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Bells of Ancient China and Beyond

Thousands of years ago, Chinese musicians worked with foundry technicians to cast matched sets of bronze bells of different sizes to produce a range of tones. They developed oval-shaped bells that, depending on where they were struck, produced two distinct pitches with an intentional interval between them. Here you will find bells in the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art.


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Bell (yong zhong)

Yoke rattle

Hollow shaft bell (nao) with spirals

Hollow shaft bell (nao) with masks (taotie) and dragons

Clapper bell (ling) with flange

Suspension bell with masks (taotie) and birds

Bell (bo) with mask (taotie), birds, and tigers

Bell (yong zhong)

Bell (bo) with birds

Hollow shaft bell (nao) with masks (taotie) from a set

Hollow shaft bell (nao) with taotie masks from a set

Collar bell with masks (taotie)

Clapper bell (ling) with masks (taotie)

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