The Da Yu ''ding'' () is an ancient Chinese bronze circular ''ding'' vessel from the

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong n ...

dynasty (1046–771 BC). Excavated in Li Village, Mei County,

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

, it is on display in the

National Museum of China The National Museum of China () flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The museum's mission is to educate about the arts and history of China. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic ...

. The Da Yu ''ding'', the Da Ke ''ding'' in the Shanghai Museum, and the Mao Gong ''ding'' in the National Palace Museum in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

are often mentioned together as a few of the most important pieces of ancient Chinese bronze vessels, and sometimes collectively called "Three Treasures of China" (Chinese: "（青铜器）海内三宝").

Description

The tripod is round, with three legs, a common shape during the Western Zhou dynasty. It is high and weighs . Its aperture is . Its mouth is engraved with

Taotie The ''Taotie'' () is an ancient Chinese mythological creature that was commonly emblazoned on bronze and other artifacts during the 1st millennium BC. ''Taotie'' are one of the " four evil creatures of the world". In Chinese classical texts such a ...

patterns and its four legs are engraved with animal face patterns. The king attributed to is

King Kang of Zhou King Kang of Zhou, personal name Ji Zhao, was the third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and son of King Cheng of Zhou. The dates of his reign are 1020–996 BC or 1005–978 BC. King Kang followed his father's policy and expanded the Zhou ...

(1020–996 BC), and the date is attributed to the 23rd Year of the king, the

Western Zhou dynasty The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong nom ...

(1046–771 BC) Shanghai Museum 1959

Inscription

The tripod's inside features 19 lines collectively containing 291 Chinese characters. Most is the King's Speech. The first speech is a historical overview in which he provides a moral rationale for the fall of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

(c. 1600–1046 BC) and the rise of the Western Zhou. Here, the King said that drinking wine in excess has made the Shang dynasty lose the Mandate of Heaven, grace, and the army, while the Kings of Zhou do not drink excessively even ceremonially. The King further commands Yu () to support the King and to work official service throughout days. The second speech is a short charge to Yu to emulate his late grandfather, Nang Gong. The third speech is the appointment of the king's minister with army power and a detailed inventory given by the King. The last section of the inscription is Yu himself recording that he made this tripod for his deceased grandfather Nang Gong in response to the king's kindness. It was the king's 23rd year. The inclusion of 1726 slaves in the listed inventory is an important historical resource for studying slavery.

History

In the

Daoguang era The Daoguang Emperor (; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanxong of Qing, born Mianning, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning ...

(1821–1851) of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

(1644–1911), this tripod was unearthed in Li village,

Mei County, Shaanxi Mei County or Meixian () is a county under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Baoji, in the west of Shaanxi province, China. It is one of the birthplaces of the Western Zhou culture, during which it was known as Taiguo (邰国). ...

. Song Jinjian (; 1821–1863), a local rich man, acquired it. Next, the governor Zhou Gengsheng () expropriated it. After he died, Song Jinjian recovered the tripod. Before winter 1873, Yuan Baoheng (; 1826–1878), a follower of

Zuo Zongtang Zuo Zongtang, Marquis Kejing ( also spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang; ; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xiangyin County, ...

bought it for 700 taels of silver. Yuan may have sent the tripod he bought to Zuo. In 1875, Zuo Zongtang presented the tripod he treasured as a gift to Pan Zuyin (; 1830–1890) in Beijing. Pan Zuyin was a famous collector with rich knowledge in

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...

. In 1890, Pan acquired the Da Ke ''ding'', the second largest bronzeware of the Western Zhou dynasty after the Da Yu ''ding''. His younger brother Pan Zunian (; 1870–1925) inherited the family property. In about 1896, the Pan family moved to Suzhou from Beijing with their collection, including the two tripods. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out. Fearing looting or destruction, the Pan family packed the two tripods in a wood box and buried it. In 1951, Pan Dayu (; 1906–2007) donated the two tripods to the Shanghai Museum. There, they would be displayed together until 1959, when the Da Yu ''ding'' was transferred to the

in Beijing. In March 2004, to celebrate Pan Dayu's 100 birthday, the Da Yu ''ding'' was transferred to the Shanghai Museum for a limited time display, the first time the tripods were together in nearly 50 years.

Notes

References

* * *Shanghai Museum, YU DING KE DING. ('Yu' Vessels and 'Ke' Vessels) (Chinese Text). Shanghai, 1959.
Da yu Ding Chinese Rubbing Collection
Harvard University, USA
Robert Eno, Inscriptional Records of the Western Zou, 2012
23-24p, Indiana University SITE, Bloomington, USA * Jeffrey R. Thersen, CHINESE EUPHONICS :PHONETIC PATTERNS, PHONORHETORIC AND LITERARY ARTISTRY IN EARLY CHINESE NARRATIVE TEXTS, Ph. D Dissertation in Department of East Asian Department, University of Chicago, 2015, Dec, Chicago, Illinois, USA * * * *

External links

{{Chinese bronzeware History of Baoji Collection of the National Museum of China Zhou dynasty bronzeware 1849 archaeological discoveries Dings