“Like a phoenix, the bell shall rise from the ruins”
Winning Highly Commended at the New Zealand Sister Cities Conference
Category:
Best cultural sport or recreation project
The organisation submitting the entry:
Christchurch China Sister Cities Committee
“Like a phoenix, the bell shall rise from the ruins”
Christchurch and Wuhan, Hubei Province, China formalised a sister city link in 2006. Since then, the relationship has grown steadily. It both encompasses and embraces many of the pillars are the cornerstones of a robust and flourishing sister city relationship.
At the beginning of any relationship it has become customary for both parties to exchange gifts as a sign of both respect and commitment to the relationship. This was the case when Garry Moore the then incumbent Mayor of Christchurch accepted “the Wuhan Bell’ as gift presented by the Wuhan Municipal Peoples Government in 2006. In exchange the Christchurch gifted a significant price of Pounamu that met the cultural protocols of gifting as per Ngai Tahu and Maori custom.
The bell is a replica of the bells that were unearthed in Hubei providence China in 1978. the bells are played as musical instruments in ancient times by being hung from racks in sets, The type of bell in Chinese is called bianzhong, the original bianzhong date from the 5th century BCE.
The Wuhan Bell sat proudly in the foyer for all citizens to see, however on the 21 February at 12.52pm it surrounded the seismic event that changed a city.
The specially made Chinese stand which was used to display the Wuhan Bell was made of wood which split and broke in multiple places, basically reduced to kindling and considered non-salvageable. The Wuhan bell itself is casted from bronze, it’s weight, combined with the magnitude and force of the earthquake was the main contributing factor to the devastation of the stand.
The Wuhan bell was in the red zone in the CBD for over eight months, before it was recovered and stored in the basement of the new Christchurch City Council building.
The first and biggest challenge in the project was overcoming the health and safety issues regarding the construction of the stand so it would meet all current Health and Safety regulations given it was envisaged to be in a public space; either the council headquarters or other similar building.
After much consultation, it was decided that a wooden frame was not appropriate and therefore the frame would have to be made of steel.
The project itself did not move forward proactively until 2015 due to the issues that people faced in Christchurch.
The committee set an initial budget of $2000 to complete this project. A New Zealand company was sought for the construction of the frame with a quote of $5000 received. A quote was requested from a Chinese bell maker, whose original quote was $4000, however after some negotiation this was reduced to $2000. This caused some concern as to the quality of the steel so a committee member who was in Wuhan at the time visited the factory on the committee’s behalf. The Hubei stand manufacturer worked with specifications and drawings that were drafted in New Zealand, which met with New Zealand specifications. These plans were developed between the maker of the stand and a committee member who had the appropriate skills and understanding of both New Zealand and Chinese requirements.
The new stand was constructed during 2016. Photos of the old stand were provided to the manufacturer so that there was similarity between the old and new stands. Then to the committee’s delight the manufacturer offered to transport the stand to the Shanghai Port at no charge. It was then put into storage until a former citizens’ tour party member was able to provide space in a shipping container he had coming from Shanghai to Lyttleton.
Once back in New Zealand it was stored at a farm at Kirwee whilst the restoration of the actual bell itself was undertaken. The Christchurch City Council was able to connect the committee with a specialist restorer who understood and appreciated what the bell was and its significance.
It was envisaged to have the project completed for 10th anniversary of the Christchurch City and Wuhan City relationship in 2016 however it was not to be.
Finally in late 2016 the bell was ready to be attached to its new stand. The stand had arrived as a kitset It was assembled and then with the use of a forklift the bell was hung from its new stand.
In February 2017 the bell had its first outing at the Christchurch Lantern Festival. This was part of an interactive community engagement strategy allowing people to ring the bell much to the delight of our stand neighbours!
In March 2017 it was formally unveiled at the Christchurch City Council Chambers in the presence of the Mayor Lianne Dalziel, the Governor of Hubei Wang Xiaodong and the Chinese Consul General Jin Zhijian based in Christchurch
Outline and Description Objectives
The ultimate goal was to bring the “Wuhan Bell” back to former glory and to be on display in a prominent place and accessible to the general public so it will inspire both curiosity about Chinese culture and raise the awareness of the Christchurch China Sister Cities committee
This goal was achieved and acknowledged when the Wuhan bell was on display at the Lantern Festival and the general public of all ages were allowed to ring the bell and have their photo taken with it. It gained further publicity when it was installed at the Christchurch City Council building when the official unveiling was completed in front of Hubei Province’s most senior government official the Governor Wang Xiaodong
Activity Details
This project was the combined effort over ten people from different walks of life, who all contributed time or a skill to the restoration project. It required co-operation, good project management an understanding of how to cope with the constraints present when managing a project across two countries. Keeping the momentum of the project going was also critical given that some of those involved faced post quake difficulties in their private lives.
Community Participation
During the restoration project wider community participation was sort and generously given both in China and New Zealand especially in the niche specialists that we required.
