Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill

Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill

Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill

Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill is perhaps the earliest among the Ten Scenes of West Lake to be documented. The renowned painter Zhang Zeduan from the late Northern Song Dynasty once painted a work titled “Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill.” Although this painting is far less famous than his “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” it was recorded in the Ming Dynasty text *Tianshui Iceberg Record*.

Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill is situated within Jingci Temple at the foot of Nanping Hill in the southwest of West Lake. Jingci Temple was first built in the first year of Xiande during the Later Zhou Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period (954 AD), making it over 1,000 years old. It was constructed by Qian Hongchu, King of the Wuyue Kingdom, to honor the founding patriarch of southern mountain Buddhism, Master Yongming. Originally named "Huiri Yongming Chan Monastery," it was renamed "Jingci Chan Temple" during the Southern Song Dynasty. Along with Lingyin Temple, Zhaoqing Temple, and Shengyin Temple, it was known as one of the “Four Great Temples of West Lake.”

A bell tower was established when Jingci Temple was first built. In the eleventh year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1378 AD), the original bell was deemed too small, so a massive new bell weighing 10 tons was cast. When the evening bell tolls, its oscillating frequency resonates through the mountain. The porous rock formations, caves, and other geological features on Nanping Hill amplify the sound waves, rapidly increasing their amplitude and creating a resonance effect. These rock formations and caves then function as a natural sound box, enhancing the echo. At the same time, the bell sound travels at the same frequency across West Lake, reaching the opposite shore where it rebounds off the volcanic rock of Geling Hill, producing lingering echoes that drift across much of Hangzhou. This phenomenon creates the beautiful scene known as “Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill.”

From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Jingci Temple underwent multiple periods of decline and revival, and the original bell was eventually lost. The current large bronze bell was cast in December 1986 by the Hangzhou Oxygen Plant. Weighing over 10 tons and standing 3 meters tall, the bell is inscribed with more than 68,000 characters of the *Lotus Sutra* written by Zhao Puchu and others. Japanese Soto Zen Buddhists come to Jingci Temple every New Year's Eve to ring the bell as part of their tradition to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.

Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill faces the Leifeng Pagoda at dusk across the road, with the interplay of pagoda shadows and bell chimes forming two of the most enchanting evening scenes among the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Jingci Temple is also associated with the legendary tales of the monk Ji Gong. Inside the temple is the “Ancient Log Transporting Well,” also known as the “Divine Transport Well,” which attracts countless visitors.