The Big Bell Temple, or Da Zhong Temple (), originally known as Jue Sheng Temple (), is a Buddhist temple located on North 3rd Road in
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
The Big Bell Temple was built in 1733 during the reign of the
Yongzheng Emperor
, regnal name =
, posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi ()
, temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung ()
, house = Aisin Gioro ...
of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
(1644-1911).
The temple's name came after the famous "Yongle" Big Bell that is housed inside the temple, which was cast during the reign of the
Yongle Emperor
The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424.
Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...
(1403-1424) of the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
(1368-1644).
According to a test by the
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republ ...
, the Yongle Big Bell's sound could reaches up to 120 decibels and can be heard 50 kilometers away from the temple in the depth of night.
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Many music experts, including some from the Chinese Acoustics Institute have found its tone pure, deep and melodious with a sprightly rhythm. Its frequency ranges from 22 to 800
hertz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
.
According to
about.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
:
The temple has housed a
bell museum (Guzhong bowuguan; engl. Ancient Bell Museum) since 1985, featuring hundreds of bronze bells from temples throughout China.
Gallery
Image:Big Bell Tower.jpg, The temple's bell tower
Image:Bell made in Ming Dynasty.jpg, The temple's Ming Dynasty bell
Image:Drum Tower of Big Bell Temple.jpg, The temple's drum tower
Image:Big Bell Temple Foundation Stone.jpg, Stone inscription
Image:Temple of the Big Bell map.jpg, Map of the Temple of the Big Bell
Image:Bell Museum Interior.jpg, Bell Museum Interior
Bell Temple Garden.jpg, Bell Temple Garden
Floor plaque .jpg, Floor plaque showing the distances where the bell can be heard
Footnotes
Buddhist temples in Beijing
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1733
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing
1733 establishments in China
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