Like the Chinese knots the bell is considered as an auspicious article in the Chinese tradition. On the grand ceremonies, people usually ring the bells 108 times to begin the celebration. It is said that there are 12 months, 24 solar terms and 72 hou (5 days a hou) on the Chinese lunar calendar, 108 in all and according to Buddhism, people have 108 worries which will be removed by the bell. The bell-ringing on the eve of the Chinese Spring Festival would captivate many people as its echo carries around the vicinity, whether you were close by or just heard it via the TV broadcast. Here, in the Great Bell Temple (Dazhong Si), you could take a very close look at the grandness of this very significant great bell.
The Great Bell Temple, located in the Haidian District of Beijing, was built in the year 1733 of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and initially bestowed with the name 'Juesheng Si'. 10 years later during the reign of another emperor, a great bell was moved into the temple, hence the name. Since then, it was often chosen by the emperors to pray for rain and blessings for the people
The temple displays a number of many large buildings, such as the Mountain Gate, the Bell and Drum Tower, the Scripture Collection Pavilion, the Great Bell Tower and other halls. Among these, the Great Bell Tower is the main part, which is a circular shape on the top and square below according to the Chinese saying that "the sky is circular and the earth is square".