Ancient Bell Museum of The Great Bell Temple

If you are planning your next holiday trip in Beijing then do not forget to include Ancient Bell Museum of The Great Bell Temple in your list of sightseeing. The largest bell of China is in The Bell Temple situated in the west of Beijing.

The bell which is popularly called Yongle Bell after the emperor Ming Yongle was built around 600 years ago. The bell weighing 46.5 tons, is 6.75 meters high and3.3 meters in diameter. The bell is called the king of all bells in China. A recent research conducted by Chinese Academy of Science revealed that the clear and the sharp sound of the bell can reach upto 120 decibels and can be heard from 50 kilometers away in the night. Experts of Chinese Acoustics Institutes mentioned that the frequency of the melodious tone of this bell ranges from 22 TO 800 Hertz.

The most important feature of the Great Bell is the inscription of Buddhist Sutras.


The temple was earlier named The Temple of Awakening the Living. The emperors of China used to hold lavish ceremonies in this temple in times of drought.

The bell was earlier kept in Longevity Temple. The bell was shifted through a ditch dug speciallyfor this purpose.

The museum built in the temple has a collection of huge variety of bells. The museum reveals the story of evolution of bells. The Ancient Bell Museum which is one of the tourist attractions of Beijing collects, exhibits, has arrangement for study and research of different types of bells. Bells of various sizes. Bells kept in this temple are usually made of bronze and belong to ancient times.The museum was first opened in 1985. From then onwards Ancient Bell Museum of The Great Temple Beijing has been a favourite spot for tourists.