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."
