The tomb of King Wu is destined to be "famous"

How powerful was the state of Chu before?

"The state of Chu was the largest vassal state in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period; in the era of wrestling among the nations, from the Jin and Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Chu dominance during the Warring States Period, Chu has always remained in the 'first echelon'; it was the Chu State that was the first to claim the title of king and win the Central Plains, and tried to sit on an equal footing with the Zhou royal family; it was the Chu State that was the first to set up a county system; all the gold and silver coins known to the pre-Qin period now came from the Chu State; the most advanced bronze smelting and casting industry in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was in the Chu State, and the technology of the 'lost wax method' was invented; and the earliest iron tools were "focused" ...... in the Chu State After an exclusive interview with Gong Xicheng, the archaeological leader of the Wuwang Dun Tomb, the author was deeply shocked by the Wuwang Dun Tomb and poured ink like a note, and made a tabulated list of the glorious history of the Chu State.

With a history of more than 800 years, the Chu State has moved its capital 6 times, and finally settled in Shouchun (now Huainan Shou County), and also died in Shouchun. It can be said that the last cultural swan song of the Chu State stayed in Shouchun.

Archaeological excavation site of Wuwangdun Tomb (data picture)

Archaeological findings show that the once invincible state of Chu came to an end with the collapse of the temple and the destruction of the mausoleum after wars again and again. So far, the only tomb of the king of Chu that can be confirmed by archaeology is the tomb of King You of Chu in the Shouchun period buried in the lonely pile of Li San in Huainan. The Wuwangdun Tomb is the largest, highest-level, and most complex large-scale high-grade tomb of the Chu State that has been scientifically excavated so far. Gong Xicheng said that as of now, such a high-level Chu tomb is an isolated case.

So, what does the Wuwang Dun Tomb mean to the study of Chu culture and Chinese civilization? The answer given by the experts is that the discovery of the Dading from the Wuwang Dun Tomb alone gives people infinite reverie.

Ding, the important weapon of the country. The tripods found on the mainland before have four of the top ones. Stepmother Wuding (Shang): The mouth length is 110 cm, the mouth width is 79 cm, the height is 133 cm, and the weight is 832.84 kg.

Casting Ke Dading (Warring States - Chu, unearthed in the tomb of King Youwang of Chu): diameter 87 cm, abdominal circumference 290 cm, abdominal depth 52 cm, ear height 36.5 cm, foot height 67 cm, pass height 113 cm, weight of about 400 kg.

Casting Ke Dading (profile picture)

Chunhua Dading (Western Zhou): diameter 83 cm, height 122 cm, weight 226 kg.

Zilong Ding (Shang): The diameter is 80 cm, the width of the tripod is 37 cm, the depth of the abdomen is 43 cm, the height of the ears is 22 cm, the height is 103 cm, and the weight is 230 kg.

The above cultural relics are listed as cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad. The roughly measured diameter of the large tripod found in the tomb of King Wudun is more than 88 centimeters, which is larger than the large tripod of the caster in the tomb of Li San Gudui (the tomb of King Youwang of Chu). Judging from the caliber, the big tripod found in the tomb of King Wu will rewrite the relevant order. This alone shows that the archaeological value of this tomb is extraordinary.

Location of Wuwangdun No. 1 Tomb Dading (data picture)

According to experts, in addition to this big tripod in the tomb of King Wu, there are other tripods of different sizes, "the number is amazing". Experts believe that the excavation of the tomb of Wuwang provides systematic archaeological data for the study of the high-level mausoleum system of the Chu State in the late Warring States period and the history and culture of the Chu State after its eastward migration.

Huainan Daily all-media reporter Su Guoyi