Jingjiang Bell Tower

Jingjiang Bell Tower

The Bell Tower is located in Bell Tower Square, adjacent to Four-Eye Well. In 1993, it was designated as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People's Government of Jiangsu Province.

The Bell Tower was originally built in the third year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty (1569) and renovated in the tenth year of the Chongzhen era (1637). It has a square structure with a solid granite strip foundation, making it very sturdy. The building consists of two levels, both exquisitely designed. It is enclosed by long cedar wood railings, with surrounding corridors, gilded walls, apricot-colored panels, carved lintels, and three-tiered bracket sets. These overlapping and crisscrossing structures support the far-reaching eaves of the roof. The ridge rises high, resembling a coiling dragon; the corner ornaments hang high, shaped like flying phoenixes; the upturned eaves arc gracefully, as if soaring wings. The tower door faces west and bears the four characters “Amitabha Buddha” in running script, with a graceful charm, written by Liu Danwu, a renowned local calligrapher. Inside the doorway stands a stone stele, finely sculpted, depicting a kneeling figure that appears to be bearing a heavy load effortlessly. On the front of the stele is an image of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, holding a willow branch, standing atop the blue waves of the South Sea, dressed in white, exuding an ethereal grace. Behind her is a child carrying a gourd, looking endearingly innocent. With just a few simple lines, the sculpture vividly portrays a lifelike deity — truly the work of a master artist. The reverse side of the stele features the "Record of the Bell Tower at Chongsheng Temple" written by Zhang Bingduo, the county magistrate during the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty, recounting the construction process and completion date of the tower. The calligraphy on the stone inscription was done by Zhou Tianqiu, a famous Ming Dynasty painter and calligrapher. The regular script is beautifully engraved, round and elegant. Judging from the worn characters, it is believed that the image of Guanyin on the front was also crafted by Zhou Tianqiu. The Guanyin stele was also designated as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People's Government of Jiangsu Province in 1993.

A bronze bell is hung from the crossbeam on the upper level of the tower. It stands eight feet tall, with a diameter of over four feet, and weighs more than 5,000 jin (approximately 2.5 metric tons). The bell is inscribed with several texts: at the top, “May the Buddha bless all beings”; at the bottom, “May the Emperor’s heart bring order to branches (affairs)”; on the east side, “Hearing the bell lessens sin”; on the south side, “Bodhi grows, wisdom arises”; on the west side, “Distinguishes dusk from dawn, a reminder to stay vigilant”; and on the north side, “In response to this, people are saved.” These inscriptions illustrate the bell’s purpose: its sound serves to remind, discipline, enlighten, and clarify, encouraging people to do good deeds. Legend says that when the bell was first hung, the beams couldn’t bear its immense weight, and the tower shook violently. The craftsmen were terrified and didn’t know what to do. Just then, an old man with white hair and a youthful face appeared. After helping to hang the bell, he took off one of his straw sandals and placed it between the bell’s yoke and the beam. The tower then stood firm and safe. Before leaving, the old man instructed that the bell should not be rung until three days after his departure, so its sound could reach the whole world. But the monks of Chongsheng Temple couldn’t wait three days and rang the bell almost immediately after he left. At that moment, the old man had only walked ten li (approximately five kilometers), so the bell’s sound could only reach that far. People then realized that the old man must have been a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm.

During the Ming Dynasty, officials used a “water clock” (a device known as “copper pot dripping”) to tell time. The bell was rung 108 times at dawn during the Mao hour and at night during the Hai hour. Later, with the introduction of mechanical clocks, the bell was rung twice daily — at 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In the tenth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1884), County Magistrate Ye Zisen renovated the Bell Tower, and a commemorative stone stele was built into the wall at the front of the tower. According to the records, the tower originally had 20 mu (approximately 1.3 hectares) of land, which provided fixed funding for its management and maintenance. Later, this land was repurposed, funding dried up, the tower gradually deteriorated, and the bell fell silent.