Golden Bell

This bell is one of a set of sixteen bells of various tones that were originally hung together in a wooden frame and struck with a hammer. Producing a magnificent musical ensemble (known as Zhonghe shaoyue, lit. "harmonious, splendid music"), the set is the quintessence of imperial ritual music during the Qing dynasty. Cast in the fifty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign (1790), the set of sonorous golden bells cost a tremendous amount of over 13,600 taels (liang) of gold.