In my previous blog post I introduced a brief history of ancient Chinese bells, primarily focusing on the Qianlong Court Bell. In this post, I will further examine the shape and materiality of this bell, by reflecting on the tradition of bronze casting in China.
Bells in ancient China served four main purposes:
- for music-making and entertainment during festivities
- for announcing the night watches
- for declaring stature in the imperial court
- for religious purposes, such as communicating with ancestral spirits
Bells are either flat or round in shape. Flat bells or Zhong bells, with an almond-shaped cross section, were often used for making music. Chinese bells do not contain clappers, so sound is produced with the strike of a hammer or wooden stick against the bell’s surface. Depending on where the bell is struck, it produces two different tones that are a third apart and completely independent of each other. A strike in the middle produces a lower note, also known as sui. A strike along the edge of the bell produces a higher tone, or gu. The almond-shaped cross section produces a tone that dies quickly, so that it does not interfere with any music that follows. Chinese musical bells were often produced in sets of different sizes, and altogether they could play a number of different harmonies.
Imperial bells, cast during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1122 BC), were often much larger and heavier than Zhong bells. The Qianlong Court Bell falls within this category. It is round in shape, with a round cross-section. It is likely that this bell was played on its own, with the purpose of announcing an imperial ritual rather than producing a tuned melody. These large court bells produce a deep sound that dies slowly.
- Musical Bells vs. Court Bell
Ancient bells from China were often cast from bronze during the Shang Dynasty, such as the Qianlong Court Bell. Bronze casting is a complex form of art that requires great skill and craftsmanship. The refined skill of pottery making in ancient China may have led to the great understanding and skill of bronze-casting that was later developed in the country.
Bronze is an alloy, which means that it is composed of two or more metals. The primary element in bronze is copper, which accounts for roughly 85-95% of the alloy. Copper is rarely extracted from the earth in its pure form, and it usually contains a number of metal impurities. The remaining 5-15% of the bronze alloy usually includes tin, arsenic or lead. Since tin is abundant in China, it was the main additive used in making bronze. Adding tin to copper increased the strength of the bronze, and also lowered its melting point, making it easier to cast into molds. However, adding too much tin could make the bronze alloy brittle and weak. Therefore, there was great skill required in the preliminary steps of mixing the right metals to create the optimal bronze that was used in casting the bells. There was also great danger in working with these alloys, since they could emit poisonous fumes during the melting process.
Casting large bells was a laborious set of procedures that required lengthy experience. Large crucibles were required to hold the large volumes of molten alloys, and multiple furnaces were needed to melt the bronze in the crucibles simultaneously. The molds for the bells were made of clay, and intricate motifs of animals, plants, clouds, geometric patterns and ritual inscriptions were carefully cast into the clay itself. Once the bronze cooled after pouring, the clay mold was broken, and the bronze was hammered to increase the strength of the bell.
Bronze bells are rarely cast in contemporary China. The process that was used thousands of years ago is not fully understood, and is extremely difficult to replicate today. However, bronze casting can be encountered in the design of Chinese incense burners, sacrificial vessels and statues.
By: Iva Mihaylova
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