418 years since the discovery of an ancient bell of the Ming Dynasty in Quanzhou, Fujian, the city of world heritage
2022-10-19
In Quanzhou, Fujian, a world heritage city, the Tonghuai Pass Yuemiao, which is full of incense, is one of the most famous places for folk belief activities in southern Fujian, and its spirit is widely spread in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asian countries. Recently, in the routine inspection of the Yuemiao Temple at Tonghuai Pass in Quanzhou, a large clock cast in the 32nd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1604 AD) was found. The reporter learned from the news briefing held on the 18th that the ancient clock is made of iron, with a height of 120cm, a diameter of 70cm, a thickness of 5cm and a weight of about 350kg. It has a history of 418 years. "Before that, the ancient bell had been hanging on the left beam of the main gate of the Yuemiao Temple at Tonghuaiguan Pass, Quanzhou." Chen Qingyuan, chairman of the Yuemiao Temple at Tonghuaiguan Pass, Quanzhou, said that the inscriptions on the front of the ancient bell, such as "Greeting Spring in the City", "Guanwang Temple Bell", "Auspicious Rili in March of the 32nd year of Wanli", were still clearly visible. It is reported that the Spring Festival Gate is one of the ancient city gates of Quanzhou, which is located near the Tumen Watergate. According to Wanli's Records of Quanzhou Prefecture, Volume IV, Records of Regulations, Dichi, in the 37th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, "in the disaster of Deji Gate, Xiong Ruda rebuilt it, and the Tonghuai Gate was renamed as Yingchun Gate, and the Nanxun Gate was renamed as Tongjin Gate.". In 1558, Xiong Ruda, the governor of Quanzhou, rebuilt the Deji Gate after a fire broke out in Deji Gate, and renamed Tonghuai Gate as Yingchun Gate, Nanxun Gate as Tongjin Gate. Other gates still retain their original names. According to the textual research of many cultural relics experts in Quanzhou, the Tonghuai Pass Yuemiao had existed at the current site at that time, which was called "Guanwang Temple". Therefore, the bell was undoubtedly the original Tonghuai Pass Yuemiao. Experts also found that Li Guangjin, a great scholar of the Ming Dynasty, recorded in the Epitaph, Volume VIII of his famous book Jingbi Collection, that he once wrote an inscription for the clock at Guanwang Temple, which said, "Because there is no clock in the temple, the ten thousand calendar years old, and the people in the interior metallurgy is the clock". In addition, the ancient clock is highly consistent with the age information of "Guan Zhuang Miao Hou Temple Clock" in the Annals of Yuemiao Temple at Tonghuai Pass in Quanzhou, which basically confirms that the clock is an ancient clock recorded in historical books. At the briefing, Wu Youxiong, a professor of Quanzhou Normal University and founder of Quanzhou Urban Folk Belief Research Association, He Zhenliang, director of Quanzhou Prefecture Confucian Temple Cultural Relics Protection Institute, Chen Pengpeng, a member of Fujian Provincial Cultural Relics Identification Team and former director of Quanzhou Cultural Relics Protection Research Center, respectively evaluated the ancient clocks of the Ming Dynasty at Tonghuai Pass in Quanzhou for their customs and belief culture, cultural relics description and cultural relics value. "The ancient bell of the Ming Dynasty is the oldest known cultural relic in the Tonghuai Pass Yuemiao." Chen Pengpeng pointed out that according to Li Guangjin's inscription, the Tonghuai Pass Yuemiao "has no bell", which indicates that the ancient bell of the Ming Dynasty is the first bell in the temple, and it is larger than the common iron bell. As time goes by, the ancient bell and the Tonghuai Pass Yuemiao have gone through more than four centuries together. Every year, festivals and important events are marked by the ringing of the bell. Today, the bell still sounds loud and lingering. This ancient clock is now collected in the exhibition hall on the third floor of Tonghuai Cultural Museum, Yuemiao, Tonghuai Pass, Quanzhou. It is the same look and different ways for believers at home and abroad to admire. Guan Gong's belief is widely spread at home and abroad, and has become one of the representatives of the Chinese national culture. Tens of thousands of Guan temples around the world play an important role in cultural exchanges. "The soul goes back to Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, the head rests on Luoyang, Henan Province, the body lies in Dangyang, Hubei Province, the mind is fixed on Dongshan, Fujian Province, and the soul is connected to the Huaihe River in Quanzhou"
Edit：qihang Responsible editor：xinglan
Source：CNS.cn
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