The Yongle Bell is here!

Address: No. 31 Jia, North Third Ring West Road, Haidian District, Beijing Ticket: 30 yuan Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (ticket sales and admission stop at 16:00) Closed on Mondays Juesheng Temple, a Buddhist temple built by the decree of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, is also known as the 'Big Bell Temple' because of the large bell cast during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty hanging in the temple. The entire ancient architectural complex consists of the Mountain Gate, Bell and Drum Tower, Hall of Heavenly Kings, Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Sutra Library, Big Bell Tower, and the East and West side halls and corridors. It is now an Ancient Bell Museum, vividly showcasing the complete history of ancient bell development. In the Mahavira Hall, there is a complete set of replicas of the Zenghouyi chime bells, along with an introduction to the ritual and music system. In the center of the Guanyin Hall, there is a 'Qianlong Bell,' which is very exquisite. The bell skirt has eight 'Qian' hexagrams, and the bell body is carved with twenty-two flying dragons, together forming the meaning of 'Qianlong,' a truly ingenious design! It is over 2 meters tall. Is this the bell referred to in the saying 'People pass by the Big Bell Temple, the temple bell is bigger than people'? No! There is an even bigger one behind it! This hall also has the Jiajing Earth Altar Bell, Yuan Dynasty Geng Bell, etc., showcasing the status and role of ancient bells in ancient social life. The Sutra Library is under renovation and not open. The world-famous Yongle Bell is hanging in the Big Bell Tower. Although it is known that this bell is 6.75 meters tall and weighs about 46 tons, seeing it in person is still astonishing! The bell is over 600 years old, with scriptures engraved all over its body, more exquisite than cumbersome, without a single flaw. It is said that the bell mouth is about twice as thick as the bell waist and significantly flared, so the bell's sound is clear and melodious. At the bottom of the bell is an octagonal pit, which is a sound-dispersing pool. How is this bell struck? It is said that it requires eighteen tight, eighteen slow, and eighteen neither tight nor slow strikes, repeated twice to make a total of 108 strikes. In Buddhism, it is said that a person's life has 108 kinds of troubles, so the bell rings 108 times to cleanse worldly troubles, hence it is also called the Hundred and Eight Bell. The side hall also introduces how this bell was cast. If you have time, you can visit the side hall to see various bells and their historical backgrounds. Among them is a crooked bronze bell of Wei Zhongxian, which cannot be set straight no matter what, truly proving that one must be a good person before making a bell!