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- Unfortunately by the 1980s, the inscriptions had become so corroded that it was no longer possible to read the inscriptions. Following its removal indoors to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in 1989 and subsequent restoration by "plastic blasting" to remove the excess corrosion, the inscription became slightly clearer and the date could be confirmed as being from the reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty. However, the remainder of the information such as the Liu family artisans, the name of the convent or temple, the name of the city of Funing and large parts of the donor list, are no longer decipherable, and thus cannot be confirmed. Therefore, we must rely on the scholarship of the aforementioned translators whose translations appear to be consistent with each other.
Beneath the inscription is another band of dots in relief followed by the eight lobes of the mouth. Each lobe has a circular relief and is decorated with exquisite floral sprays of various flowers in fine relief. There are eight large Chinese characters on each lobe. Each character represents a certain power in nature�either active or passive such as Heaven and Earth, fire and water, wind and thunder, mountains and sea.6
The bell has a weight of 479 kgs (954 lbs) and a total height of 1.36 metres.
This bell, like all large bells of China, is without a clapper. Bells like this were struck on the outside with ramrods of wood suspended horizontally by ropes from above. The bell remains stationary and wooden poles or beams are swung at it like battering rams. The ramrods striking the bell would create a rich, deep-toned sound with prolonged vibrations. The ramrod must not rest against the bell or it will blur the tone.
BELLS IN CHINA
The earliest bell so far excavated in China is one which dates to the Longshan culture some five to six thousand years ago and was made of clay. It was unearthed near Xi'an in Shaanxi province.
China was one of the first countries in the world to cast bells made of bronze. The earliest Chinese bronze bells date back at least to the fourteenth century B.C. of the Shang dynasty. The Chinese also invented, developed and perfected tuned bells earlier than anyone else. By at least the 6th century B.C. sets of finely tuned bells were being produced and the Chinese even based their bulk measurements on the musical pitches of bells.
The earliest bronze bells (nao) were shaped like a grain scoop, with its mouth facing upwards and the long handle set in a wooden stand. It would have been struck with a wooden mallet. By the end of the Western Zhou period (11 th�7th century B.C.) bells (zhong) had a loop for suspension, and were hung upside down to produce a clearer sound. The largest set of ancient Chinese bells unearthed in China so far comes from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of the State of Zeng, which dates to the late 5th century, B.C. Some 64 bronze bells made up the set.
Early bronze bells in China were used not only as musical instruments for religious ceremonies, but also symbolized a dignitary's rank and power, as they were rare and valued properties. Bells after the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) were largely used for imperial court ceremonies (Confucian in nature) and in religious, particularly Buddhist, ceremonies. Drums were also absorbed into Buddhist worship, so there are usually two towers in a temple, one for a large bell and one for a large drum.
From the Tang dynasty (618-906) onward, bell casting flourished and iron was also being used to make them. China went on to produce a large number of big bells. Thousands of bells still survive in China dating from the Tang, the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Most of these were bells made for Buddhist temples, but they were also present in Confucian and Daoist temples as well as being used on various walls and towers as a warning system and to mark certain times of the day.
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