The Guoji Zibai ''pan'' () is an ancient Chinese bronze rectangular ''pan'' vessel from 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 BC–771 BC). Excavated in Chencang District of

Baoji () is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi. Geography The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a population of 3,321,853 accord ...

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 ...

during 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), 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 ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. The Guoji Zibai ''pan'' is the largest known bronze plate in the world. It enjoys the reputation of the best bronzeware of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046 BC–771 BC). The Guoji Zibai ''pan'', the San Family Plate (), and the Mao Gong ''ding'', are known as the "Three Important Bronzewares of the Western Zhou dynasty".

Description

The rectangular Guoji Zibai ''pan'' resembles a

bathtub A bathtub, also known simply as a bath or tub, is a container for holding water in which a person or animal may bathe. Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed acrylic, porcelain-enameled steel or cast iron, or fiberglass-reinforced ...

. It is high, long, and wide. It weighs . The four corners are regular fillets and the four feet are all in rectangular shape, and hidden at the bottom of the plate making the mouth of the plate appear large while the bottom small. On each wall outside of the plate, there are two beast heads with rings in the mouths, and decorative patterns in the shape of ware band.

Inscription

According to the inscription, the Guoji Zibai ''pan'' was cast by Guoji Zibai (), a nobleman in the

Western Guo Western Guo () was a vassal state in China during the Zhou Dynasty. "Guo" was a kinship group that held at least five pieces of territory within the Zhou realm at various times. After King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Shang Dynasty in 1046 BCE, his u ...

State (1046 BC–687 BC) in the

(1046 BC–771 BC). The plate was cast in 816 BC, the 12th year of King Xuan of Zhou. Guoji was a major branch of the Guo lineage that ruled the Western Guo, and Zibai was his

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

. According to the inscription on the plate, in the 12 year of King Xuan of Zhou, also the year of 816 BC, Guoji Zibai was appointed by King Xuan to lead the army to battle with the nomadic tribe

Xianyun The Xianyun (; Old Chinese: ( ZS) *''g.ramʔ-lunʔ''; (Schuessler) *''hɨamᴮ-juinᴮ'' < *''hŋamʔ-junʔ'') was an ancient nomadic tribe that invaded the

in the north shore of Luo River, and gained a complete victory. Guoji Zibai cut the enemy's ears off and offered it to the King Xuan, King Xuan held a grand ceremony to honor his achievement and bestowed him a lot of horses and weapons to praise him. Guoji Zibai specially cast the bronze ware to memorize the military operation and honor. The plate was cast in 816 BC, and the writing technique of the inscription on the plate was very similar to those of the ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, c ...

'', which was the earliest collection of poetry in China.

Function

In ancient China, water held in small plates was used for washing hands and faces, and in large plates it was used for baths. The rings on the outside walls of the plate were probably designed for carrying the plate to pour water conveniently. the Guoji Zibai ''pan'' was large, heavy and inconvenient to use in daily life. It seemed that it was more suitable to hold things in a large volume, just like ''Jian'' (), which was used to hold ice cube in ancient China. According to the set of etiquette at that time, when a high-ranking official died, his body should stay in the mortuary for seven days. In summer, ice was a must to prevent the body from decaying. Therefore, maybe the plate was a container used for holding ice cubes. But there has been no authoritative final conclusion about the exact usage of the plate in the academic circle.

Discovery

Qing dynasty

According to ''Prefecture Records of Luzhou'' (), the Guoji Zibai ''pan'' was unearthed at Guochuansi of

, in the Daoguang period (1821–1851) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Xu Xiejun (), the then magistrate of Mei County, purchased the plate for silver from a local peasant. And he brought the plate to his house "Tianyou Hall" (). In April 1860, it fell into the hands of

Chen Kunshu Chen Kunshu (; died May 1864), prominent military leader of the Taiping Rebellion, and known during his military tenure as the King of Hu (護王) (means Prince Protector). He led Taiping forces to many military victories especially the Second r ...

and became the treasure of the Mansion of the Prince Protector. In May 1864, namely the 3rd year of Tongzhi period of Qing dynasty,

Liu Mingchuan Liu Ming-chuan (1836–1896), courtesy name Xingsan, lived in the late Qing dynasty. He was born in Hefei, Anhui. Liu became involved in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion at an early age, and worked closely with Zeng Guofan and Li Ho ...

