In a recent incident that has sparked widespread attention, the historic Huxian County Bell Tower in Shaanxi Province, which has nearly 400 years of history and is classified as a provincial-level cultural relic, was damaged after being hit by a private car.
According to a situation report released by the Huxian County Bell Tower Museum in the Hu District of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, around 2:50 am on October 30th, a small car traveling from east to west along Dong Street collided with the north side staircase of the provincial-level cultural relic protection unit, causing damage to the staircase wall. The higher cultural relics department is currently assessing the situation.
The damaged area has been cordoned off and the north side staircase has been closed off for safety.
In the early hours of October 30th, a white sedan struck the stairs next to the base of the Huxian Bell Tower (also known as the Huxian County Bell Tower), resulting in damage to the front of the car.
On the morning of the 30th, staff from the Huxian District Cultural Relics Management Office told Jimo News that in the early hours of the 30th, the staff on duty at the bell tower heard a crash and discovered that a sedan had collided with the north side staircase of the bell tower. Upon initial inspection, the railing of the staircase shifted and the wall beneath the railing was damaged.
The staff member stated that the driver who crashed into the cultural protection unit’s building will be held responsible for compensation to ensure the subsequent repairs.
The vehicle involved in the incident has been impounded, and the cause is currently under investigation.
Public records show that the Huxian County Bell Tower, originally known as the Wenchang Pavilion, was built in the eighth year of the Ming Chongzhen era (1635) and was once a landmark building in the Huxian County city. It is the third batch of cultural relics protection units in Shaanxi Province. The building, standing in the center of the urban area commonly known as the “Zhonglou” because of its resemblance to the Bell Tower in Xi’an, has a simple and elegant structure. The bell tower consists of a one-story base made of blue bricks, with a two-story building featuring eaves in layers, corner tower tops, carved beams, and painted rafters. Inside the bell tower is the Huxian County Bell Tower Museum.