古人的智慧是无穷的，他们在大缸里设置了专门的“铁屉”可以贮存炭火，而且每口大缸下面还可以放置木炭生火，同时宫人们还体贴的给大缸们都“穿上”棉衣，这样来防止缸里的水结冰，就为了伺候这些大缸，内务处还专门设置了“熟火处”。

The wisdom of the ancients is infinite. They set up a special "iron drawer" in the big tank to store carbon fire, and under each big tank, charcoal can be placed to make a fire. At the same time, the palace people also considerately "put on" cotton clothes for the big tanks, so as to prevent the water in the tank from freezing. In order to serve these big tanks, the internal affairs office also set up a special "fire ripening place".

1900年，八国联军侵华，可恶的列强们带着刺刀冲进了紫禁城大肆抢掠，珍宝抢完了，他们连这些鎏金铜缸也不放过，纷纷用刺刀把大缸表面的“鎏金”全部挂掉，如今，故宫那几口鎏金大铜缸的表面仍然还留着当年刺刀的痕迹！

In 1900, when the Allied forces of eight powers invaded China, the hateful powers rushed into the Forbidden City with bayonets and plundered the treasures. They did not let go of the gilded copper jars. They used bayonets to hang all the gilded gold on the surface of the jars. Now, the surface of the gilded copper jars in the Forbidden City still has the traces of the bayonets!

至于鎏金铜缸的造价，乾隆年间的《奏销档》曾有过记载。口径1.66米的鎏金铜缸约重1696公斤，仅铜缸制造约合白银500多两，再加上铜缸上的100两黄金，铸造费共计至少白银1500两。

As for the cost of gilded bronze jars, it was recorded in the book of Zou pin archives in Qianlong period. The gold-plated copper cylinder with a diameter of 1.66 meters weighs about 1696 kg, and only the copper cylinder is made of more than 500 liang of silver, plus 100 liang of gold on the copper cylinder, the total casting cost is at least 1500 liang of silver.

河北唐县汇丰工艺品厂制造有限公司经营广场雕塑、城市雕塑、铜佛像、铜钟、铜鼎、铜浮雕、青铜器、铜香炉等铸铜铸铁产品，产品包括：寺庙用大型佛像、铜钟、香炉、大型城市雕塑、东西方人物雕塑、动物雕塑及各种红、黄、青铜工艺品铸造。

Hebei Tangxian HSBC handicraft factory manufacturing Co., Ltd. is engaged in the production of square sculpture, city sculpture, bronze Buddha statue, bronze bell, bronze tripod, copper relief, bronze ware, copper censer and other cast iron products. The products include: large Buddha statue, bronze bell, censer, large city sculpture, East and West figure sculpture, animal sculpture and various red, yellow and bronze handicraft casting for temples.