Datong Bell Tower

　　The bell tower of Datong Catholic Church is a structure with a history of nearly 70 years. The tower is made of high-quality materials, features a unique design, is sturdy and majestic, and stands tall on the "Watermelon Peak" of Changlong Mountain in the center of Datong Town. It has a square column shape, with each side approximately 4 meters long, a circular archway, and is about 20 meters high, consisting of three levels. It is currently the tallest building in Datong Town. From the top, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Datong and have an unobstructed view of both banks of the Que River.

　　The Datong Catholic Church bell tower was completed on August 18, 1936 (the 25th year of the Republic of China). Although it has endured nearly 70 years, its majestic presence remains undiminished. Many know that this bell tower was built by the Spanish in Datong, but why did the Spanish build it in Datong Town, Tongling County? It turns out that in the summer of 1931 (the 20th year of the Republic of China), the then Nationalist Government issued "China Aviation and Highway Construction Prize Bonds" nationwide to raise funds. Each "dollar" could buy five bonds, with one winning group for every 5 million bonds. The first prize was 250,000 yuan, along with several second and third prizes with cash rewards. Zhu Muye, a native of Qingyang County, came to Datong Town specifically to purchase goods. Coincidentally, the town was bustling with prize bond sales, so he joined in the excitement and spent one dollar to buy five bonds. To his surprise, Zhu had extraordinary luck—not only did he win the first prize, but he also won three "double prizes." This meant that the five bonds he purchased had numbers in two different prize groups, and he won the first prize in both, earning a total of 500,000 yuan. Even by today’s standards, this was no small sum, yet the agency selling the bonds in Datong was unable to pay the full amount, giving him only 50,000 yuan in cash. Zhu then traveled to Nanjing, the headquarters of the prize bond issuance, and withdrew another 100,000 yuan from the bank there. For the remaining amount, he was inexplicably given a rubber check worth 350,000 yuan.

　　Overnight, Zhu Muye became incredibly wealthy, transforming from a small-time trader into a millionaire. However, trouble soon followed. As a small grocery merchant, he was besieged daily by people asking to borrow money or demanding repayment, and even worse, shady characters tried every trick in the book to extort money from him. Although winning such a large sum should have been a joyous occasion, it brought Zhu nothing but problems. He dared not stay at home during the day or sleep at night, and even shut down his tiny grocery store in the small alley of Qingyang County town, fearing for his life.

　　A devout Catholic, Zhu Muye thought long and hard and decided to donate all the money to build a grand church. He then traveled again to Nanjing and handed over the 150,000 yuan he had withdrawn along with the 350,000 yuan check to the headquarters of the Catholic Church run by the Spanish in Nanjing. Representatives from the Nanjing Catholic Church headquarters came to Qingyang County and Datong Town in Tongling County, expanding the original Catholic churches there on a large scale. They built several classrooms and the present-day bell tower.

　　The classrooms and bell tower of the Catholic Church in Datong Town were built at the same time as those in Qingyang County. Both were completed on August 18, 1936 (clear inscriptions on the wall of the Catholic church bell tower in Datong can still be seen today).

　　After decades of wind and rain, the several single-story classroom buildings have long been damaged and demolished. To protect the bell tower, the People's Government of Datong Town demolished several nearby residential houses in 2002, cleared out miscellaneous items inside the bell tower, and developed an approximately 2,000-square-meter green space around it, planted with flowers, grass, and trees, for visitors to enjoy. The Datong Bell Tower is now listed as a key cultural relic protection unit by the Tongling Municipal People's Government.