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Yongle Bell

Type Object Region East Asia Time c. 1403

The Yongle Bell is a giant Buddhist bronze bell cast during the Yongle reign of the Ming Chengzu emperor, weighing about 46.5 tons and standing 6.…

Timeline

  1. c. 1403–1405Capital bell-casting workshop · Beijing MunicipalityIn the early Yongle era the Ming Chengzu emperor ordered the casting of a giant bell, gathering high-quality copper from across the empire; court craftsmen designed the bell's form and the layout of the scriptures in preparation for the subsequent mold casting.
  2. c. 1406–1410Yongle bell-casting site · Beijing MunicipalityCraftsmen cast the bell body using lost-wax and sectional casting techniques; the interior and exterior are fully cast with Buddhist scriptures such as the Lotus Sutra and the Yongle era name, demonstrating the superb skill of large-scale bronze casting in the Ming dynasty.
  3. c. 1411–1420Juesheng Temple (Great Bell Temple) · Haidian DistrictAfter casting, the great bell hung in several Buddhist temples in the capital, and was long housed at Juesheng Temple (Great Bell Temple), becoming an important object of Ming court Buddhist ritual and timekeeping; it remained protected and in continued use through the Qing dynasty.

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