The Bell Tower and the Bell-Casting Goddess (钟楼)

Peking · China · Tower

When the great bell tolls in stormy weather, Beijingers hear a girl crying for her embroidered shoe – the girl who threw herself into the molten bronze.

In the Bell Tower on Beijing's northern axis hangs a 63-tonne bronze bell from the Yongle era, the largest in China. Legend tells that master founder Hua Yan failed cast after cast – the bronze would not fuse, and the emperor's patience was about to cost him his head. At the final casting his daughter Hua Xian burst from the crowd, dressed in red, and leapt straight into the glowing melt. Her father caught only one embroidered shoe. In that instant the flames rose, the bronze flowed, and the bell came out perfect. A temple to the 'bell-casting goddess' was raised in a nearby lane. When night wind tears at the bell's toll, the note is said to turn mournful, and Beijing mothers would whisper to their children: sleep now – it is the founder's daughter calling for her shoe.

FAQ

Where is The Bell Tower and the Bell-Casting Goddess (钟楼) located?

The Bell Tower and the Bell-Casting Goddess (钟楼) is in Peking, China.

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