“The Xuanniao, destined by heaven, descended to give birth to the Shang dynasty, with its dwelling in the Yin soil shining brightly.” This is a poem from the “Song of Shang” in the Book of Songs, called “Xuanniao”, which records the legendary birth of Qi, the ancestor of the Shang people. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a woman named Jian Di from a tribe of barbarians in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. She swallowed swallow eggs by the Yellow River and gave birth to a boy, which is called Qi. Qi thus became the legendary ancestor of the Shang tribe. He was granted the surname Zi in the Shang region for his contributions in assisting Yu in controlling floods.
This ancient tribe in the Yellow River Basin stepped onto the stage of human history and created a Shang Dynasty that lasted for more than 500 years, with a total of 17 generations and 31 kings, around 1600 BC, creating a bronze civilization era that shocked the world.
Linyao Village is located in Shanhua Township, east of Yanshi County, Henan Province. In the north of Linyao Village, there stands a tall tomb. Over three thousand years ago, a benevolent king was buried here. This king is the founding ruler of the Shang Dynasty, known for the “Chengtang Revolution” – Chengtang.
Due to its long history, the origin of the Dongyi merchants who used the Xuanniao as their totem is unknown. “Xuanniao gave birth to merchants” is just a beautiful legend full of mythological colors.
The Xiangong era of Shang, which began with the Ancestor Qi, roughly coincided with the Xia Dynasty, and the Xia Dynasty’s national strength was once as strong as the sun. But since Kong Jia became king, he has been declining day by day. He ignored the court, superstitiously believed in ghosts and gods, specialized in hunting and entertainment, causing resentment among the people, and the feudal lords rebelled. In the feudal states of Xia, the power of Shang gradually grew, and by the 14th generation, Tang succeeded as the Marquis of Shang, coinciding with the last Xia king – Jie, who was cruel and unjust, and was filled with anger and resentment. Tang chose this favorable opportunity to prepare for the end of summer.
How easy is it to change dynasties? Not only should there be outstanding leaders, but also capable assistants. The assistant appeared in time: one was Zhong Hui, and the other was Yi Yin.
Kongsang Village – Kaifeng City, Henan Province
This is Kongsang Village located in Qi County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province. It is said that Kongsang Village is the hometown of Yi Yin. Due to its age, the birthplace of Yi Yin has become very remote. One theory is that Yi Yin was born in Kongsang Village, Qi County.
According to legend, Yi Yin was born into a slave family. His father was a household slave chef of the slave owner, and his mother was a slave who lived on the Yi River to collect mulberry and raise silkworms. Yi Yin is a person with lofty aspirations, his ambition is to eliminate the cruel and ruthless Xia Jie and save the people from water and fire. He first heard that Youshen Kingdom was good, so he came to the side of Youshen Kingdom’s ruler and became a cook. The ruler of the Kingdom of Xin soon discovered that Yi Yin was very talented, so he appointed him as the leader in charge of managing meals. But Youxin Kingdom was too small, and he had the same surname as Xia Jie. Taking advantage of the opportunity of Youxin Kingdom’s marriage alliance with Shang Tang, Yi Yin came to Shang Tang’s side as a dowry slave and continued to work as a cook for Shang Tang. Shang Tang quickly discovered that Yi Yin was a rare talent, so he made an exception and appointed him as the Right Prime Minister. So, Yi Yin and Left Prime Minister Zhong Hui teamed up to assist Shang Tang. Under the instigation of the two, some feudal lords successively rebelled against Xia and returned to Shang.
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: These all have a certain color of ancient historical legends. But there is indeed a person named Yi Yin. Although Yi Yin is not a nobleman given a surname by merchants, for these old ministers who made contributions to the rise of the Shang Dynasty, merchants still offer them sacrifices and even treat them with great respect, indicating that Yi Yin is very sacred in the spiritual life and religious views of merchants.
More and more defectors are emerging. But as the saying goes, “a hundred legged insect, dead but not stiff”, there are still many feudal lords and Fangguo who wholeheartedly follow the Xia Dynasty, especially the three Xia vassal states of Ruwei, Gu, and Kunwu in the eastern region, which have considerable influence and are close to the Shang Dynasty. So Shang Tang decided to cut off these three wings of Xia Jie.
Just as Shang Tang was preparing to launch an Eastern Expedition against Lu Wei, Xia Jie learned that he had been expanding his influence and found an excuse to summon Shang Tang to court. However, he ordered Shang Tang to be imprisoned in the underground water prison of Xia Tai’s heavy spring.
Zhong Hui and Yi Yin learned that the monarch was imprisoned and collected many treasures, toys, and beautiful women to offer to Xia Jie, requesting the release of Tang. Xia Jie was a greedy and lascivious person. Seeing so many good things and considering not wanting to cause dissatisfaction among the Shang people, he had no choice but to release Shang Tang.
Shang Tang narrowly escaped death, which further strengthened his determination to eliminate summer. Shang Tang took advantage of Xia Jie’s expedition to the east and successively destroyed the three kingdoms of Ruwei, Gu, and Kunwu. Around 1600 BC, Shang Tang believed that the time had come and raised troops to attack Xia. Various feudal lords defected to Shang Tang and joined the army to attack Xia. A large army marched straight in and met the Xia army at the Mingtiao Field in present-day Fengqiu, Henan. The two armies engaged in a decisive battle that determined their historical fate.
Before the decisive battle began, Tang read a proclamation to boost morale, recounting Xia Jie’s sins and claiming that it was the heavens who wanted him to eliminate him. This is the mobilization order of Shang Tang before the Battle of Mingtiao – “Tang Oath”.
After pre war mobilization, the morale of the Xia army was greatly boosted and they bravely killed the enemy. The Xia army was defeated and Jie was captured alive.
