Editor's note:
The beauty of national treasures, through ancient and modern times, is magnificent. Behind each rare cultural relic is the ingenuity and wisdom of the ancients, engraved with the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, and witnessing the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations. From 11 January 2023, China News Service "East-West Question" has launched the "Treasures of the Town Hall" series of planning (1), which explores the meaning of cultural relics and the stories behind them through experts.
Nanchang, 12 Jan (ZXS) -- Question: What kind of bronze civilization did the double-tailed bronze tiger of the Shang Dynasty recount?
——Interview with Xu Changqing, Chairman of Jiangxi Archaeological Society and Second-level Researcher of Jiangxi Provincial Museum
China News Agency reporter Liu Zhankun and Li Yunhan
The Shang Dynasty double-tailed bronze tiger unearthed in Oceania, Xingan County, Jiangxi Province, is the largest pre-Qin bronze tiger in existence. It has a large size, peculiar shape, delicate craftsmanship and vivid image, expressing the divinity of the tiger and the admiration of the tiger to the extreme, with strong regional characteristics, and is one of the "treasures of the town hall" of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum, which is a national first-class cultural relics.
Why did this "bronze tiger" with both courage and domineering and the tenderness of the bird become the "treasure of the town hall"? What kind of bronze civilization does it tell? Xu Changqing, chairman of the Jiangxi Archaeological Society and second-level researcher of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum, who participated in the archaeological excavation of the Oceania merchant tomb in Xingan, Jiangxi, recently accepted an exclusive interview with the "East-West Question" of China News Agency.
The following is a summary of the interview:
China News Agency: Why did the double-tailed bronze tiger of the Shang Dynasty become the "treasure of the town hall" of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum? What kind of historical civilization is reflected behind it?
Xu Changqing: In September 1989, in Chengjia Village, Oceania Town, Xingan County, Jiangxi Province, 1,374 Shang Dynasty artifacts were unearthed, including 475 bronzes, which caused a sensation for a while. At the excavation site full of yellow sand, bronze heavy weapons are neatly arranged, ceramics are stacked in a concentrated manner, and bronze large knives, ge, spears and other weapons are all broken into three pieces, layered on top of each other, and the surface is coated with cinnabar when excavated. In the central core area, exquisite jade ornaments, delicate bronzes, and fine jade charms are concentrated. There are indications that more than 3,000 years ago, there was a grand funeral here. Such a number of bronzes were unearthed at one time, only in the southern region and rare in the country. Therefore, the tomb is known by experts as the "Southern Bronze Kingdom".
In 2019, tourists visit the Exhibition Hall of Bronze Excavation Sites of the Shang Dynasty in Oceania. Photo by Li Fusun
The Shang Dynasty Bird's double-tailed bronze tiger, unearthed in the Shangan Oceania Shang Tomb, is a single crouching tiger weighing 6.2 kg, making it the largest pre-Qin bronze tiger in existence. In terms of shape, the mouth is grinning, the fangs are exposed, the eyes are fierce, and the four-legged lying is in the shape of desire. The dorsal bird has a pointed beak and round eyes, which is comfortable and peaceful. Tiger birds live peacefully and are very distinctive. In general, this "treasure of the town hall" tiger is large in shape, peculiar in shape, vivid in image, with both courage and domineering and bird tenderness, and shows mysterious shape and majestic divinity; The vivid posture of the outstretch is suitable for movement and static, and contains simple and delicate craftsmanship. It is the creation of reality and imagination, the integration of technology and art, the connection between material and spiritual, and the witness of civilization and history. In particular, the divinity of the tiger and the admiration of people for the tiger are expressed to the extreme, and it has strong regional characteristics.
The two-tailed bronze tiger of the Shang Dynasty Fu Bird in the collection of Jiangxi Provincial Museum is decorated with patterns all over the tiger's body, with a cirrus cloud pattern on the face and abdomen, a cloud thunder pattern on the back, a deformed scale pattern on the nose, ridge, tail and lower part of the four legs, and a striking thunder pattern on the upper part of the four legs. Photo courtesy of Xu Changqing
China News Agency: What are the characteristics of the bronzes unearthed from the Oceania merchant tomb in Xingan, Jiangxi? What is its unique status?
Xu Changqing: The Shang Tomb of Oceania in Xinkan has the largest number of bronzes unearthed among the tombs of nobles of the Shang Dynasty that have been excavated in China. In the 20th century, China had three of the densest bronze excavation sites. The first is the tomb of Yinxu Nu Hao in Anyang, Henan, and the tomb owner is the wife of Wuding the Shang king. Excavated in 1976, 468 bronzes were unearthed in a tomb of less than 30 square meters, which is the only imperial mausoleum in the capital of the late Shang Dynasty that has not been stolen and excavated. The second is the Sanxingdui site in Sichuan, where two sacrificial pits were excavated in 1986, and more than 700 bronzes were unearthed in the No. 2 sacrificial pit, of course, it is not a tomb. The third is the Sinkan Oceania Merchant Tomb, excavated in 1989, and 475 bronzes were unearthed.
