Since ancient times, bronze ware, as a treasure of ancient Chinese civilization, carries the weight of history and the profundity of culture. "Zuo Biography" wrote: "The major affairs of the country are in the worship and Rong, the worship has persistence, the Rong has suffering, and the great festival of the gods is also." It is paraphrased as: "The great affairs of the country are sacrifices and wars." Sacrifice has the ritual of sharing meat, and war has the ritual of sacrificing meat, which is a great festival of communion with the gods. This phrase means that sacrifice and military affairs are the key to the lifeblood of the country, and bronze is the representative of these two important fields, so it is called "the important weapon of the country".
△ Stepmother Wu Dafang Ding (late Shang period). It was unearthed in March 1939 in the military attache village of Anyang, Henan Province, and is now in the National Museum of China. Weighing 832.84 kilograms, it is the largest and heaviest bronze ritual vessel unearthed in the world so far, and is known as the "treasure of the town".
In ancient China, sacrifice was an important religious ritual and social activity, as well as an important means of maintaining social order and stability. As an important ritual utensil, bronze ritual vessels symbolize reverence and reverence for the gods and reflect the unity and order of the country. The bronze ritual vessel is the crystallization of the wisdom and diligence of the ancient Chinese ancestors, and is also a symbol of Chinese civilization. At present, the earliest bronze found in China is a bronze knife from the Majiayao culture in Gansu Province, dating from about 2900 BC to 2740 BC. From the Xia, Shang, Zhou to Spring and Autumn periods and the early Warring States period, bronze ware flourished, and bronze ritual vessels played an important role as an indispensable and important item in the sacrificial ceremony. These bronzes, including ding, xuan, jue, etc., are exquisitely crafted and exquisitely crafted, carrying reverence and respect for ancestors and gods.
△ stepmother Xin Dafang Ding (late Shang period). In 1976, it was unearthed in the tomb of the good woman in Yinxu, Anyang, Henan, and is now stored in the Yinxu Museum. This tripod is the standard artifact of the Wuding period.
△ Siyang Fangzun (late Shang period). It was unearthed in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province in 1938 and is now in the National Museum of China. This statue is a sacrificial article, and is called "the ultimate bronze model" by the historical circles, and is one of the top ten national treasures.
△ Good woman owl (late Shang period). In 1976, it was unearthed in the tomb of the woman in Anyang, Henan, and the original artifact was unearthed in a pair of two, which were collected in the National Museum of China and the Henan Museum. It is the earliest bird-shaped sake statue ever discovered.
△ Father B Che Qu Yao late Shang Dynasty is now in the Anyang Museum in Henan
△ Nangongding (Western Zhou). Unearthed in the cemetery of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Yejiashan, Suizhou, it is a typical ritual vessel of the early Zeng Kingdom, and is now stored in the Suizhou Museum in Hubei.
△ Beast face pattern (Western Zhou). Unearthed in Suizhou Yejiashan West Zhou cemetery, now in the Suizhou City Museum.
Bronze ritual vessels are not only practical tools, but also important carriers of ancient Chinese culture. They carry rich historical and cultural connotations, and are the crystallization of the wisdom and art of ancient craftsmen. The motifs and inscriptions of the bronzes reflect the political, economic and religious conditions of the society at that time, and provide important information for future generations to study the ancient society. Even today, bronze ritual vessels still hold significant historical significance and cultural value. They are not only precious cultural relics in museums, but also a bridge between history and reality.