The bell was originally cast for a Taoist temple, then moved to Xi’an bell tower, hidden away during the Second Sino-Japanese war, and finally found its place at the Xi’an Beilin Museum, aka 碑林博物馆 Stele Forest Museum.
National Treasure 国宝
Jingyun Bell 景云钟
Composed and Calligraphy by Emperor Li Dan | Bronzeware | 2nd year of Jingyun Period, Tang Dynasty (711) | Xi’an Beilin Museum collection. 唐睿宗李旦撰並書｜銅器｜唐景雲二年（711）｜西安碑林博物館藏
Composed and Calligraphy by Emperor Li Dan | Bronzeware | 2nd year of Jingyun Period, Tang Dynasty (711) | Xi’an Beilin Museum collection
This bell was cast in the 2nd year of Jingyun Period of the Tang Dynasty (711), hence its name. It weighs six tons, with beast button on its top. The rim of it is in the shape of hexagon.
The body of the bell is divided into three sections, the upper, middle and the lower ones, each section is subdivided into six squares. The middle square in the lower section is engraved with inscriptions, which were composed and written by Emperor Ruizong (Li Dan) of Tang Dynasty. It tells us the mystery of the Taoism and some words of praise of the bell.
The other sections are decorated with exquisite designs that include the representations of a phoenix, lion, crane, and a cow as well as auspicious clouds together with the 32 studs that work both as decoration and rhythm adjustment.1
Pulao 蒲牢
A dragon on a bell handle, often seen on East Asian temple bells, usually represents the mythical creature Pulao 蒲牢, one of the nine sons of the dragon, who loves to scream and is therefore placed on bells to ward off evil and bring good fortune, symbolising protection and power, with the striker often shaped like a whale, his nemesis, to elicit a mighty sound.
Apsara 飛天
They originated in Hinduism as “Apsara” (Sanskrit: अप्सरा); a member of a class of celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They are originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, who later plays the role of a “nymph” or “fairy”.2
Tang-Style Loong (Chinese Dragon)
The Chinese dragon or loong is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture generally. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms, such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. They traditionally symbolise potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water and weather.4 By Tang dynasty (618-907), the dragon takes up a more natural form, mimicking real life animals. Scales appear on its body. A mane develops below the head, the nostrils higher than its eyes, the tail becomes tapered and the horns become longer.
Chinese Phoenix or Fenghuang
The Chinese phoenix, or Fenghuang 凤凰, is a mythical bird symbolising peace, prosperity, virtue, and the harmonious union of yin and yang, often paired with the loong as a symbol of blissful marriage or good rule, appearing only in times of great fortune.
Inscription on the Bell 唐睿宗李旦撰並書
Emperor Ruizong of Tang 唐睿宗李旦6 (662-716) was the fifth (r. 684-690) and ninth (r. 710-712) emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty. The word “Rui” 睿 has the meaning of wise. He was wholly a figurehead during his first reign when he was controlled by his mother, and he was the titular and puppet ruler of the Tang Empire from 684 to 690. During his second reign after his mother’s death, significant power and influence was exercised by his sister Princess Taiping. He abdicated both times, the first time to his mother, Wu Zetian 武則天, whom abolished the dynasty and declared the Wu Zhou reign; the second time under the influence of Princess Taiping to Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji 李隆基, who was his third son. The inscription was written during his second reign. 7
Li Dan was a master of calligraphy according to history texts.8 Dou Meng, a Tang calligraphy critic, wrote in his “Notes on Calligraphy”, “Ruizong (his title) is a good calligrapher that follows past master, the calligraphy style is upright and not flashy.” The inscription is mainly based on regular script and mixed with Seal, Li and cursive characters, which adds to the charm of the inscription. For example, the character “之” (above) is like a bird shape at the top point, and the subsequent continuous strokes are like cursive lines, which is a very interesting glyph.
Xi’an Bell Tower 西安鐘樓
The original giant bell of Xi’an Bell Tower was the Jingyun bell. It was originally used by Jinglong temple 景龍觀 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, the Jingyun bell was moved to Stele Forest Museum and is now on display there. The Xi’an Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics made a replica of the Jingyun Bell. It was hung on the northwest corner of the base of the Xi’an Bell Tower on January 30, 1997 and is now open to tourists.