(1836–1896), general of the

Huai Army The Huai Army (), named for the Huai River, was a military force allied with the Qing dynasty raised to contain the Taiping Rebellion in 1862. It was also called the Anhui Army because it was based in Anhui province. It helped to restore the stabil ...

, led the troops of the Qing Empire to fight against the Taiping Army, and finally liberated

Changzhou Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provin ...

. When Liu moved into the mansion, his soldiers didn't know the plate and used it as a

manger __NOTOC__ A manger or trough is a rack for fodder, or a structure or feeder used to hold food for animals. The word comes from the Old French ''mangier'' (meaning "to eat"), from Latin ''mandere'' (meaning "to chew"). Mangers are mostly used in ...

. One night when reading a book under the

oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. Th ...

, Liu heard clear metal clanks from out of the window. All was quiet at dead of night, so the clanks sounded clear and loud. Liu came to the stable following the sounds, and saw that a horse was eating grass with the bronze rings on the headstall hitting the manger from time to time to make the clanks. Liu was so curious that he bent to look carefully with the lantern, and found the manger wide and deep with fuzzy decorative patterns on its four sides. Liu tried to push the manger but failed. It was very unusual and he decided to check it out after dawn. The next day he ordered his attendants to carry out the manger and wash it. The bronze ware was very exquisite and Liu was very fond of it. He immediately sent his trusted followers to transport the manger to his home in Hefei,

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

. Liu specially invited Huang Congmo (), who was familiar with ancient

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 ...

, to help him research the bronze ware. Huang told him that most of the bronze plates discovered in the past were round, that rectangular bronze ware were very rare, and that such a large and rectangular plate was even more scarce and even might be the only one of its kind. Also, the inscription clearly showed that the bronze plate was cast by Guoji Zibai of

. After Liu understood the story of the manger, he decided to protect it. Liu specially built an exquisite pavilion in his house, which he named "Plate Pavilion" () to preserve the plate. Huang made a piece of

rubbing A rubbing ('' frottage'') is a reproduction of the texture of a surface created by placing a piece of paper or similar material over the subject and then rubbing the paper with something to deposit marks, most commonly charcoal or pencil but ...

from its inscription and made a lot of copies. He sold it on the market.

Weng Tonghe Weng Tonghe (; 1830–1904), courtesy name Shuping (), was a Chinese Confucian scholar and imperial tutor who lived in the Qing dynasty. In 1856, he obtained the position of ''zhuangyuan'' (or top scholar) in the imperial examination and was subs ...

(1830–1904), a collector and teacher of the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, w ...

, wanted to buy the plate but Liu refused. Weng told the

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

on Liu Mingchuan and complained about that. But Liu's superior

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

explained that. Empress Dowager Cixi decreed to bestow the plate to Liu Mingchuan. In 1885, he was appointed as the first provincial governor of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

by the Qing Dynasty government, a position he held for almost ten years until his retirement. From then on he lived a reclusive life and didn't care about national affairs any more. The plate became his spiritual ballast in his declining years. In 1894, the

Qing army The Qing dynasty (1636–1912) was established by conquest and maintained by armed force. The founding emperors personally organized and led the armies, and the continued cultural and political legitimacy of the dynasty depended on the ability to ...

were routed in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the ...

and the Qing government was forced to sign the "

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China and in the period before and during World War II in Japan, was a treaty signed at the , Shimonoseki, Japan on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China, ending the Firs ...

". When hearing the news, Liu was so furious that he became ill suddenly and died with indignation. Before he died, he told his descendents again and again that the plate was a national treasure and they should protect, even of it risked their own lives.

