Hall of Clocks and Watches

Hall of Clocks and Watches (also known as Museum of Clocks and Watches) is located in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. it is tall and spacious, with an exhibition area of 2,208 square meters. It is home to a fantastic collection of Qing Dynasty (from Eighteenth Century to Twenty Centuries) timepieces, with a total number of 182 pieces of collections. These watches and clocks are the wisdom of foreign and domestic watchmakers and of high historical, scientific and artistic value. From the watches and clocks exhibited, the glorious history of development of the watches in the world can be seen from the early 18th to 20th centuries, with the history of over 200 years.

During the reign of Qianlong Emperor, the court has been widely used in spring-powered mechanical watches. The collection of all kinds of watches and clocks in Forbidden City were mainly made in Guangzhou, Suzhou and Imperial Manufacturing Department during the reign of Qianlong and Jiaqing Emperor. And some of them were made in the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Japan, Germany and other countries, especially in the UK. China-made watches and clocks are mostly decorated with gold, pearls and jades, gems and precious stones, and shaped with modeling-simulated pavilions, pagodas, flowers, all kinds of fruits and bonsai, while those are produced in Britain, France and other Western countries are shaped with western buildings, horses and other figures. There are a variety of ways for these watches and clocks to tell time. Some of them tell time by automatic door closing and opening, some tolls by a robot out of the bell and others tells time by playing piano drums and gongs, these watches. Although these watches and clocks were manufactured two hundred years ago, but so far the mechanical properties remain intact. When the various clocks tells time together, the mechanical flowers, birds, insects and butterflies can still make all sorts of fun performances.

The exhibited watch and clocks are with diverse shapes, different styles and exquisite workmanship, of high artistic value. To allow visitors to appreciate the watches how to strike the hours, as well as the action mysteries of the figures, birds, water law and pagodas, there is video showing that in the exhibition hall.

►Recommended Beijing tour:4 Days Best Beijing Tour
(Attractions: Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Changling Tomb)