The Bell of the Maitreya Nunnery was
cast in the 46th year of the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming
Dynasty (1618) "devoutly by Tian Zhao, a supervisor of the Palace
of Heavenly Purity, a seal-holding director of the Caps and
Kerchiefs Service and an imperial eunuch." The bell was originally
suspended at the Maitreya Nunnery in Beijing. It is 1.64 meters in
height, 1.04 meters in rim diameter and 570 kilograms in weight. An
ancient saying goes, "The morning bell and the dusk drum awake many
people who seek fame and gain." So people believed that at every
temple, the bell was struck in the morning and the drum was beaten
at dusk. But one inscription cast on the bell reads: "Strike the
bell in the morning." Another inscription reads: "Strike the bell
in the evening." Obviously the bell was struck in the morning and
at dusk as well. So the bell was also known as "the morning and
dusk bell." The Monastic Rules for Buddhists Compiled by
Imperial Order says, "The big bell at a Buddhist monastery is
used to issue orders. When it is struck in the morning, it breaks
the long night and awakes those from their sleep. When it is struck
at dusk, it arouses fear of the night and dispels ignorance." As a
poem of the Tang Dynasty goes, "Outside Gusu City, Cold Mountain
Temple -- late at night the sound of its bell reaches a traveler's
boat."