Before dusk, head west toward the Drum and Bell Tower, located at the south of Hou Hai lake on Gulou Dajie, where you can wiggle your way down the hutongs once more.

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Further north of Qianmen is a neighborhood called Gulou that is home to the historic Drum and Bell Towers, which have helped Beijing mark the time of day for centuries.

CNN: April 10, 2012 -- Updated 1353 GMT (2153 HKT)

Above the central mass sits the cubic base of the bell tower, which in turn rises solidly as a cylinder, then a drum capped by the dome.

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