# How ancient Chinese night watchmen patrolled streets, used ‘dripping buckets’ to tell time

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3372045/how-ancient-chinese-night-watchmen-patrolled-streets-used-dripping-buckets-tell-time

In ancient China, before the advent of mechanical clocks and digital devices, people relied mainly on night watchmen to keep time, prevent fires and maintain their daily routines. But how did the watchmen tell the time? Chinese night watchmen mainly used two methods: clepsydras and incense sticks. A clepsydra, also known as a water clock, measures time through the regulated flow of water from a vessel. The ancient Chinese divided the night into five gengs. Each geng lasted around two hours,...

Image: https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1280x720/public/d8/images/canvas/2026/10/25/abfe87b0-d416-4fcf-8689-9d9fbb98ee49_b1ee042f.jpg?itok=TzCK10hK&v=1792895791

---

Canonical URL: https://qwibbit.com/q24077

Created: 2026-10-25T21:03:00.051449+00:00

Last edited: 2026-10-25T21:03:00.051449+00:00

Board: 3

Origin: Syndicated

Original source: https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3372045/how-ancient-chinese-night-watchmen-patrolled-streets-used-dripping-buckets-tell-time