Introduction
The Simuwu Ding is a bronze square tripod used for royal sacrifices in the late Shang Dynasty (about 16th century BC to 11th century BC) in China, March 19, 1939 It was unearthed from the farmland of a family in Wuguan Village, Anyang City, Henan Province. It was named after the three characters "Simuwu" written on its abdomen. It is now in the National Museum of China. The Simuwu Ding is tall and heavy, also known as the Simuwu Ding. It is 133 cm high, 110 cm long, 79 cm wide, and weighs 832.84 kg. One ear, the other ear was later copied and added based on the other ear), with four cylindrical tripod legs underneath. It is the heaviest bronze vessel discovered in China. This tripod was made by King Zugeng or Zujia of Shang Dynasty to worship his mother.
China’s Ding Culture
The Ding is an ancient Chinese cooking utensil. The origin of China's tripod culture can be traced back to the Neolithic Age of primitive society. The pottery tripod appeared as early as 7,000 years ago. The real peak of its development occurred in the Shang Dynasty and the Western Zhou Dynasty. In particular, the production of sacrificial vessels represented by tripods in the Shang Dynasty was popular in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and continued into the Han Dynasty. In the heyday of slavery, it was used to "distinguish superiority from inferiority, to distinguish the noble from the inferior", and was an important ritual vessel to indicate status. The literature records: "The emperor has nine tripods, the princes have seven tripods, the officials have five tripods, and the Yuanshi have three tripods or one tripod." It is also recorded that "the nine tripods are cast like Jiuzhou." There are also idioms such as one word and nine tripods, aspiration for the Central Plains, three-legged tripod, etc. The predecessor of the bronze tripod is the pottery tripod in primitive society. It was originally a daily food container. Later it developed into an "artifact" for worshiping the emperor and ancestors, and was shrouded in a mysterious and majestic color. In ancient times, the tripod was a symbol of noble status. Classics record the tripod system of nine tripods for the emperor, seven tripods for the princes, five tripods for the officials, three tripods or one tripod for the Yuanshi. In addition, the tripod is also a symbol of national power. "Zuo Zhuan" records: "Jie had bad morals, so the tripod was moved to Shang; Shang Zhou was tyrannical, so tripod was moved to Zhou." Most tripods are round with three legs, but there are also square tripods with four legs. (The Simuwu Ding is the most famous four-legged square tripod)
Introduction to the Simuwu Ding
The Simuwu Ding is a kind of ding in the late Shang Dynasty (about 14th century BC to 11th century BC), the original was unearthed in March 1939 in Wu Guan Village, Houjiazhuang, Anyang, Henan. This tripod is majestic in shape, weighing 832.84 kilograms, 133 centimeters high, 110 centimeters long and 79 centimeters wide. It is the largest and heaviest bronze unearthed so far. The Simuwu Ding was excavated privately by the villagers at first. After it was unearthed, it was too large and heavy to move, so the private diggers buried it again. The Simuwu Ding was reunearthed in June 1946. After the founding of New China, it was collected in the Chinese History Museum in 1959.
The tripod is rectangular in shape, with a thick rim and a straight outline, showing an unshakable momentum. The Simuwu tripod has upright ears, a square belly, and four hollow legs. Except for the rectangular plain surface without decoration in the center of the four sides of the tripod, the rest of the tripod is decorated with decorations. On top of the fine cloud and thunder patterns, the main decorations of each part have their own shapes. The four sides of the tripod are mainly decorated with Taotie around the square plain surface, and the intersection of the four sides is decorated with a door ridge. Above the door ridge is an ox head and below is a Taotie. There are two fierce tigers on the outside of the tripod's ears, with their mouths facing each other and containing human heads. The sides of the ears are decorated with fish patterns. The decoration of the four tripod legs is also unique, with animal faces on each of the three string patterns. According to textual research, the Simuwu Ding should be an important weapon of the Shang royal family, and its shape, decoration, and craftsmanship have all reached a very high level. It is a representative work of the peak period of bronze culture in the Shang Dynasty.
The handle decoration of Simuwu Ding is also exquisite. Two dragons and tigers open their huge mouths and hold a human head in their mouths, which later evolved into the auspicious pattern of "two dragons playing with pearls". It is generally believed that this art expresses the deterrent power of nature and gods. Now some people speculate that the man was the chastity who presided over the divination. He took the initiative to put his head into the dragon and tiger's mouth in order to show off his courage and magic power and make the people surrender to his various orders. It is entirely possible: at that time When the characters appear, they lead two beasts. This pattern can often be seen in bronzes and oracle bone inscriptions.
