Century-old bell tower in Nantong tolls again

The century-old bell tower on the crossing of Shizi Street in downtown Nantong resumed operations on Dec 10 after months of repair and testing.

The bell tower, one of the landmarks in Nantong, was established in 1915 by Zhang Jian, a renowned industrialist and scholar in modern China.

The six-story, Western-style building was designed by Sun Zhixia, one of the first architects in modern China.

The clock, which is located on the fourth floor, has four round dials each stretching nearly 2 meters in diameter. The mechanical clock movement was produced by J B Joyce & Co in the United Kingdom in 1913.

The tower also had an alarm bell that was used to alert the public of fires.

Wang Qiang, a senior official at the administration of Haohe River scenic area, said the clock was repaired as worn-out parts had affected its accuracy. The repairs were carried out by local clock menders as well as those from Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

"The clock can now operate for more than six days after a full winding, with the error being within 60 seconds per day," said Zhou Yingchun, a local clock mender.