According to the Extensive Anthologies of Tianfu, the
Yongle Bell was cast at the Han- Language Sutra Depot located
within the Gate of Desheng (Moral Victory). It seems that the Han-
Language Sutra Depot was the site where the bell was cast. At the
beginning of the 1980s, staff members of the museum made a survey
there. They did not find any traces of the Han- Language Sutra
Depot, but they found a horizontal inscribed board from the window-
sill of a house in Zhuzhong (Casting Bells) Lane within the Gate of
Desheng. The board bears the characters "the golden furnace for
casting bells, the Niangniang Miao (Temple of the Goddess of
Fertility)." Later from the Metal and Stone Department of Beijing
Library, they found three rubbings from stone tablets at the
bell-casting Temple of the Goddess of Fertility. One was from a
stone tablet inscribed by Liu Fangyuan in 1651 during the reign of
Emperor Shunzhi and the inscription referred to the bell-casting
yard. Another rubbing was taken from an inscription made on a stone
tablet by Daona, the abbot of the temple, in 1785 during the reign
of Emperor Qianlong. The inscription contained a record of the
rebuilding of the main hall of the bell - casting Temple of the
Goddess of Fertility. The third stone tablet was erected in the 7th
year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang (1827). The inscription
referred to the bell - casting yard at the Temple of the Goddess of
Fertility west of the Drum Tower. The three stone tablets carried
different appellations, but they were found from the same place.
This can be confirmed by a section in the book Anecdotes of the
Capital: "The bell-casting yard is situated east of the Gate
of Desheng. There is also the Zhenwu Miao (Temple of Genuine
Prowess). Inside it is a stone tablet with an inscription written
by Liu Fangyuan in the 8th year of the reign of Shunzhi (1651). The
Huayan Bell was suspended in the Wanshou Si (Temple of Longevity)
in the past. Now it has been moved to the Juesheng Si (Temple of
Awakening) in the north of the city." The horizontal inscribed
board at the bell - casting Temple of the Goddess of Fertility and
the stone tablet erected in the 7th year of the reign of Daoguang
have been collected by the Big Bell Temple.
???
Where was the Han- Language Sutra Depot? The former site was at
the Songzhu Temple and the adjacent Fayuan Temple and Zhizhu
Temple. According to a stone tablet inscription on the Fayuan
Temple, "The Fayuan Temple is to the left of the Songzhu Temple. To
the right is the Zhizhu Temple. The Buddhist temples are adjacent
to each other. They are the sites of the former Han- Language Sutra
Depot. During the reign of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, lamas were
invited to write Buddhist sutras. Hence the names of the Ethnic -
Languages Sutra Depot and the Han - Language Sutra Depot." The Han-
Language Sutra Depot was not a bell - casting workshop. According
to the History of the Ming Court written by Liu Ruoyu
during the reign of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, "The Han- Language
Sutra Depot was set up in the Imperial City. A number of eunuchs …
On the birthday of the emperor, the lunar New Year' s Day and the
Festival of the Dead Spirits, religious rites were performed in the
palace. Grand ministers of the Imperial Household Department paid
their respects to Buddha and flew streamers like monks. They wore
Buddhist caps, kasayas and black garments as monks did, but they
kept their hair. When the service was over, they put on their
official garments again." The Han- Language Sutra Depot was an
institution of Buddhist services under the charge of the Palace
Treasury. So it is not difficult to understand why the Yongle Bell
"has always been stored at the l-tan- Language Sutra Depot" as
described in the Brief Account of Sights in the Imperial
Capital.
???
The Yongle Bell was carried from the bell - casting yard to the
Han- Language Sutra Depot in the Imperial City as its first move in
history. According to the Private Gleanings of the Wanli Reign,
"The Temple of Longevity was built at a site three and a half
kilometers outside the Xizhimen (Straight West Gate). There are the
Ethnic- Languages Sutra Depot and the Han- Language Sutra Depot.
They have been out of repair for many years. Emperor Muzong had
them repaired, but the project was not completed. Han- language
sutras were moved there." So the?? Yongle Bell was
also moved to the Temple of Longevity during the reign of Emperor
Wanli. Every day it was struck by six monks. It served as a musical
instrument for blessings and Buddhist services. This was the second
move of the Yongle Bell.
???
The Yongle Bell was transferred from the Temple of Longevity to
the Temple of Awakening as the third move. Who made the decision?
Almost all the relevant historical documents maintain that it was
Emperor Qianlong who ordered the move. In 1980, we found a memorial
to the emperor from China No. 1 Historical Archives Museum. The
memorial was recorded in the archives of memorials of the Imperial
Household Department in the 4th month of the 11th year of the
Yongzheng period (1733). The full text is as follows: "Imperial
Prince Zhuang and other ministers presented a memorial to the
Emperor on the 16th day of the month: Concerning the move of the
bell at the Temple of Longevity, Vice Bureau Director Guan Zhining
and Bureau Secretary Hong Wenlan found out that since the Temple of
Awakening is located in the north of the capital and southeast of
the Yuanmingyuan (Garden of Perfection and Brightness) and the body
of the bell is made of metal, it will be most appropriate to move
the bell to the Temple of Awakening. If it is moved to a place
southeast of the capital, it will be located in the direction of
the Tanlang Muxing (literally meaning the star of the wood) and the
metal and the wood will subdue each other. So it will be
inappropriate to move the bell there. The Temple of Awakening
consists of five halls, and the rear hall is connected with the
element of earth: If another building is constructed behind that
hall, it will signify the mutual generation of metal and earth. The
new building will be most appropriate for housing the bell. If Your
Majesty permit, we will, in conjunction with Su Hena, present to
you a blueprint of the bell building to be built behind the rear
hall. The Emperor approved the memorial."
???
A lot of data and archives can prove that the Yongle Bell
was suspended in the newly built big bell tower before the 8th year
of the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1743) at the latest.? As it
is put correctly in the Cultural Relics and Archaeology in
Beijing, "It was decided to move the bell in the 11th year of
the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. The entire project of building the
big bell tower and suspending the big bell was completed at the
beginning of the reign of Emperor Qianlong."