This tripod is large and thick in shape, with the three characters "Simuwu" cast on its belly; it was cast by King Zugeng or Zujia of the Shang Dynasty to worship his mother. The body and feet of the Simuwu Ding are cast as a whole, and the ears are cast after the body is cast. To cast such a tall bronze vessel, more than 1,000 kilograms of metal material is required, and a larger furnace is required. It has been determined that Simu Wuding contains 84.77% copper, 11.64% tin, 2.79% lead, and 0.8% others. It is basically consistent with the proportion of copper and tin used in making the tripod recorded in ancient documents. The Simuwu Ding fully demonstrates the production scale and technical level of the bronze casting industry in the Shang Dynasty.
The discovery of Simuwu Ding
The Simuwu Ding, the largest bronze in the world, was discovered by local farmer Wu Xizeng in the farmland north of Wuguan Village in Anyang, Henan in March 1939. of.
Since the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions in Xiaotun Village, Anyang, simple local farmers have gradually realized the value of Yin Ruins cultural relics, so they actively participated in activities to explore cultural relics.
One morning in March 1939, Wu Xizeng used a probe rod to search for cultural relics in Wu Peiwen's field. When the probe rod drilled more than ten meters underground, it touched a hard object. When he took the rod up and took a second look, he found that the hard probe was curled and had green patina on it. He realized that he had found a treasure. According to local regulations, treasure hunting does not distinguish between geographical boundaries, but when a treasure is discovered, the owner of the location where the treasure is located must share half of the sale price of the treasure. After Wu Xizeng and Wu Duwen agreed, they broke ground and dug for treasure that night.
The excavation work was carried out secretly. At midnight, the treasure was discovered after digging about 10 meters deep. The pillars of the artifact were first dug out, and then the entire artifact was revealed. At that time, the mouth of the large square tripod faced the northeast and the legs faced the southwest. It was slanted in the soil and was as big as a manger. However, there was only one ear of the tripod and the other ear was missing. People searched for it in the mud for a long time but could not find it. . It is estimated that it was broken and lost before being buried in the ground.
The next night, Wu Xizeng organized more than 40 people to lift it up. They built a shelf at the entrance of the cave and used two hemp ropes about five centimeters thick, one to tie the tripod ears and the other to lift it up. Tie the foot of the pillar, and some people pull hard on it, and some people use levers to lift one end under the hole and fill the bottom with soil, then pry the other end, and then fill it with soil. In this way, the soil is added bit by bit. Lifting up, when it reached six or seven meters, the thick rope suddenly broke. At this time, the sky was about to light up, so in order to prevent others from discovering it, the entrance to the cave was blocked again. On the third night, the extra large square tripod was finally lifted out of the ground.
Whereabouts
The excavation of Fang Ding was always carried out in extremely secretive circumstances, but the news was still leaked. Soon, the Japanese military garrison captain Kuroda Eiji stationed at Anyang Airport came to "visit". Later, the Peking antique dealer Xiao Yinqing also came to visit secretly and expressed his willingness to pay 200,000 silver dollars to buy it, but asked the villagers to smash the tripod into four to ten pieces. So that they can be packed and shipped in batches. The villagers were tempted by 200,000 silver dollars and really started to dismember the Fang Ding. They first used a hacksaw blade to cut the Fang Ding. However, due to the high hardness of the Fang Ding, the saw did not move. Then they used a hammer to smash it. Finally, the ears of the Fang Ding were smashed, causing Fang Ding to suffer. Severe damage. Later, the villagers thought it would be a pity to destroy the Fang Ding, and were afraid that if Xiao Yinqing didn't want it, it would be difficult to sell the incomplete Fang Ding, so the villagers stopped dismembering it and buried the Fang Ding underground for preservation
Later, the news reached the ears of the Japanese and puppet gendarmerie, who came to search many times. In order to prevent the treasure from being snatched by the Japanese, the villagers adopted a method of confusing the enemy and moved the Fang Ding to a distant place and buried it. Other unearthed cultural relics were buried where the Fang Ding was originally buried. The Japanese military police found the burial site and robbed the cultural relics, but the Fang Ding was preserved. (The tripod ears that were smashed were also lost due to the passage of time). It was re-excavated in June 1946, and the original remains were kept at the county government office. At the end of October of the same year, in order to celebrate the 60th birthday of Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman of the National Government, the garrison used a special vehicle to transport it to Nanjing as a birthday gift. Chiang instructed it to be transferred to the Preparatory Office of the Central Museum for preservation.
