The Shi Qiang ''pan'' () is a
Chinese bronze dated to the end of the 10th century BCE. It is inscribed with a text that has been described as "the first conscious attempt in China to write history". It is regarded as one of China's national treasures, and was listed in 2002 as one of sixty-four
cultural relics forbidden to be exhibited abroad. It is kept at the
Baoji Bronzeware Museum; a replica is displayed in the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre Museum. The vessel is low and round, and has two handles. It is tall, and has a diameter of . Its exterior is cast with a ''
taotie
The ''taotie'' is an ancient Chinese mythological creature that was commonly emblazoned on bronze and other artifacts during the 1st millennium BCE. ''Taotie'' are one of the Four Perils in Chinese classics like the ''Classic of Mountains an ...
'' design.
History
The Shi Qiang ''pan'' was cast sometime during the reign of
King Gong of Zhou () for a member of the Wei (; modern ) clan, whose name was Qiang (). Some time later it was buried along with over 100 other vessels belonging to the family, and only unearthed in 1976, in
Fufeng County
Fufeng County () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baoji, in the west-central part of Shaanxi Province, China. The county lies in the fertile Guanzhong Plain on the north bank of the Wei River between Xi'an, to ...
,
Baoji
Baoji ( zh, s= , t= , p=Bǎojī; ) 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 ...
, Shaanxi.
Inscription

The interior of the vessel is inscribed with 284 characters divided into eighteen lines. The content praises the previous and current rulers of the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...
, extolling their virtues and deeds, and then recounts the history of the family of the caster, culminating with Scribe Qiang himself. This is in contrast to most inscriptions which detail only immediate events.
The inscription recounts how
King Wen of Zhou
King Wen of Zhou ( zh, c=周文王, p=Zhōu Wén Wáng; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang ( zh, c=姬昌), the patriarch of the Zhou state during the final years of Shang dynasty in ancient China. J ...
"joined the ten thousand states",
King Wu of Zhou
King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later.
Ki ...
"campaigned through the four quarters",
King Zhao of Zhou "tamed
Chu
Chu or CHU may refer to:
Chinese history
* Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty
* Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu
* Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the H ...
and Jing". In all the inscription records the virtues and highlights of the first seven Zhou kings. Slightly before the midpoint of the passage, the inscription begins describing the caster's own family, beginning with how his high ancestor had been moved from a more eastern location to the Zhou homeland around the time of the Zhou conquest. The account touches on such subjects as the appropriateness of Qiang's grandfather's sacrifices, as well as the agricultural success of Qiang's father.
The language of the inscription is difficult both graphically and lexically. Transcriptions are available, but most are incomplete due to font constraints. The fullest treatment can be found in Shirakawa's ''Complete Explanations of Bronze Inscriptions''.
Edward L. Shaughnessy has translated the passage into English.
The ritualistic intent of the inscription is demonstrated by positive spin on historical fact: the inscription claims King Zhao "tamed Chu and Jing", while in reality the campaign was defeated and the king killed, within living memory of the casting of the vessel.
Notes
References
Citations
Works cited
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External links
Inscription of the Shi Qiang pannglish translation from the Columbia University
{{Chinese bronzeware
Zhou dynasty bronzeware
History of Baoji
1976 archaeological discoveries
Archaeological discoveries in China
Chinese cultural relics forbidden to be exhibited abroad