Bell Tower

The Bell Tower stands on Bell Tower Square, adjacent to the Four-Eyes Well. In 1993, the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province designated it a Provincial-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

First erected in the 3rd year of the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1569), the Bell Tower underwent reconstruction in the 10th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1637). Square in shape, the tower rests on a solid foundation of granite slabs and features an exquisitely crafted two-story structure. It is enclosed by long fir railings and encircled by covered corridors, gilded beams and apricot-hued walls. Carved horizontal architraves are supported by layered, interlocking three-set dougong bracket sets that hold up the far-reaching upturned roof eaves. The towering roof ridge resembles a roaming dragon; the elevated ridge ends look like soaring phoenixes. The upturned overhanging eaves spread like outstretched wings. The main gate faces west, inscribed with four running script characters reading “Amitabha Buddha”, rendered in mellow, graceful brushwork by Liu Danwu, a distinguished local calligrapher. Centered inside the gate stands a stone stele borne by a stone tortoise, which kneels with its head raised, bearing the heavy slab with apparent ease. Carved on the front face of the stele is an image of Guanyin Bodhisattva, holding a willow sprig and standing atop the blue waves of the South China Sea. Clad in plain white robes, she carries an elegant, ethereal bearing. Behind her stands a young boy with a gourd slung over his back, brimming with childlike innocence. Only a few simple strokes bring the Buddhist statue vividly to life — a masterwork achievable solely by a top-tier artist. The reverse side of the stele bears Record of the Bell Tower at Chongsheng Temple, composed by Zhang Bingduo, the county magistrate during the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty, detailing the tower’s construction process and completion date. The inscription was handwritten by Zhou Tianqiu, a celebrated Ming painter and calligrapher, in fluid, powerful regular script seal carving. Judging by the worn, peeling characters on the stele, the Guanyin carving on the front is also believed to be his creation. The Guanyin Stone Stele was also listed as a Provincial-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit by the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government in 1993.

A bronze bell hangs from the horizontal beam on the upper floor of the tower. It stands eight chi tall, over four chi in diameter, and weighs more than 5,000 jin, cast with inscribed verses all over its surface.

According to legend, when workers tried to hang the bronze bell, the wooden beams could not bear its immense weight, causing the entire tower to shake violently. The craftsmen panicked, at a complete loss for a solution. Just as they despaired, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face appeared. After helping them hoist the bell into place, he slipped off one straw sandal and wedged it between the bell’s bracket and the wooden beam. The tower instantly steadied and stood firm without a single tremor. Before departing, the elder instructed the monks not to ring the bell until three days after he left, so its sound could travel across the whole realm. Unable to wait three full days, the monks struck the bell shortly after he departed. At that moment, the elder had only traveled ten li away — and thus the bell’s sound can only carry ten li to this day. The monks then realized the old man was an immortal deity descended from heaven.

In the Ming Dynasty, the government told time using a copper clepsydra. The bell would ring 108 times at Mao hour (early morning) and Hai hour (late night). After mechanical clocks were introduced, the bell tolled twice daily at 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In the 10th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1871), County Magistrate Ye Zisen carried out full renovations to the Bell Tower, and a commemorative stone stele recording the restoration was embedded into the wall beneath the front facade. Historical records state the tower once owned 20 mu of farmland to provide steady funds for its daily management and maintenance. Later, the farmland was reassigned for other uses, cutting off all funding. The tower gradually fell into disrepair, and its bell fell silent for many years.