Red Bronze Bell

Also known as the Song Dynasty Bronze Bell, this red bronze bell originally hung in the Taipingxingguo Temple at the East Gate of the county seat. Together with the Taipingxingguo Temple Pagoda, it constituted a major part of the temple buildings.

The bell was cast on the 28th day of the eleventh lunar month in the Jihai year, the second year of the Xianping reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty (999 AD), and hung on the 17th day of the fourth lunar month in the third year of Xianping. It stands five chi and five cun tall, with a girth of one zhang and one chi and a wall thickness of two cun and five fen. The bell mouth has eight lobes. Boasting a solid shape and exquisite craftsmanship, it produces a resonant tone.

According to legend, when the bell was struck in the Song Dynasty, its sound could reach Bianjing (the imperial capital). The emperor heard its clear, far-reaching chime and ordered it to be moved to Bianjing. Yet once relocated, the bell fell silent. It was then sent back to Weishi County. The sound openings were sealed afterwards, and the bell was rehung on the tower above the county government gate.

In the Jiashen year, the 12th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1584 AD), Ruan Gongfu, the county magistrate, proposed building a Bell and Drum Tower right on the spot. The project was completed in the minor spring of the next Bing Shen year. The bell was hoisted high to mark dawn and dusk, control curfews and maintain government order.

After the founding of New China, the Party and the people’s government carried out three major renovations to better preserve the cultural relic. In 1956, the Provincial People’s Committee designated the bronze bell as a provincial protected cultural relic.

Eight large characters are inscribed on the top: "Long live the Emperor; may important ministers prosper for thousands of years". There is one hole between every two characters, making four holes in total.

Characters are arranged on the bell belly along the eight directions. Apart from the southern section where all writing has weathered away, most inscriptions on the other sides remain legible. One section reads: "Cast on the 28th day of the eleventh lunar month, the second year of Xianping, Jihai year of the Great Song Dynasty". Another reads: "Sizhou Bell of Taipingxingguo Temple, Weishi County, Eastern Capital".