The bronze grade of the merchant tombs of Oceania is high. During the Shang Dynasty, bronze plutonium was a symbol of royal power and military commanding power, and could only be owned and used by high-ranking nobles. Only a few dozen archaeological discoveries have been found in the Shang Dynasty. Six pieces of copper plutonium were unearthed in the Shang tomb in Oceania, the largest number, one of which weighed 11.4 kilograms and was the "king of the plutonium" in China. According to records, when King Wu of Zhou was felling, Gongdan of Zhou held a large pluton, and Bi Gonggao held a small pluton, separating the two sides of King Wu of Zhou. King Wu of Zhou cut off King Shang's head with a xuanyue and hung it over a small white flag. Being able to use the "King of the Thunder" can be imagined to know the identity of the tomb owner. At the same time, a four-legged standing deer (yǎn) was also unearthed, which is 105 cm high and weighs 78.5 kg. The whole artifact is cast and formed at one time, with exquisite ornamentation, reflecting the outstanding achievements of bronze fan casting craftsmanship, and is known as China's "King of Rhizoma". More than 30 bronze dings of various kinds were unearthed in the tomb, some weighing tens of kilograms. These bronze weights form the core of the ceremonial activities of merchant tombs in Oceania and are symbols of their illustrious status.
A four-legged standing deer unearthed from the Merchant Tomb of Oceania. Photo by Huang Zhengsheng
The bronzes of the Oceania merchant tombs have both the style of the Central Plains merchant culture and local characteristics. The two-tailed bronze tiger of the Shang Dynasty Fu Bird is one of the cultural relics with strong local characteristics. In addition, ancient musical instruments are on a par with the ceremonial instruments of "passing through the state, fixing the society, and ordering the people", and they are all enjoyed on major occasions such as sacrifices, funerals, conquests, and feasts. The bronze plutonium excavated from the tomb, with exquisite ornamentation, huge volume and thick and loud voice, is known as the "King of Plutonium", which is the most typical single percussion instrument in western Jiangxi and eastern Hunan. The bronze mask, commonly known as the "two-faced god-man" statue, has a wide mouth and large ears, revealing a mysterious and strange atmosphere, and is a ritual vessel used by shamans to hold sacrifices with the help of heaven and earth, and has its own distinctive characteristics.
A bronze head of a two-faced god unearthed from the Merchant Tomb in Oceania. Photo by Han Yibing
China News Agency: Why may the bronze of the Xinkan Oceania merchant tomb belong to the tiger side? What kind of ethnic group is the Tiger Fang?
Xu Changqing: According to statistics, in the Xinkan Oceania merchant tomb, there are not only huge single tiger images, but also 56 tiger images on the most ceremonial features of the ears and feet, on the handles of bronze weapons, on the heads of staff and on jade ornaments. Some are realistic, concrete and vivid; Some are freehand and vividly depicted. It's a tiger! The bronze dings decorated in the form of a large number of crouching tigers are unique to Jiangxi, and the rich tiger images are rare in the country, showing the unique local tiger worship. According to documents, there was a tiger fang in ancient times, which was first a clan worshipped by the tiger, which was formed in the period of the Yellow Emperor. The Shang Dynasty developed into the Tiger Fang and was found in Oracle. In the late Shang Dynasty, he moved south to Jianghan Dynasty. "Yin Zhinan, Hufang Country, west of Peng Li, east of Dongting, followed by Sanmiao and Hufang". Therefore, in the late Shang period, it may have reached the area of Dongting Lake - Poyang Lake. From the analysis of tiger elements such as tiger shapes and patterns used extensively on bronzes, this is very consistent with the geographical location of the tiger side recorded in the literature. The Southern Bronze Kingdom may have been the Tiger Kingdom or the Tiger Kingdom, and the tomb most likely belonged to the Supreme Chief of the Tiger or the Tiger King's tomb.
A Shang dynasty double-eared crouching tiger flat-footed bronze ding unearthed in Oceania, Xingan County, Jiangxi Province. Photo courtesy of Xu Changqing
The Oceania Shang Tomb is the most direct embodiment of the achievements of the highly developed bronze civilization of the "Southern Bronze Kingdom", and its core area is in the Zhangshu and Xinkan areas of the Qingjiang Basin of Jiangxi. The Wucheng site of Zhangshu and the Niucheng site of Xinkan not only have the largest large-scale city site in southern China, but also unearthed high-grade and high-grade bronze dings, as well as a large number of stone and pottery fans that cast bronzes. Large city sites, tombs, and high-grade bronze artifacts form the core of the Bronze Kingdom.
