Korean Bell of Friendship, Bronze bell monument in San Pedro, United States.
The Korean Bell of Friendship is a bell monument in San Pedro, California, set beneath a traditional Korean pavilion with a curved roof and painted wooden beams. The surface shows reliefs of dragons, flowers, and geometric patterns spread across the entire metal shell.
South Korea presented this monument to Los Angeles in 1976 for the United States Bicentennial and to honor veterans of the Korean War. The craft follows techniques from the Silla Dynasty, developed over a thousand years ago for religious ceremonies.
The pavilion's painted decoration is dancheong, the traditional Korean colour scheme also seen on temples and palaces. Twelve columns stand for the Korean zodiac, each guarded by a carved animal. The bell is struck with a large wooden log rather than a clapper, thirteen times on the first Saturday of each month at 11:30 AM.
The monument stands in Angels Gate Park and remains open daily from dawn to dusk, with public ringing ceremonies held on special days throughout the year. Visitors can walk around the pavilion to see details from different angles, and the open structure provides shade and a view toward the Pacific.
The bell has no clapper: it is sounded by swinging a large wooden log against the bronze. The alloy is copper and tin with gold, nickel, lead and phosphorus added for tone quality. The pavilion's twelve columns stand for the Korean zodiac, each guarded by a carved animal.
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