In the exhibition hall of the National Museum, there is a pottery eagle ding of Yangshao culture more than 5,000 years ago, which is based on the eagle, with unique design and exquisite workmanship, which is a national first-class cultural relic, and is also the first batch of cultural relics on the mainland that are prohibited from going abroad (border) for exhibition, and is a national treasure-level cultural relic. Few people may know that this tao ying ding is a farmer when planting land dug up, take it home as a chicken food bowl to feed chickens, and then Peking University archaeology teachers and students to the local archaeology practice, the farmer after listening to the teachers and students of the archaeological propaganda suddenly remembered the unique shape of the clay pot he dug from the ground, experts saw Tao Yingding after a surprise, farmers learned that the clay pot is a cultural relic, generously donated Tao Ying Ding to the expert, so Tao Ying Ding from chicken food basin into a national treasure.
Strange clay pots
In 1957, Yin Siyi, a farmer from Taipingzhuang in Hua County, Shaanxi Province, plowed the ground in the fields east of the village. In the process of plowing the ground, he suddenly felt a tremor in his arm, and the plough head seemed to be stuck by a hard object. At first, Yin Siyi thought that the plough was stuck by the stones in the ground, because this situation often happened when ploughing the ground, so he used his hands to pick up the soil turned out by the plough, and when the soil was turned over, he found that there was a strangely shaped pottery stuck in the plough.
What is this? Yin Siyi continued to dig the dirt with his hands while pondering, and in a few moments a clay pot that looked like an eagle appeared in front of him. The pottery looked like an eagle, with a large jar opening on the back of the eagle, and although Yin Siyi didn't know what the clay pot was for, he felt that the appearance of the clay pot was very pleasing, and the jar was not damaged, and it might be of some use to take it home. So he put the clay pot on the ground and continued to work, and after finishing the work, he carried the clay pot home.
After carrying the clay pot home, Yin Siyi did not know what the use of the clay pot was. Stuff up, right? This jar is still a little small, so what can it be used for? Suddenly, Yin Siyi thought of a group of chickens raised at home, and there was still a chicken food basin for feeding chickens, so he cleaned the clay pot, put the chicken food, and put it on the side of the chicken nest as a chicken food basin.
But something strange happened, and the next morning, Yin Siyi found that the chicken food that was put in the chicken food bowl yesterday was not less at all, and the chicken did not eat the chicken food in the chicken food bowl. Yin Siyi squatted in front of the chicken food bowl and pondered, and finally he figured out that this clay pot was very much like an eagle, and the eagle was the natural enemy of the chicken, perhaps this group of chickens was afraid of this chicken food bowl that looked like an eagle, so they did not come to eat.
After thinking about it, Yin Siyi felt that the clay pot was simply a chicken rib, and it was a pity that it was useless to discard it, so Yin Siyi put the clay pot in the corner of the courtyard.
An archaeological team came from the village
In 1958, the Yellow River Reservoir Archaeological Team discovered the Yangshao cultural site in Quanhu Village on the south bank of the Wei River in Hua County, Shaanxi Province. In order to cultivate archaeologists, in the autumn of 1958, teachers and students of the Department of Archaeology of the Department of History of Peking University came to Huaxian for archaeological internship. This site is just near the Taipingzhuang where Yin Siyi lives, in order to facilitate learning, the teachers and students of the archaeological team usually live in the homes of their fellow villagers in Taipingzhuang, and they use their free time to go to nearby villages to do cultural relics research and cultural protection knowledge.
On this day, Zhang Wanzhong of the Department of Archaeology of Peking University and his classmates happened to be in Taipingzhuang Village to publicize the knowledge of cultural relics protection, and Yin Siyi, who was idle and fine, gathered around with the villagers to listen to the speech. After Yin Siyi listened to Zhang Wanjun's propaganda speech, he suddenly remembered the clay pot he dug up when he was planting the land last year.
After leaving the scene, Yin Siyi walked up to Zhang Wanzhong and told Zhang Wanzhong about digging up a clay pot in his own land. Zhang Chengzhong was very interested after listening to it, so he and his classmates followed Yin Siyi to Yin Siyi's home.
After arriving home, Yin Siyi took out the clay pot that had once been used as a chicken food pot from the corner of the courtyard and handed it to Zhang Wanzhong, who took the clay pot and looked at it carefully, he was surprised, he realized that this was not a clay pot at all, but a pottery ding, an extremely precious cultural relic.
Give away Tao Ying Ding
This piece of pottery is based on an eagle, and the whole is a crouching eagle, the front chest of the eagle is the abdomen, and the top mouth is open on the back of the eagle. This eagle is plump and majestic, its two wings are slightly propped up, two eagle feet stand firmly and powerfully on the ground, and the broad eagle tail hangs on the ground, forming a solid triangle support with the two stout eagle feet. The eagle's eyes are round and convex, and its bulging eyes are facing ahead, shining brightly, showing its fierceness and ferocity.
Although Zhang Wanzhong did not know how precious this pottery was at that time, he said to Yin Siyi with great certainty: "This pottery ding is likely to be a relic of the Yangshao culture in Quanhu Village, and judging from its workmanship and integrity, it is a precious cultural relic." ”
After yin Siyi listened to Zhang Wanzhong's explanation, he said to Zhang Wanzhong very calmly: "Since you think that this Tao Ding is a precious cultural relic, I have no use keeping it myself, just give it to you, you may be able to use it for archaeological scientific research..." Zhang Wanzhong was very touched to hear Yin Siyi's words, and he tightly held Yin Siyi's hand and expressed his gratitude.
Exhibitions abroad are prohibited
After Tao Ding was brought back to Beijing, experts conducted in-depth research on Tao Ding, believing that it was a Neolithic pottery, and experts named it "Tao Ying Ding". Of all the Neolithic pottery currently unearthed on the mainland, bird-shaped pottery has never been found before, and it is the only one.
Later, this Tao Yingding was identified as a national first-class cultural relic and collected by the China History Museum (today's National Museum of China), becoming a veritable national treasure.
In 1993, when China applied for the Olympic Games for the first time, Mr. Samaranch of the International Olympic Committee at that time personally selected Tao Yingding and eight other cultural relics to be exhibited in Switzerland to show the ancient Chinese culture to the people of the world and help the olympic bid to succeed. This exhibition is Tao Yingding's last overseas exhibition, and in 2002, Tao Yingding was selected into the mainland's "Catalogue of The First Batch of Cultural Relics Prohibited from Going Abroad (Border)". It goes without saying how precious this pottery eagle is.
epilogue
Tao Yingding is the only neolithic pottery based on birds unearthed in the mainland so far, this pottery design is unique, proportionable, beautiful shape, realistic shape, is a set of art and practicality as one of the precious works of art, it shows us more than 5,000 years ago our ancestors clever wisdom and superb pottery craftsmanship. At the same time, it is also a landmark cultural relic, which opened the precedent of the Shang Dynasty bird and beast shape bronze.