Ningxia Watchtower Prohibited Bell

Ningxia Watchtower Prohibited Bell

Commonly known as the Ming Bell, it stands 210 cm tall with a diameter of 127 cm and features a double-dragon knob, with lotus patterns decorating its shoulders. The body of the bell has two rows of twelve square compartments inscribed with text. This bell was cast in the first month of the first year of the Chenghua era during the Ming Dynasty by Wang Qing, the Eunuch Supervisor of Ningxia; Zhang Tai, Commander-in-Chief and Regional Military Commissioner of the Western Expedition; Chen Jia, Provincial Governor and Right Vice Censor-in-Chief; and Zhang Rong, Deputy Commander-in-Chief in charge of inspections. They supervised the recasting of a damaged bell from a ruined Yuan Dynasty temple by adding copper to it. It is now housed in the Lakeside Pavilion of Zhongshan Park in Yinchuan.

The Ningxia Watchtower Prohibited Bell is the oldest existing large bell in Yinchuan. On April 24, 1993, it was designated as part of the second batch of cultural relics protection units in Yinchuan by the Yinchuan Municipal People's Government.

Source: Yinchuan Municipal Government Portal Website

Yinchuan Zhongshan Park

Yinchuan Wenchang Pavilion