One more fun fact about the bell itself – it provided the bell sound sample heard at midnight in CCTV New Year’s Gala every year. The bell itself probably won’t be sounded anymore for conservation purposes–it is over 1300 years old at this point.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- 钟重六吨，口沿为六角弧形，顶端有兽钮。钟身分上中下三段，每段分六格，除下段中格为铭文外，其余饰动物、飞天形象。铭文292字，内容记述了道教的神秘玄妙和时人对景云钟的夸赞。Museum information card, Mar 2024 ↩︎
- 飛天（梵語：अप्सरा，羅馬化：apsarā），是佛教中在诸佛周围飞行、礼赞的天人。
飛天一詞出自於《洛陽伽藍記》卷二載：“石橋南道，有景興尼寺，亦閹官等所共立也。有金像輦，去地三尺，施寶蓋，四面垂金鈴七寶珠，飛天伎樂，望之雲表。”[1]。飛天最早誕生於古印度，後傳入中國[2]，與中國藝術融合。魏晉南北朝初期，壁畫中的飛天亦稱飛仙。莫高窟的492個洞窟中，幾乎皆畫有飛天。[3]
飛天是乾闥婆和緊那羅相混合[4]，《大智度论》中说:“乾闼婆是诸天伎人，随逐诸天，为诸天作乐。”[5]飛天男女不分，職能不分，以香為食，不近酒肉，有佛陀出現的場合，便一定有飛天存在。《阿闥婆吠陀》中說飛天有6,333個，每當天上舉行佛會，便凌空飛舞，拋灑鮮花，以作歌舞，用歌聲、舞姿、音樂、鮮花、食物供養諸佛。
道教也有飛天。董思靖在《洞玄灵宝自然九天生神章经解义》指出：“飞天大圣无极神王者, 如《度人经》中所载十方飞天神王是也。谓之飞天, 言其迹之无滞也。”[6] https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/飛天_(佛教), accessed 17 Dec 2025 ↩︎ - Gilt Iron-cored Copper Dragon 鎏金铁芯铜龙
Iron | Tang dynasty (618-907) | Dimensions – H: 34cm, L: 28cm, W: 2800g | Shaanxi History Museum, Excavated from the Southern Suburbs of Xi’an City in 1975. 铁｜唐 (公元618年-907年)｜高34厘米，长28厘米；重2.800千克 | 陕西历史博物馆，1975年西安市南郊草场坡出土 ↩︎ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_dragon, accessed 17 Dec 2025 ↩︎
- Inscription on the Bell 唐睿宗李旦撰並書原夫一氣凝真，含紫虛而構極；三清韞秘，控碧落而崇因。雖大道無為，濟物歸於善貸；而妙門有教，滅咎在於希聲。景龍觀者，中宗孝和皇帝之所造也。曾城寫質，閬苑圖形。但名在騫林，而韻停鐘虡。朕翹情八素，締想九元，命彼鼓延，鑄斯無射。考虞倕之懿法，得晉曠之宏規。廣召鯨工，遠徵鳧匠，耶溪集寶，麗壑收珍。警風雨之辰，節昏明之候。飛廉扇炭，屏翳營爐，翥鶴呈姿，蹲熊發狀。角而不震，侈而克揚，庶其曉散靈音，鎮入鵷鸞之殿；夕騰仙韻，恆流𫛛鵲之闈。聾俗聽而而咸痊，迷方聞而永悟。洪鈞式啓，寶字攸鐫。其銘曰：紫宸御歷，青元樹因。傾岩集寶，竭府收珍。杜夔律應，張永規陳。形包九乳，儀超萬鈞。上資七廟，傍延兆人。風嚴韻急，霜重音新。自茲千歲，從今億春。縣玉京而薦福，侶銅史而司辰。 景雲二年，太歲辛亥，金九癸酉金朔，一十五日丁亥鑄成。
译文:
原来天地间一切真质的东西，都是一种太乙混然之气凝结而成，包括无穷无尽的太空。道家的教义,祖藏奥秘,其主旨在于倡导天地间万事万物的“因应变化于无为。 ”虽大道是无为,而对万事万物,却主张务必宽贷。众妙门的教化，也在于消灭祸于无形。
