Shengji Bronze Bell

The Shengji Bronze Bell (Chinese: 聖積銅鐘; pinyin Shèngjī Tóngzhōng) is a bronze temple bell that was formerly located at a Buddhist temple known as Shengji Temple on Mount Emei in Sichuan Province, China. However, Shengji Temple was destroyed in 1959 and the bell is currently located in Baoguo Temple. It has been a Provincial-Level Protected Cultural Relic of Sichuan Province since 2002,[1] and a Nationally Protected Cultural Relic of China since 2006.[2]

Shengji Bronze Bell
Native name
Chinese: 聖積銅鐘
The bell within the Pavillion.
TypeMajor Historical and Cultural Site of China
LocationShengji Temple, Mount Emei, China
Built1564, Ming Dynasty

History

The bell was created c. 1564, during the Ming dynasty. It was insribed with scriptural verses from the Agama Scriptures and was hung in the Treasure Building of the Shengji temple in 1567. In 1913, Sichuan Military Governor Yin Changheng ordered the bell to be melted to produce copper coins, but this did not occur. In 1959, the temple was destroyed, and the bell was kept in the ruins of the site. In 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, the bell was sent to Chongqing to be melted down as part of the four olds, but because it was too large to fit in the furnace, it survived yet again but was vandalized. In 1983, a new Pavillion was constructed to display the bell.[3][4]

The Treasure Building of Shengji Temple, where the bell was kept

References
  1. 四川省人民政府關於公佈第六批省級文物保護單位和現有省級文物保護單位合併項目的通知. 2002.
  2. "國務院關於核定並公佈第六批全國重點文物保護單位的通知". Guo Fa (國發) (2006 No. 19). 2006.
  3. 四川省志 峨眉山志. 四川省地方志編纂委員會編纂. 1996. p. 337.
  4. "圣积铜钟". Emei Leshan Official Tourism. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
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