Essential Notes

1. Adjust tolerances according to your printer’s specific requirements.

2. Some components may require adhesive for secure attachment (though they’ll still hold fine without glue—just be careful not to accidentally bump into them).

3. We recommend hand‑painting the model for a more personalized finish.

------Rambling Remarks-----

I’ve recreated the Bell Tower of Kaiyuan Temple. The second floor was crafted based on its existing architectural form—and boy, was it exhausting to color! If you’d rather skip the hassle, simply paint the column capitals and archway spandrels white, then coat the ridge tiles and vertical latticework windows in green. For those who want a bit more of a challenge, follow the author’s example and paint the dougong brackets green as well. And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try painting the column capitals yellow—or even yellow with hints of green beneath the beams (referencing the interior coloring scheme of Pingyao Zhen’guo Temple).

The overall polychrome decoration draws inspiration from Dunhuang murals and surviving architectural remnants (though I didn’t dare use the vibrant reds and golds of Foguang Temple—those colors would have been far too demanding for the author!). The white-painted rafter ends were inspired by the murals themselves (though the boards themselves could have been painted as well—I just couldn’t bring myself to do it!).

The base platform was modeled after the existing structure at Nanchan Temple—though in fact, that feature was reconstructed in the last century when experts dismantled the small Qing‑dynasty halls on either side and restored the original layout. To save time, I skipped digging through historical records. You can also choose to paint the balustrade finials in gold.

Feel free to separate the first and second floors; install a small night light on the first floor (the reason I didn’t include the beam structure is precisely because of this—absolutely no laziness here!).