folks to take a morning exercise, leisure walking, strolling and jogging and you can join them every morning because its only 10 minutes from Henan Beijing Plaza.
Di Tan is the temple of Earth. The altar is unique for its square shape. It is named FangZe Tan literally which means Square Water Altar. It is only during the height of summer season that the emperor would perform sacrifices on this altar.
Henan Beijing Plaza at Yue Tan Park: The Altar of Night Moon
Taking a tour inside Yue Tan Part is easy because it is only a few minutes walk from Henan Beijing Plaza. Yue Tan Park was constructed in the year 1531 where the Ming and subsequent Qing Emperors once worshipped the god of Moon. It is also known as Xiyuetan which means Altar of Night Moon.
Yue Tan Park is one of the famous temples and the earliest temples established in Beijing occupying an area of 120 hectares. In 1949, the government renovated the ancient temple adding more scenic view to the locals and foreign people.
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 Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel: Yellow Tea Shop Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel is within walking distance to Ma Lian Dao Tea Street where plenty of tea shops line up on the street. This little nice shop sells the famous "Huang Tang Tea", which used to be the local tribute to emperors in China.
Huang Tang tea in Chinese literally means “yellow soup”. It's actually a variety of yellow tea.
Yellow tea flourishes in the beautiful mountainous area, far away from any pollution. They should be kept in cold storage spaces like to refrigerator to keep them sweet. It’s of the most favored type of tea because yellow tea tastes light and a bit sweet.
While you stay in the Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel, visit of this tea shop and grab yourself a bag of some fresh naturally grown yellow tea. Cheers to good health!
A Step Closer To Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel
From your Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel window, you will see the busiest streets in downtown Beijing, Wángfǔjǐng. The street was also formerly named Morrison Street in English, after the Australian journalist George Ernest Morrison.
Wángfǔjǐng is Beijing's first-class shopping area. It is partially closed to cars and crowded at all times of the day and night. The wide stretch of the central street showcases the best of Beijing's commercial success.
The famous Wangfujing now consist of about 280 famous brands stores of Beijing, such asShengxifu hat store, Tongshenghe shoe shop, Wuyutai tea house and restaurants that serve exotic foods. You will be marveled by numerous boutiques and gift shops inWangfujing. Getting outside Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel, you will find yourself lost in the crowd of people shopping around Wangfujing, but don’t worry because the hotel is just a call away.
Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel : The Bell & Drum Towers
Taking a few minutes walk from the Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel, you will see the legendary Bell and Drum Towers. The towers are locally known as Gulou (drum) and Zhonglou (bell) which were China’s ancient musical instruments.
Gulou or the Drum Tower is a two-storey building made entirely of wood with a height of 47 meters. The upper storey of the building used to house 24 drums, of which only one survived. The Drum Tower used to tell the time for the whole city of Beijing which was equipped with bronze clepsydras (water clocks) and drums that were beaten to mark the hours.
Behind the Drum Tower stands the Zhonglou or Bell Tower, a 33-meter-high structure with gray walls and a green glazed roof. The tower used to hold an enormous iron bell, but because it’s produced sound is not loud enough, it was later replaced with a solid, 10-inchcast bronze bell. The ringing bell could be heard from the Jiangxi Grand Beijing Hotel to give you a wake-up ring.
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