Jiangxi Zhangshu Wucheng ruins city wall. Photo courtesy of Xu Changqing
China News Agency: Is the Southern Bronze Kingdom indigenous or the Central Plains civilization? What role did it play in the formation of the Chinese national community?
Xu Changqing: Years of research have shown that the northern Jiangxi region was an important position of the Central Plains Dynasty slightly south, the source of copper resources for the Central Plains Dynasty and the Southern Bronze Kingdom, and the transit station and bridgehead for cultural exchanges and integration between the Central Plains and ancient Jiangxi, which is the "golden key" to open the treasure house of Jiangxi's bronze civilization.
Among the remains of the Shang Dynasty of the Southern Bronze Kingdom, many of the early Shang period pottery pipes, pottery sticks (jiǎ), folding shoulder jars, and lap foot plates found in the early Shang period have elements of the Central Plains Shang culture, indicating that the origin of the Bronze Kingdom may be related to the Central Plains Shang culture. Some printed hard pottery high-necked jars obviously have the pottery characteristics of the 10,000-year-old culture of the Shang Dynasty kiln site in Yingtan, Jiangxi, and belong to the common utensils of the southern Yue people. It can be seen that at the beginning of Ruichang Tongling copper mining, there should be the participation of Central Plains merchants and local Yue people. Who exactly controls it? It may still be the people of the Northern Central Plains, because they brought advanced copper metallurgy and casting technology. A large number of bronze artifacts unearthed from the Shang tombs of Oceania, such as ding, staff, 卣 (yǒu), 罍 (léi), 鬲, bean, 钺, etc., regardless of shape and ornamentation, have the style of Central Plains Shang culture, indicating that in the hinterland of Jiangxi Ganzhong, the core area of the Bronze Kingdom, the influence of Shang culture is profound and extensive. Similarly, the research on the casting technology of bronze ceremonial vessels in Oceania also found that it uses and inherits the clay fan technology popular in the Central Plains, which is the result of the core technology of Shang culture. In the Zhou Dynasty, that is, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Chu cultural factors such as Chu style beard, Yue cultural factors hard pottery and glazed clay pots appeared in copper mine sites at the same time, and we saw the phenomenon of Chu people and Yue people controlling copper mines.
Shang dynasty moire-patterned bronze plutonium unearthed in Oceania, Xingan County, Jiangxi Province. Photo courtesy of Xu Changqing
The Southern Bronze Kingdom was the largest and highest-ranking regional local power nucleus in southern China during the Bronze Age. Originating from the profound Neolithic civilization accumulation in Jiangxi, relying on the unique advantages of copper resources, under the strong influence of the Xia Shang bronze civilization in the Central Plains, the bronze production technology is highly developed, and the achievements of bronze civilization are ahead of other regions in the south, promoting the common progress of Chinese civilization and entering the hall of early national civilization. It is an important carrier of China's prehistoric civilization to the stage of national civilization since the late Neolithic period, and is a direct embodiment of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization. The peak of its civilization occurred in the middle of the Shang Dynasty and continued to the late Shang Dynasty, possibly as long as four to five hundred years. It has witnessed the cultural integration of Chinese civilization and the process of finally integrating into the big family of Chinese national unification. (End)
Respondent Profile:
Xu Changqing, Chairman of Jiangxi Archaeological Society and second-level researcher of Jiangxi Provincial Museum. Photo by Liu Zhankun
Xu Changqing graduated from the Department of Anthropology, Xiamen University, majoring in archaeology. Second-level researcher of Jiangxi Provincial Museum, he has successively served as the president of Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the secretary of the Party Committee of Jiangxi Provincial Museum. He is an expert of the State Council Special Allowance, an expert of the State Administration of Cultural Relics Key Cultural Relics Protection Project, a director of the Chinese Archaeological Society, a vice president of the China Baiyue History Research Association, and the chairman of the Jiangxi Archaeological Society. He has been engaged in field archaeological research and cultural heritage protection for a long time, participated in Jiangxi Xingan Oceania Shang Tomb, Wucheng Shang Dynasty Site, and presided over the excavation, protection and research of major projects such as Nanchang Xihanhai Duhouguo Site, Jing'an Lizhou Pass Eastern Zhou Tomb, etc., and related projects have won the "Six Major Archaeological Discovery Awards", "Top Ten Archaeological New Discoveries" Award, Archaeological Asset Protection Gold Award and "Jiangxi Province Social Science Outstanding Achievements" Award for many times. He has presided over and participated in 3 projects of the National Social Science Foundation, presided over 3 social science planning projects of Jiangxi Province, presided over the writing of more than 10 reports and catalogs, and published more than 120 archaeological reports and academic papers.