Cultural relics

Author: Lü Jianchang, Zhang Yuru / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
1. Since the beginning of Chinese history as a civilized society, bronze ding (tripod) pots have been symbols of the social status of slave-owning nobles and the power of rulers. Most bronze ding pots are round with three legs and two ears, while some are square with four legs. Initially, bronze ding pots were modeled after pottery ding pots, which were used by ancient people to cook food. Bronze ding pots were primarily used to hold cattle, sheep, and pigs during sacrifices and were ceremonial vessels exclusively for slave-owning nobles.
In the late Shang Dynasty, the Shang king indulged in feasting and entertainment, neglecting state affairs. One day, he suddenly decided to commemorate his mother and ordered the slaves to create a large rectangular ding pot with four legs. Before casting the pot, he ordered the massacre of hundreds of slaves, using their blood to sacrifice to heaven and ancestors, hoping for divine protection. After the sacrifice, the king ordered the slave masters to supervise the slaves in making the ding pot. Under the scorching sun, hundreds of slaves were divided into over seventy groups, using over seventy crucibles, and began smelting simultaneously. They poured the molten metal into molds made of clay, first casting the main body of the ding pot, then the legs and ears, and finally assembled these parts to create the large ding pot. Inside the belly of this ding pot, the characters "Si Mu Wo" were cast. This was because the king's mother's name was "Wo," and this ding pot was specially cast to commemorate her, hence the name "Si Mu Wo Ding."
The Si Mu Wo Ding is not only magnificent but also exquisitely crafted, with dragon-shaped patterns cast on its belly and unique decorations on its legs. After being buried underground for thousands of years, this ding pot was finally discovered in 1939 by archaeologists in the Shang Dynasty tomb at Wuguan Village, Anyang, Henan. To date, among all bronze ding pots unearthed in China, the Si Mu Wo Ding is the largest, standing 133 cm tall with a mouth measuring 110 cm in length and 78 cm in width, weighing 875 kilograms. The currently known bronze vessel with the longest inscriptions is the Mao Gong Ding from the Western Zhou Dynasty, which bears over 410 characters.
All of this indicates that thousands of years ago, China's bronze smelting technology was already highly advanced. Such a magnificent and exquisite ding pot is a testament to the wisdom and hard labor of the ancient Chinese working people. P3-5