In the summer of 1948, the tripod was publicly exhibited for the first time in Nanjing. Chiang Kai-shek visited in person and took photos in front of the tripod. After all, the Nationalist Government did not ship it to Taiwan due to weight issues. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the tripod was kept in the Nanjing Museum. In 1959, it was transferred to the Museum of Chinese History until now. The missing ear of Fang Ding has never been found. Experts imitated the other ear on the tripod and recast it to make it complete.
Related events
In 2000, the Technology Department of Nanjing Museum applied for the project of "Research on the Craftsmanship of Clay Model Casting of the Simuwu Ding", and in July 2006, it imitated the ancient clay model The casting process was initially used to create the original big Simu Wuding.
In preparation for the Yin Ruins' application for the United Nations "World Heritage" assessment, the National Museum of History transported the original tripod secretly stored in Beijing back to the Yin Ruins Museum in Anyang for nearly four months in late September 2005. After the Yin Ruins officially became a "World Cultural Heritage" on July 13, 2006, Wu Peiwen, one of the 42 villagers who saved the original tripod collection from being raided by the Japanese army, was added as a member of the Anyang CPPCC.
The symbol of the country
An important instrument of rituals and music
When people think of the tripod, the first thing that comes to mind is political power and the country. The tripod can be said to be a symbol of Chinese culture. It has extremely noble significance.
It was most popular during the Shang and Zhou dynasties and continued into the Han Dynasty. In the heyday of slavery, it was used to "distinguish superiority from inferiority, and to distinguish between superior and inferior". It was an important ritual vessel to indicate status. (Documentary records: "The emperor has nine tripods, the princes have seven tripods, the officials have five tripods, and the Yuanshi have three tripods or one tripod". It also records that "nine tripods are cast, like the nine states".) (There is also an idiom "One word and nine tripods, aspiration for the Central Plains, three pillars" )
Equivalent to a pot
The common shape of a tripod is a round belly, two ears, three legs, in the shape of a basin or a bowl, and there are also a small number of four-legged square tripods in the shape of a bucket. Generally thicker.
When people respect the value of the tripod, they often forget its original purpose. In fact, it is a cooking vessel, which is mostly used to cook fish, pigs, beef, mutton and other foods during sacrifices or ceremonies. It is equivalent to today's pot.
Sacrifice to Mother
The Simuwu Ding is named after the inscription "Simuwu" on the inner wall of its abdomen. It is a commemoration of the Shang king's sacrifice to his mother (named Wu). utensils.
Legendary experience
The Simuwu Ding is the largest and heaviest of all the tripods unearthed so far, and it also has a legendary experience. In March 1939, this tripod was unearthed in the farmland of Wu Yuyao's family in Wuguan Village, Houjiazhuang, Anyang, Henan Province. Because the tripod was too heavy and too big to move, people wanted to saw off the big tripod and transport it out, but they could only cut off one foot. Continuously, so he buried the tripod quietly. Later, the news leaked out that the Japanese came to search but failed, so they offered 700,000 yuan in counterfeit coins to buy it. The local people cleverly gave away another cauldron and kept this cauldron.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the tripod was re-excavated in June 1946, but one ear was missing (later replaced) and was first stored in the Anyang County Government.
At the end of October of the same year, it was the 60th birthday of Chiang Kai-shek, then Chairman of the National Government. The local garrison took the tripod as a birthday gift and transported it to Nanjing in a special car. Chiang Kai-shek instructed it to be handed over to the Preparatory Office of the Central Museum for preservation. In the summer of 1948, the tripod was put on public display for the first time, and Chiang Kai-shek came in person. Visiting and taking photos in front of the tripod shows how highly it is valued. Later, the Kuomintang government wanted to transport the tripod to Taiwan, but eventually gave up the idea because it was too difficult. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the tripod was kept in the Nanjing Museum. In 1959, it was transferred to the China History Museum and has now become a museum treasure.