February 2017 was the first outing of the restored Bell which was rung over 900 times by people from all walks of life and age. This raised the awareness of the Christchurch China Sister City Committee and Chinese culture. It also it drew people to come into our tent and find out about our other key project the Rewi Alley 120th Commemorations and the Rewi Alley Biography project. It was regrettable adverse weather caused the cancellation of the Saturday programme which was promoted as one of the busiest days therefore we lost the ability to connect with potentially 15,000 people as indicated by the event organizers. We also combined the opportunity of ringing the bell with a coin donation fund raiser for the Christchurch community.
March 2017 saw the formal unveiling at the Christchurch City Council building was used as a showcase to our sister city relationship commitment and further develop our promotion and connection Wuhan city, given the traveling Chinese media with the Hubei Governor Wang Xiaodong and the timing of the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visiting in New Zealand the timing gave a unique opportunity to leverage the wider relationship with Wuhan City and Hubei Province with the heightened awareness of China – New Zealand relationship.
Awareness
The placement of the Wuhan bell in the main foyer of the Christchurch City Council building and it meeting all health and safety regulations makes the Wuhan Bell become one of the key pieces on display which is both accessible and viable to everyone who enters the foyer of the building. This large display cannot be missed and will be used as a conversation starting point for Chinese delegations and local council chamber visitors.
Benefits
The value of restoring the Wuhan Bell is that it demonstrates another tangible piece that the Christchurch City is moving forward since 2011 earthquakes and that we are now moving to the projects that were not considered a priority post-quake.
Sign Board Used at Lantern Festival
It shows the wider community that we are active committee and are open to being in the public eye.
In our relationship with China, we take pride in the gifts that we have received via our relationships and they are on display for all to see. For our Chinese counterparts it shows that we slowly restoring what we can and value their support through the post-earthquake years and look forward to developing and deepening our existing relationship with them in the coming years.
Investment To Restore the Bell
The committee was restricted by its budget and used best practice and lean methods to keep the project to allocated funds. The project thus was funded over two budget years.
• The building of a new bell stand – $2,500.00
• Freight from China to New Zealand – Donated
• Domestic Freight – $285.00
• Conservation Restoration of the Bell – $1,771.00
TOTAL $4,556.00
The timeline for the restoration and engaging with a Chinese specialist
At a committee meeting on the 31 July 2014, the restoration project for earthquake damaged Wuhan bell was proposed. Michelle was to contact relevant people for the restoration, Yafei offered to help and facilitate. In the following meeting 8 Sept, $2000 budget was allocated for the repair. The following day 9 Sep, Yafei with a local Chinese expert, and Michelle had looked the bell at the base of CCC to explore options to make a new bell frame with the limited funds available.
On 5 May 2015, photos of the original stand with the bell attached were found and supplied by Dave Adamson. Equipped with the photos, Yafei contacted local metal work fabricators to explore a way of designing a steel frame and the cost to build it.
In Nov 2015, Erin obtained a quote from a manufacturer in China to produce a replica replacement frame at a cost of around NZ$3,500 excluding shipping.
Since the implementation of the more stringent safety requirements following the earthquakes, it was agreed that the frame must be a steel one to meet the requirements. Through the investigation of potential makers to make the frame of the bell Yafei found that it is difficult to make a metal frame to reflect Chinese culture, to be authentic and to be within our budget.
Based on the above assumptions and over a year of investigations and discussion with the manufacturers in China, in Jan 2016, Yafei found a manufacturer in Shuizhou. This was where the original bells were unearthed. He told the story of the bell to Mr Gong of Shuizhou Ancient Bell Culture Development Company. Based on the photos of the gift bell the initial design and quote for a larger and more sophisticated frame with wheels was $5000. Given the stability requirements following the earthquakes the design was simplified and the height of the frame was reduced.
Excavation site of the original bells in Shuizhou City in 1978
With the budget available for the frame, Mr Gong agreed to manufacture a new stand for us for $NZ2,500.00. This was to show acknowledgement and support by their company for this important sister city gift.
People to People: this project required commitment from many people, both professional and volunteer.
Mr Bernard Duncan: Chair of Sister City Committee – liaising with key stake holders and the keeping the momentum going.
Dr Yafei Zhou: Committee member – research to find stand manufacturer in Hubei and worked with the manufacturer to come up with a suitable stand design.
Ms Erin Diao: Committee member – visited manufacturer in China, worked with Dr Zhou in design of stand, maned stand at lantern festival.
Mr Dave Adamson: previously Christchurch International relations desk and former Vice Chairman of the committee – provided historical information.
Mr Gong : The stand manufacturer based in Hubei.
Mr Frizzell: a former sister citizens tour member provided storage in Shanghai, freighting in his container to New Zealand and storage at his farm in Kirwee near Christchurch.
Mr Jack Chaney: Christchurch International relations desk – worked to get identified space in the council building liaised with appropriate parties with in council, searched for bell restorer. Worked with CCC event teams to have Wuhan bell at the Lantern Festival
Ms Michelle MacWilliam: Committee Vice Chair – used networks to support the project and assisted at Lantern Festival.
E Fryer Conservation: Completed the conservational restore the bell to its former glory.
Mr Ross Baldwin: A landscape designer who had just the right equipment to move the bell between locations easily and safely
