Evening bell at Nanping hill

From Wiki China org cn
The evening bell at Nanping Hill is one of the "Top Ten Scenic Spots of West Lake."

On Nov. 21, 1986, 108 strokes of the evening bell at Nanping Hill awakened the mountains and lakes in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, signifying the reappearance of the bell.

The bell had disappeared in the chaos of past wars, depriving the people of being able to hear its ring. Then, in October 1984, the bronze bell was recast with the help of Buddhist circles in Japan.

The bell, with a diameter of 2.3 m, is 3.6 m high and 10 tons in weight. The ringing sound can last as long as 120 seconds.

Hosted at Jingci Temple, the bell is one of the "Top Ten Scenic Spots of West Lake."

Jingci Temple was initially called "Huiri Yongming Temple." It was first built in AD 954 by the Wuyue Emperor for a famous monk named Yongming. In the South Song Dynasty, the name of the temple was changed to what it is called today: Jingci Temple.

In 1378, during the Ming Dynasty, a huge bell weighing about 20,000 jin (catties) was cast. When evening came, with the sun falling to the west, the bell echoed in the mountains and sky. As there were many caves and stones at Nanping Hill, the echo of the bell resounded back and forth among the rocks, spreading its ring to more than half of Hangzhou City.