The Big Bell Temple Ancient Bell Museum is located within the famous Big Bell Temple in Beijing. Originally named Juesheng Temple, Big Bell Temple was first built in the 11th year of the Qing dynasty's Yongzheng era. Covering an area of 30,000 square meters, the temple has a strict and magnificent layout and was historically an important site for royal rain-making ceremonies and Buddhist events. It earned its colloquial name "Big BellTemple" due to the treasured giant Buddha bell cast during the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty. Today, Big Bell Temple has transformed into a multifunctional museum that utilizes ancient architecture for tourism, collections, exhibitions, research, and the development of ancient bell cultural resources.

Most of the cultural relics within the Big Bell Temple have disappeared over time, so currently, apart from the Yongle Big Bell, the bells displayed in the Museum are not from the Big Bell Temple. The museum showcases over 400 ancient bells and chimes from both China and abroad, including 6 first-grade cultural relics, over 200 ancient bells, and over 190 ancient chimes. It is currently the only specialized museum in China dedicated to the collection, exhibition, research, development, and dissemination of knowledge about ancient bells and their cultural heritage.

The collections within the Big Bell Temple mainly focus on the Ming and Qing dynasties, with some items dating back to the Tang, Song, Yuan dynasties, and the Republic of China period. The museum also houses a small number of ancient pottery bells and foreign ancient bells. Most of the exhibited items within the Big Bell Temple are authentic, although there are a few replicas as well. Besides ancient bells, the temple also displays other items such as bell plates, water basins, incense burners, and bronze statues.

The Big Bell Temple Ancient Bell Museum was officially opened to the public in October 1985 and has since flourished for over 20 years. The museum is committed to collecting and researching bell and chime artifacts, actively seeking out bell-related cultural relics, documents, and historical materials, organizing exhibitions of ancient bells, and promoting Chinese bell culture.

Translator: ZHAO Huinan