Bell tower at Night, Xian, Shaanxi Province, PRC, People's Republic of China, Asia
by Neale And Judith Clark
Title
Bell tower at Night, Xian, Shaanxi Province, PRC, People's Republic of China, Asia
Artist
Neale And Judith Clark
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Xian Bell tower at Night, Xian, Shaanxi Province, PRC, People's Republic of China, Asia
Alamy ref:DMP537
The Bell Tower of Xi'an built in 1384 during the early Ming Dynasty, is a symbol of the city of Xi'an and one of the grandest of its kind in China. The Bell Tower also contains several large bronze-cast bells from the Tang Dynasty.
It is located in the center of Xi'an, at the intersection of the four streets of the east, west, south and north. It is the largest and most preserved one amongst the many bell towers left over from ancient China.
Xi'an Bell Tower was built in the 17th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1384). It was originally located at the Yingxiang Temple (迎祥观) of Guangji Street, north of West Street, facing the Xi'an Drum Tower.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xi'an Bell Tower was overhauled five times. In August 1956, it was listed in the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government as the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in Shaanxi Province. It was officially opened to the public in 1984.
Similar to other Chinese clock towers, Xi'an Bell Tower was mainly used for time reporting and publishing news in ancient times.
It has also been used for many other purposes in history. During the Revolution of 1911, the Rebels fought fiercely with the Qing army deployed here. During the War of Protecting the Nation, the Shaanxi Warlord Chen Shupan started the riots against Yuan Shikai from here. In 1927, Shilin, who came back from studying in the United States, opened a sound cinema here. This is the first cinema in Xi'an history. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Xi’an Bell Tower became an alarm station for warning the Japanese air raids because of its high terrain. The GuoMingDang also used its four-door door to imprison criminals. During the period after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it became the rostrum of the parade, review and celebrations on Labor Day and National Day.
The original giant bell of Xi'an Bell Tower was the "JingYun" bell cast by the year of Jingyun in the Tang Dynasty. It was originally used by Jinglong temple in Chang'an City (currently in Xi'an West Street today). It was moved to Xi'an Bell Tower in the early Ming Dynasty. In 1953, JingYun bell moved to Xi'an Beilin Museum and is now on display in Dongting.
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March 27th, 2023
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