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Bell tower
Bell tower
	The Bell tower at Yunju Temple, in Beijing.
Traditional Chinese	鐘樓
Simplified Chinese	钟楼
Literal meaning	Bell tower
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōnglóu

The bell tower is an important building in Han Chinese Buddhist temples.^[1] Together with drum tower, they are usually placed on both sides of the Hall of Four Heavenly Kings.^[1] It is usually on the left side while the drum tower is on the right side.^[1] Generally, bell towers are three-storey pavilions with a large bell hung inside.^[1] The loud and melodious sound of the bell is often used to convene monks.^[1] Sounding the bell 108 times every morning and night symbolizes relief of the 108 kinds of trouble in the human world.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Examples

Bell tower of Xiantong Temple

The Bell tower of Xiantong Temple was built in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).^[1]^[5] A biggest copper bell is stored in the tower.^[1]^[5] It was cast between 1621 and 1627 during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).^[1]^[5] Weighing 4,999.75 kilograms (11,022.6 lb), it sounds deep and sonorous when beaten, which can pass away for 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) and last for several minutes.^[1]^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Zi Yan 2012, p. 61.
^ Zi Yan 2012, p. 34.
^ Wei Ran (2012-06-01). Buddhist Buildings. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press. ISBN 9787112142880.
^ Han Xin (2006-04-01). Well-Known Temples of China. Shanghai: The Eastern Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN 7506024772.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wang Jia 2012, p. 97.

Bibliography

Zi Yan (2012). "Xiantong Temple in Mount Wutai, Shanxi Province". Famous Temples in China (in English and Chinese). Hefei, Anhui: Huangshan Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-5461-3146-7.
Wang Jia (2012). "Mount Wutai: Xiantong Temple". Famous Mountains in China (in English and Chinese). Hefei, Anhui: Huangshan Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-5461-2704-0.

Wang Guixiang (2016-06-17). 《中国汉传佛教建筑史——佛寺的建造、分布与寺院格局、建筑类型及其变迁》 [The History of Chinese Buddhist Temples] (in Chinese). Beijing: Tsinghua University Press. ISBN 9787302427056.
Zhang Yuhuan (2014-06-01). 《图解中国佛教建筑、寺院系列》 [Illustration of Chinese Buddhist Architecture and Temples] (in Chinese). Beijing: Contemporary China Publishing House. ISBN 9787515401188.