https://baike.baidu.com/item/景云铜钟/10123680, accessed 17 Dec 2025 ↩︎ - 唐睿宗李旦（662年6月22日—716年7月13日），唐高宗李治和武則天幼子，唐朝皇帝，曾用名李旭倫、李倫、武輪，他一生兩繼大統，兩度禪位。两次登基，第一次為天后武氏（登基前的武則天）廢唐中宗李顯而繼位，在位时间是文明元年至載初二年（684年2月27日－690年10月16日），後上表自行退位，禪讓予母親武則天；第二次是在唐隆政变誅除韋皇后及其黨羽後復辟，在位时间是景雲元年至延和元年（710年7月25日－712年9月8日），後退位，內禪予其子李隆基（唐玄宗）。李旦為唐高宗李治諸子之中排行第八，母为武则天，李弘、李贤、唐中宗李顯都是其同母兄长，太平公主則為其同母妹妹。https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/唐睿宗, accessed 17 Dec 2025 ↩︎
- 「三讓天下」的唐睿宗李旦 2022-07-19, 李旦是唐高宗李治和武則天所生的第四位兒子。高宗駕崩後，李旦的三兄李顯即皇帝位，是為中宗。李顯名義上是皇帝，但〈高宗遺詔〉云「軍國大事有不決者，兼取天后進止」（註1），故其時實際掌權的是他的母親，高宗的天后武則天。由於中宗意欲重用其岳父韋玄貞等外戚的勢力以抗衡其母，故武則天決意廢黜中宗，改立李旦為帝，是為睿宗。然而李旦自即位依始便被以太后身份臨朝聽政的武則天下令「居於別殿」（註2），可見其僅是個傀儡皇帝，並無實權。有見其母稱帝之心昭然若揭，而自己的三名兄長李弘、李賢和李顯在違逆母親之意後均沒有好下場，故此李旦自請讓天下予母親，懇求武則天稱帝。天授元年（690）九月，武則天同意兒子和群臣的請求稱帝，睿宗李旦則被降為皇嗣。
聖曆元年（698）三月，武則天接受了李昭德、狄仁傑等人的建議，從房陵召回李旦的三兄李顯，有意讓他成為皇位繼承人。李旦得悉後「數稱疾不朝，請讓位於中宗。」（註3） 顯然皇嗣李旦不願與皇兄爭權，這除了歸因於他深知長幼有序的原則外，李顯是高宗皇位的合法繼承人這一事實亦不容忽視。武則天最終亦成全了李旦的推讓，名正言順地立李顯為太子，而李旦則被封為相王。這次讓位既避免了李唐皇室中常見的兄弟鬩牆，又突顯了李旦的識大體。
神龍元年（705）政變後，武則天退位，群臣擁立中宗。然而宮廷鬥爭在中宗復辟後越演越烈。景龍四年（710）六月，韋皇后與女兒安樂公主患謀毒殺中宗，另立少帝李重茂。由於韋后「引用其黨，分握政柄」（註4），企圖效法武則天篡唐稱帝，李旦的第三子李隆基和妹妹太平公主等遂聯絡禁軍將領發動政變，且在誅殺韋后和廢黜少帝後擁立李旦為帝。第二次登基的睿宗在即位後的一個月即立「有社稷大功」（註5） 的李隆基為皇太子。然而太平公主意欲「搖動東宮」（註6），故睿宗聽從張說的建議，下制讓皇太子監國。其後更在先天元年（712）八月把帝位傳于李隆基（即唐玄宗），自稱太上皇帝，但對於「三品已上除授及大刑獄」等重大事件仍「自決之」（註7）。 一年後玄宗平定了太平公主之亂，太上皇帝李旦謂：「朕將高居無為，自今後軍國刑政一事以上，並取皇帝處分。」（註8） 正式把統治大唐帝國的重任轉交予其三子李隆基。玄宗繼位後任用姚崇、宋璟等賢相，大力發展經濟，提倡文教，開創了繁榮穩定的「開元盛世」。而卸下權力後的李旦則活至開元四年（716）才平安離世。https://mychistory.com/c001/2/g0081, accessed 17 Dec 2025 ↩︎ - 【帝王與書法】 唐睿宗撰書 〈景龍觀鐘銘〉, THE MERIT TIMES, 文／陳俊光 2013-09-19 10:00
根據歷史的記載，唐睿宗的性情善良，喜好讀書，《舊唐書》載：「（睿宗）謙恭孝友，好學，工草隸，尤愛文字訓詁之書。」
他喜好文字，書法寫得也好，唐人書法評論家竇蒙，在他的《述書賦注》記述：「睿宗好書史，尚古質，書法正體，不樂浮華。」
睿宗李旦的字非常質樸，且充滿趣味。現今西安碑林博物館藏有「景雲鐘」一座，此鐘是當時為景龍觀所鑄之青銅鐘，名為「景龍觀鐘」，鐘鑄有銘文一篇，其文正是睿宗皇帝親自撰寫，後人稱之為〈景龍觀鐘銘〉。
書體工整，有十八行，每行七十字，總共二百九十二字。節錄銘文拓本兩處（如附圖）。
此銘文通篇以正書為主，其中夾雜有幾個篆、隸及草字的造型和筆法，增添了作品古樸的韻致，例如：「一」字，有點像漢隸的蠶頭雁尾；而「之」字的寫法，最上的一點像鳥形，之後的連筆似草書線條，很有趣的字形。
初看這銘文字肥肥厚厚似「顏體」，以為睿宗是學顏真卿，但景雲二年，顏真卿才三歲，那當然是不可能的！https://www.merit-times.com/news/162357, accessed 17 Dec 2025 ↩︎
#国家一级文物 #中国首批禁止出国境展览文物 #天下第一名钟
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