The Gate of Dazhong Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

It was in the afternoon of February 6, 2011, when the reporter and his party came to Dazhong Temple. This temple was originally called Juesheng Temple. The Dazhong Temple, which covers a total area of 30,000 square meters, was originally a royal Buddhist temple. Since the museum contains more than 400 ancient bells and bells from China and abroad, it was turned into an ancient clock museum in 1985. In 1996, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council of the People's Republic of China and officially became one of the monuments under state protection.

Photo taken by visiting Dazhong Temple (Photo: Liu Weimin)

Walking into Dazhong Temple, you immediately feel a solemn and peaceful atmosphere. Strolling through the courtyard in the temple, you can see the mountain gate, the bell and drum tower, the Tianwang Hall, the Daxiong Hall, the back hall, the Sutra Tower, the Bell Tower and the east and west wing towers in turn from south to north. In addition, there are also six auxiliary verandas distributed on both sides. A series of buildings, such as a series of buildings, is enough to see the grand scale of this temple.

Walking into Dazhong Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

There is also a historical legend surrounding the origin of the original name of Dazhong Temple, Juesheng Temple. It was first discovered that there was a big bell in the bell tower inside this temple. It is said that the bell is forty-three and a half tons (87,000 kilograms) and is known as the Beijing Bell King. It is rumored that after Zhu Di, King of Yan in the Ming Dynasty, became emperor, he was afraid that someone would overthrow his throne. In order to eliminate the civil resistance forces, he sent military counselor Yao Guangxiao to collect swords, guns and other weapons from the common people and build a big bell with all the Hua Yan Sutra engraved on it. He believed that if the common people heard the bell, they would no longer resist him.

Bell and Drum Tower of Dazhong Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Later, for some reason, the clock sank to the bottom of the long river in front of Wanshou Temple outside Xizhimen, which is the river behind the present Beijing Zoo and Beijing Exhibition Hall. During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor ordered people to fish out the clock and move it to Juesheng Temple. A bell tower was built to hang the clock. After craftsmen leveled the ground, dug trenches, drained water, and froze, the clock slipped on the ice and moved to Juesheng Temple. Later generations immediately called Dazhong Temple, but Juesheng Temple was forgotten.

Warring States Chimes Bell Hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

In the 11th year of Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (1733), temples were built here in the place formerly known as Zengjiazhuang. In the eighth year of Qianlong, the Yongle Bell was moved from Wanshou Temple to Juesheng Temple. In the fifty-second year of Qianlong (1787), it became a place for the royal family to pray for rain, and this activity continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Corner of the Buddha Road Bell and Bell Museum (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The temple fair at Dazhong Temple is still open to this day. In the old days, the temple was opened for half a month from the first day of the first month of the first month every year. Tourists gathered here. The original activities such as "money hunting" were very lively. In recent years, tourism has developed, temple fairs have been restored, and the tradition of ringing bells in the New Year has been added.

Yongle Bell Hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The large bell tower in Dazhong Temple is the unique core building in the temple. It stands on a huge platform made of bluestone. The upper and lower parts of the entire bell tower symbolize "the sky is round and the earth is square". The bluestone platform is built on it. Under its influence, when the bell is tapped, a pure and quaint sound can be heard within a radius of more than a hundred miles, and the residual sound can last for 3 minutes.

Corner of the building in Dazhong Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

In the courtyard to the east of the Bell Tower, more than 40 ancient clocks of various shapes are displayed according to historical times. Bells in the Song and Yuan Dynasties were barrel shaped, like the big bell collected in the Sutra Tower. They were forged during the Song Xining period and have a history of more than 900 years. They are the oldest bell in the Dazhong Temple. From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the bell mouth gradually widened and took a trumpet-shaped shape, reflecting people's understanding of the principles of acoustics and mechanics in the history of the development of ancient clocks in our country.

Dazhong Temple Courtyard (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The first floor of the Sutra Building is the exhibition hall of a brief history of ancient clocks. The smallest pottery bell on the exhibit, the size of a cigarette box, is the oldest bell dating back five to six thousand years.

Joseph Chung, France (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The high-quality works on display include bronze bells of the Shang Dynasty, chimes of three pieces, chimes of the Western Zhou Dynasty, chimes of the Spring and Autumn Dynasties, bronze bells of the early Shang Dynasty, chimes of the Western Zhou Dynasty, chimes of the Zeng Hou Gong, etc.

Photo taken by the Friendship Bell of new Zealand (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The Ancient Bell Museum in Dazhong Temple houses foreign bells (Europe) and Warring States chimes, with a total of more than 400 different bells; of which there are 65 Warring States chimes. To the east are Qing Dynasty bells, and to the west are Ming Dynasty bells. It became a museum in 1985.

A close look at the Yongle Bell (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The Yongle Bell in Dazhong Temple is the best of bells. The Yongle Bell was cast on the order of Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. The height is 675 cm, the diameter is 330 cm, and the weight is 46500 kg. There are more than 100 Buddhist scriptures and mantras on the inner wall of the bell body, with a total of more than 230,000 words, and are composed of both Han and Buddhist characters. It has a history of more than 600 years and is the largest clock in the world.

Corner of the Ancient Bell and Bell Museum (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

According to the data, there are three traditional techniques for bell casting in our country, namely, clay model method, iron model method, and lost wax method. The Yongle Bell was cast using the pit clay model method. The technology of casting this bell ranks among the world's leaders.

Early Bell Bell Hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

In the 18th century, the Tsar of Russia ordered that an imperial bell be forged that surpassed the Beijing bell. Tsarist Russia used a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build a 193-ton bell. Due to poor craftsmanship and large cracks after cooling, it has become the largest bell in the world.

Bell displayed in Dazhong Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Compared with similar clocks in the world, our Yongle Bell in Dazhong Temple is worthy of its five characteristics: large size and weight, high historical value, the most inscriptions, first-class musical characteristics, advanced mechanical structure, and superb casting technology. It is praised as the world's bell king.

Ancient Bell of Dazhong Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Visiting and paying homage to Dazhong Temple can be said to have gained a lot. By viewing the numerous bell and bell collections, as well as witnessing my country's 15th century casting technology and the huge achievements that have ranked the world's leading level, one can deeply feel the profoundness of Chinese traditional culture and manufacturing industry. (Photo and text: Feng Ganyong)