Giant Iron Bell from the Jin Dynasty

Giant Iron Bell from the Jin Dynasty

The giant iron bell was originally located by a pond to the north of Shikou Village in Shikou Town. In 1983, it was collected by the Kenli County Cultural Center. The bell stands 1.88 meters tall, with a mouth diameter of 1.19 meters and an average wall thickness of 0.07 meters, weighing approximately 1,500 kilograms. The top of the bell features a double intertwined dragon handle, with lotus leaf patterns on the shoulders, cloud patterns below the shoulders, and tassel grid motifs on the body. The mouth of the bell is octagonal with curved edges, and the rim is adorned with the "Eight Trigrams" pattern.

The lower part of the shoulder bears inscriptions, but due to severe corrosion over time, only five characters—"Ji Zhi Fo" (积智佛) and "Qian Qiu" (千秋)—are legible. According to the "Boxing County Annals" and verifications by relevant experts, the bell is confirmed to be a casting from the Jin Dynasty, dating approximately between the 10th year of the Tianhui era of Emperor Taizong of Jin (1132) and the 4th year of the Zhenyuan era of Emperor Wanyan Liang of Jin (1156), making it over 800 years old. This large bell is a rare fusion of Buddhist and Taoist elements within Shandong Province.