The Origin of Linfen Drum Tower

Linfen, as the old capital of Yaodi, has a long history and splendid culture. There is a folk song about the Drum Tower, which has been circulated for thousands of years: "There is a big Drum Tower in Pingyang House, which partially covers the sky." Where does Pingyang House refer here? According to the historical data "Ci Yuan", Linfen is said to be the capital of ancient Emperor Yao. Pingyang is named because it is located in the Yang of Pingshui and the east of the Yellow River. In other words, the Drum Tower, which holds up half the sky in folk songs, refers to the landmark building that stands in the center of Linfen today.

However, today's tall and majestic Drum Tower was formerly a high platform built for flood control-"Yiyitai". According to legend, more than 4,000 years ago, when Yao Di was in power, the Yellow River flowed eastward along the valley from Mengmen (now 23 kilometers northwest of Liulin County, Shanxi Province), and the backward flood entered Fenhe River. The water level of Fenhe River soared, flooding Du Yao, and the people of Du Yao were also widely flooded. In order to guide people to fight floods, Yao Di built a high platform on the east bank of Fenhe River, and called civil and military officials to discuss state affairs. At that time, Emperor Yao gave a treasure position and abdicated to Shun on this stage, so people have always said that this stage is the "abdication stage". In order to commemorate Emperor Yao, later generations built the Drum Tower at the address of Yirangtai, and the whole building shape was based on the word "Yao".

According to the epitaph of Tiefo Temple, in the thirty-fourth year of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (1695), an earthquake of magnitude 8 occurred in Linfen. After the earthquake, Linfen "temple collapsed and there was nothing left, killing men and women." Of course, the Drum Tower is doomed. Seven years later, a new local official, Liu Meng, took office. Seeing the tragic situation of the Drum Tower, he sighed deeply and felt a great responsibility. He immediately decided to raise funds to plan reconstruction. Due to the urgent need after the earthquake, the project lasted nearly three years and was completed in the spring of Dinghai (AD 1707). Entrusted by the people, Bai Liu named the Drum Tower "Dazhong Building". It means "four in the middle", and the mountains and rivers outside are one of them. Secondly, Yao said to Shun, "Ask Er Shun, the number of days is in the second house, you can hold it. The four seas are poor and the roads are endless. " . "Perseverance" means faithfully implementing the golden mean and being fair for the public. Only "Dazhong" can make the country prosperous and enjoy natural wealth forever, so it is called "Dazhong Building".

Shigemitsu v. sadness

After years of baptism, the Drum Tower is still sprawling, and later generations come and go at their feet, praising its majesty and sincerity. However, when it was established is not recorded in writing. According to relevant information, Pingyang Drum Tower was renamed Bell Tower in Jin Dynasty, and a large iron clock weighing 5,000 Jin, which was cast in the seventh year of Jin Mingchang (1 196), hung upstairs, which means that the Drum Tower was built in the Northern Song Dynasty at the latest. According to the Records of Linfen City, the Drum Tower was built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960- 1279). However, many people are elegant, saying that it was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). )

Because Yao Di invented the lunar calendar, the overall shape of the building is square and square, symbolizing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter; Each side of the pedestal 12 ft (1 ft = 10 ft = 3.3m), symbolizing 12 months; 24 feet high, symbolizing 24 solar terms.