23 Mar 2017

A Chinese bell that is a replica of an ancient musical instrument is back on display at the Council’s Civic Offices.

The Wuhan Bell, which is a “bianzhong” made of ornate bronze, was originally gifted to Christchurch in 2006 when a sister city relationship with Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China, was first announced. 

Governor Wang Xiaodong and Mayor Lianne Dalziel unveiled the refurbished Wuhan B

Governor Wang Xiaodong and Mayor Lianne Dalziel unveiled the refurbished Wuhan Bell.

In return, Christchurch City Council gave Wuhan a large, valuable piece of pounamu.

The wooden frame that supported the bell was damaged in the 2011 earthquakes and the instrument was placed into storage.

Late last year a replacement steel frame made in Hubei province arrived in Christchurch and the bell was reconstructed and refurbished.

The instrument has been put back on display in the foyer of the Civic Offices and was unveiled by the Governor of Hubei Wang Xiaodong and Mayor Lianne Dalziel today. They both struck the bell with traditional wooden mallets making a melodic sound.

Ms Dalziel said the bell was “gorgeous”. “This was the first time I’ve ever seen it. It’s an incredibly generous gift in recognition of our sister city relationship which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.”

Governor Wang is in New Zealand for official engagements and was in Christchurch for the day. He met with Christchurch International Airport Limited staff and signed an agreement to investigate the possibility of a direct flight between Wuhan and Christchurch.

Some of the original bianzhong chime bells, which were hung in racks in sets, have been dated as being 2000 to 3600 years old. They were an important instrument in China’s ritual and court music going back to ancient times.

A complete ceremonial set of the bells were discovered in Hubei province in 1978 during the excavation of the tomb of Marquis Yi who died in about 430 BC. They are regarded as a cultural emblem of Hubei.