"Ding", "bean", "gui", "mane", "甗", "trick", do you know these words?
These words actually originate from the creation of ancient "foodies". Different from the simple name of our "pots and pans" now, the ancient "foodies" have a meticulous classification and naming of the eating utensils, so in the Xiangbo "Return of the King" bronze exhibition, we often see some illegible words, and at the same time find some bronzes that are very similar in appearance, which are also named by different words.
Today, let's walk into the eating life of the ancients through a piece of exquisite bronze food utensils, and taste the different taste of the tip of the tongue!
ding
Pictured: Square Ding
I am a "great name" of human face patterns, people often use me to cook food, or to serve meat and condiments at feasts, and at the same time, I am also an important ceremonial instrument for nobles to carry out ritual activities such as sacrifices! I am the only One of the existing Shang Zhou bronzes decorated with a human face. On all four sides of my body are embossed four almost identical human faces, all of which have large faces, round eyes, curved eyebrows, a towering and sharp nose bridge, and broad protruding lips, with a very solemn expression. There is an inscription "Dahe" on the inside of my vessel near the mouth, so it is also called "Dahe Fangding". How, am I very recognizable like this?
beans
Pictured: "Send the Father" bean
Friends, I am a bean, a kind of utensil for pickles, meat sauce, and can also hold rice. My purpose is similar to the one you use today. Look at our abdomen like a disc, with a long thick stalk under the abdomen and a circle foot under the stalk. When people use me, they often use even numbers in combination, so there is a saying that "Ding Li (zǔ) is strange and biān bean puppet".
Gui
Pictured: "Heavenly Death" Gui
Friends, my name is guǐ,is a kind of food container and warmer. When I am used as a ceremonial vessel, I usually use it in conjunction with the Ding, and the number of uses also changes with the change of our master's identity. Zhou Tianzi used "Nine Dings and Eight Gui" for sacrifice, the princes "Seven Dings and Six Gui", Qing Dafu "Five Dings and Four Gui", and the "Three Dings and Two Gui".
Mane
Pictured: "Ear" mane
Hello everyone, I am the "ear" mane (lì) in the bronze family. Although I am not as famous as my brother "Ding", I am a kind of cooking utensils for cooking food.
However, although we are the same food utensils in bronze, there are still many differences! The whole body of Ding is distinctly divided into abdomen and feet. As for me, the abdomen and the feet are not separated, and the abdomen is like a bag, and the feet are shorter. The reason why this bag-like structure is designed is because it is conducive to expanding the heating area of the liquid and making it easier to heat the food.
Urs
Pictured: "Album-like" 甗
I am yǎn, a cooking utensil used to steam food. If you look closely, you will find that I am actually a two-in-one artifact. My upper part is a large-mouthed pot-shaped zèng for food. The lower part is a bristle (lì) for water, and inside my waist is a circular copper sheet with cross-shaped or straight holes. When used, a fire is burned at the bottom of the utensil, and steam is used to steam the food inside the zèng through copper sheets.
Trick
Pictured: "Prince Chen" trick
I am zǔ, a few cases used to cut and hold meat. Don't look at me short, in fact, my height and function match the habit of sitting on the floor at that time. I appeared in people's vision in the Shang Dynasty, and in the Western Zhou Dynasty, our branches were more abundant and occupied an important position in the Zhou Li. After the large sacrifice, the chief priest will distribute the meat to relatives and subordinates. In the pre-Qin texts, it is common for Zhou Tianzi to award sacrificial meat to the princes, which is usually called "zuò". When eating meat, we need to put the cooked meat on us, cut it with a knife, and the soup of the meat will flow down the hollow on our body.
Visiting tips
Exhibition date: December 30, 2021 - May 18, 2022
Exhibition Address: Hunan Provincial Museum Special Exhibition Hall I
Full-price ticket: 50 yuan / person
Preferential ticket: 25 yuan / person (full-time undergraduate and below students, 60 years old - 65 years old, low-income households with valid documents to enjoy preferential prices)
Free tickets: Children under the age of 14, the elderly over 65 years old, the disabled, active military personnel, retired military cadres can visit for free with valid documents
How to buy tickets:
1. Pay attention to the WeChat public account of Hunan Provincial Museum, click "Visiting Service" to reserve tickets
2. Log in to the official website of Hunan Provincial Museum and click "Visit" to reserve tickets online
(If you have a history of living in another province within 14 days, please provide a negative nucleic acid test certificate within 48 hours.) ）
Opening Hours:
Every Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00 (last admission at 16:00)
Closed on Mondays and postponed on statutory holidays