Today is March 2nd, the weather is sunny, the temperature is 1 to 15 degrees above zero, the sun is shining, and you don't feel cold in single pants.
The Great Bell Temple was formerly known as Kyosheng Temple. Built in the eleventh year of the Yongzheng Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, it is a royal Buddhist temple, and in 1985 it was opened as an ancient bell museum, with more than 400 ancient bells in China and abroad, and in the eighth year of Qianlong, the Yongle Bell located in Wanshou Temple was moved to Juesheng Temple, also commonly known as the "Great Bell Temple".
The most distinctive core building in the temple is the large bell tower, which has two floors, symbolizing the "round place of heaven". Yongle Da Zhongshi is called "Zhong King". It was cast in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty and has a history of more than 500 years. The bell is 6.94 meters high, with a diameter of 3.3 meters, a lip thickness of 220 mm and a weight of about 42 tons. The inside and outside of the bell are filled with Buddhist sutras. A total of more than 227,000 characters, the writing style is in kaishu, which is said to be the handwriting of Shen Du, a famous calligrapher at that time. It is cast at one time by the moldless casting method, and there is no trace of grinding processing.
It is also said that the Yongle Bell was cast as an atonement sacrifice for the sins of Ming Chengzu, who knew that he was deeply sinful and wanted to eliminate karma by virtue of the power of Buddha, so he cast 230,000 words of Buddhist scriptures and the names of all Buddhas, bodhisattvas and monks inside and outside the bell wall. According to Yun, every time he recited a Buddhist monk's name, he could transcend a calamity; Every time the bell strikes, it is equivalent to reciting the forged verse over and over again to atone for sins.
This big bell was built by Yao Guangxiao on orders, read this history, Tie Xuan, Fang Xiaoxiao, Sheng Yong, Ping'an, Wang Province...
In the courtyard east of the large bell tower, more than 40 ancient bells are displayed, the earliest of which was cast during the Xining period of the Song Dynasty, more than 900 years ago. According to the chronological order, there are ancient clocks of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
Opening hours: Every Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 16:30 am (ticket sales close at 16:00). Closed on Mondays. The senior pass is free of charge, but a ticket exchange is required. Masks are also required for visits
We went in at 9 a.m. to visit, there were no tourists, let alone foreign tour groups, walking in the ancient temple, a feeling of chartering, about an hour of visiting.