Republic era

In 1911, the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a ...

was broke out, China was torn by warlords. Some warlords began to covet all kinds of national and cultural treasures that they knew and heard of. The Guoji Zibai ''pan'' in the Liu Family was no exception. In May 1933, the then governor of Anhui

Liu Zhenhua Liu Zhenhua (; July 1921 – 11 July 2018) was a general ('' shangjiang'') of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and a diplomat of the People's Republic of China. He served as ambassador to Albania and Deputy Foreign Minister. Biography He w ...

came to Liu's home in the name of visiting the descendants of Liu Mingchuan. When meeting Liu Suzeng (), the fourth-generation son of Liu Mingchuan. Liu Zhenhua first flattered him with a beaming face and then he changed the topic, saying that he want to see the plate. Liu Suzeng calmly said that his ancestors did actually collect a plate, but they had never seen it. Liu Zhenhua suddenly turned hostile and commanded his soldiers to search the house. They searched everywhere but found nothing there. Liu Zhenhua sent

spies Spies most commonly refers to people who engage in spying, espionage or clandestine operations. Spies or The Spies may also refer to: * Spies (surname), a German surname * Spies (band), a jazz fusion band * Spies (song), "Spies" (song), a song by ...

to watch every movement of the Liu Family in the hope of finding where the plate was. The Liu Family spent the next four year in fear. In 1937, after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident happened, the Japanese army soon colonized northern China. After occupying Hefei, the Japanese army set a stronghold less than away from the Liu Family's residence. Soon after, they sent a message to the Liu Family that they would like to exchange a golden plate of the same size for the Guoji Zibai ''pan''. Liu Suzeng answered immediately that they did not have any treasures and if they did, they did not want to be unworthy descendants or the bad apples and traitors of the country to sell it to foreigners. Liu Suzeng thought it over and over and finally hit upon a good idea: they dug a big hole in their yard and buried the plate in the hole and then planted a little

locust Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstanc ...

tree on it. In order to avoid danger, the Liu Family moved to other places with some personal belongings that night to seek asylum for a while. When the Japanese heard this, they made a wide and extensive search of the Liu's house but found nothing. Finally, they set a fire on more than thirty buildings and than left. After the surrender of Japan, the Liu Family returned home. Li Pinxian (1892–1987), a

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

general and then governor of Anhui, ordered Liu Suzeng to hand over the plate, but Liu refused. A few days later, Li Pinxian deliberately said that Liu had stolen a box full of gold bars, and forced Liu to write an IOU. The Liu Family had to flee their home to seek asylum once again. Li Pinxian came to Liu's house with his troops and they looked around the house. They also dug up the yard to a depth of three feet but found nothing.

People's Republic era

In October 1949, after the establishment of the

Government of the People's Republic of China The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...

, the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

asked officials from all over the country to rescue and find cultural and nation treasures and relics that were scattered around the people. Wu Guichang (), chief of the CPC Feixi County Committee, heard the news that the Guoji Zibai ''pan'' was being preserved in the Liu Family. Wu went to Liu's house many times and asked Liu Suzeng to donate the cultural relic to the country. Guo Chongyi (), a local member of the Chinese Democratic League, came to Liu's home with a document from the Central Government. After reading the document and talking with Guo Chongyi, Liu Suzeng decided to donate the treasure to the country along with a bronze drum of the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period (220–280) together. On February 28, 1950, the Liu Family officially donated the plate to the

. The government awarded Liu a certificate of praise and honor. Until then, the Guoji Zibai ''pan'' had accompanied the Liu Family for eighty-six years and been passed down four generations. The Ministry of Culture gave the treasure to the National Museum of Chinese History. Later, the National Museum of Chinese History gave the relic to the

. The Guoji Zibai ''pan'' has always been kept there ever since.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Chinese bronzeware History of Baoji Collection of the National Museum of China Zhou dynasty bronzeware