Boxer Chinese Bell - Then and Now

By Ted Ross

Hidden away in Beacon Hill Park is an unusual open-building near Beacon Hill Drive. This aged wooden construction once housed 'The Boxer Bell of Beacon Hill Park'.

Originally the temple bell of the White Rose Buddhist Convent of the district of Foo Ning, China, it was looted by British troops during the Boxer Rebellion (1900-1901). Lt WB Macdonald of the HMS Pique presented the bell to the City of Victoria in 1903.

The Chinese Bell was mounted by October 24, 1904, at Circle Drive and Beacon Hill Drive. A substantial structure was erected to support the great weight of the bell, and included a roof to partially shelter it.

The bell was cast between 1641 and 1642, weighs 479kg and is 1.36m tall. It was created for the Buddhist nuns at the Bak Yee Nunnery. Named in honour of Kuan-Yin, the goddess of Mercy, the names of 360 residents of the monastery are inscribed upon it.

It never had a clapper. Chinese bells used a swinging wooden ramrod to ring, but there was never one in Beacon Hill Park. Instead, generations of children banged the bell with coins, rocks and sticks.

Being cast of iron, the bell was subject to rusting. In April 1931, the bell was painted with a mix of red lead and varnish to protect it. The Victoria Times reported, "The bell was becoming badly weathered, as a result of exposure to the salt sea air, and after being thoroughly scraped to remove the rust, has been given a preliminary coat of red lead. The final coat will be of a slate brown tint, which is expected to be almost identical with the natural colour of iron." (Times, April 7, 1931, p. 13) The Colonist story was headlined, "Indignation Over Painting of Aged Chinese Bell Here" and reported, "Now some person has been allowed to go through the park with a paint brush and a can of bright orange paint and has covered the priceless relic with a thick coating of paint, coloring it to match the brightness of fire hydrants." (Colonist, April 7, 1931, p. 1)

In 1989, fearing the effects of exposure and vandalism, the city removed the bell to the Victoria Art Gallery. There it was given a 'conservation cleaning', using a new process to remove rust and paint, and had a sealant applied to inhibit any further oxidization. The Chinese Bell resides in the gallery today with inscriptions of convent residents' names and lotus flower and dragon relief decorations.

Bibliography

Janis Ringuette, "Beacon Hill Park History" - Chapter 8 - 1900-1909, 2004; Barry Till, "Relic from a Distant Temple:  Victoria's Chinese Bell," Art Gallery of Victoria, 1992; City of Victoria, "Frequently Asked Questions", 2012.