Shang Tang captured the capital of the Xia Dynasty, Zhenxi. After calming the subjects of the Xia Dynasty, Tang held a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the heavens on the spot. He told everyone that Jie had committed heinous crimes, and the Xia Dynasty had reached its end. He officially declared the downfall of the Xia Dynasty. The first slavery dynasty in Chinese history came to an end.
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: After Tang conquered the Xia Dynasty, there was indeed a leap in the development of the merchant country, marked by its large city site. The establishment of the capital city, from a national perspective, its national structure and form have developed. Because a central city, a political and cultural center, and a sacrificial center were still very important to a country at that time, it can be said that after the Xia Dynasty was conquered, there was a leap in the development of the merchant culture and the state form of merchants. It integrated a part of Xia culture and developed itself. Therefore, the biggest one we saw later was the excavation of Zhengzhou Shangcheng. A large number of bronze artifacts, and the development of bronze culture in bronze artifacts must have made a leap after the end of summer, So it became an important symbol of early Shang civilization.
Due to Shang Tang’s claim that he was acting on behalf of heaven, his influence quickly spread to all corners of the world. Marquises, nobles, and chieftains of various clans and tribes from all over the country brought offerings and offerings to pay their respects, expressing their submission to Tang. Even the Di and Qiang tribes living far in the Western region came to pay their respects. This is what is sung in the Song of Shang in the Book of Songs: “Once upon a time, there was Chengtang, from the Di and Qiang tribes, who dared not come to enjoy it, who dared not come to the king, saying that Shang is constant.” Within a few months, there were “three thousand lords” gathered in the capital of Shang, Bo.
After the eleven expeditions and becoming invincible, Shang Tang finally eliminated the Xia Dynasty, unified the turbulent Central Plains region that had been in turmoil since the end of the Xia Dynasty, and controlled the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Its influence far exceeded that of the Xia Dynasty, laying the foundation for the territory of the Shang Dynasty.
The first thing Shang Tang did when he came to power was to implement a series of measures to change dynasties. These measures were recorded by Sima Qian, which was to “change the Zhengshuo period, change the color of clothing, maintain whiteness, and allow the court to meet during the day.”. The so-called “Zhengshuo” refers to changing the first day of the Xia Dynasty each year (Zhengshuo). Xia refers to a year as one year, with the first lunar month as the beginning of the year and the first day of the first lunar month as the beginning of the year. Tang changed the name of the year to “One Sacrifice”, with the twelfth month of the summer calendar as the beginning of the year, and the first day of the twelfth month every year as the beginning of the ceremony. The so-called “Yi Fu color” refers to changing the color of clothes from “Shang black” in the Xia Dynasty to “Shang white”. The court meeting will be held during the day, which means the meeting will be held during the day instead of the original night time.
After Shang Tang roughly completed the internal and external political governance of the Shang Dynasty, he ordered people to move the nine copper tripods cast by Xia Yu during the founding of the country after the Tu Shan meeting of the feudal lords, which were the treasures of the Xia Dynasty’s governance, to the capital of the Shang Dynasty. The change of ownership of these nine bronze cauldrons, which symbolize national power, signifies the complete downfall of the Xia Dynasty and the beginning of the Shang Dynasty’s rise to the stage of Chinese history. The revolutionary history of the Shang Dynasty has opened the first page.
Zhu Fenghan: In ancient China, it was believed that the ding was a very solid ceremonial vessel, and it was endowed with a symbol of political power because the ding was mainly a ceremonial vessel, and its main function was to serve as a ceremonial vessel for sacrificial ceremonies. However, the ding was particularly sanctified as a symbol of ancient political power.
Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Wang Zhenzhong: It does not represent the downfall of a simple small state, but rather the transfer of power from a pluralistic and integrated state structure to a co dominant power that governs the world.
Ding is a representative of China’s bronze culture. It is a witness to civilization and also a carrier of civilization. As early as over 4000 years ago, China had bronze smelting and casting technology. By the Shang Dynasty, it had reached its peak, thus ushering in the Bronze Age of China.
In ancient times, the tripod was regarded as an important tool for establishing a country, as well as a ceremonial tool for honoring achievements and representing the country and power. From the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, the establishment of a capital or dynasty was referred to as the “Ding Ding”, and when a country was destroyed, the Ding was relocated.
In the third year of the relocation of the Ding to the Shang Dynasty, Shang Tang passed away without a trace, and the people were very saddened. They buried this founding ruler with great honor.
Yiyin Temple, Song County, Luoyang City, Henan Province
This is the Yiyin Temple located in Song County, Henan Province. The ancient temple enshrines the first wise minister in Chinese history, Yiyin. Decades after Shang Tang’s death, Yi Yin, who was over a hundred years old, passed away.
During the reign of Yi Yin, he assisted five Shang kings, namely Shang Tang, Wai Bing, Zhong Ren, Tai Jia, and Wo Ding, and made great contributions to the Shang dynasty. After Taijia ascended the throne, he ignored the court and indulged in pleasure. Yiyin exiled Taijia for three years. Later, Taijia repented and blamed himself, and Yi Yin personally welcomed him back to Taijia, allowing him to ascend to the throne again. Taijia became the queen again and changed her ways. She governed the people with virtue, allowing them to live and work in peace and contentment. Every year, the feudal lords from all over came to pay tribute. “Yi Yin Fang Tai Jia” is also recorded as a timeless tale in historical records.
Nowadays, Yi Yin has passed away for over three thousand years, but his name has been passed down from generation to generation. According to legend, due to Yi Yin’s mastery of cooking techniques, he established the “Five Flavors Harmony Theory” and “Heat Theory”. Yi Yin was also revered by later generations as the “Kitchen Saint” and “Cooking Saint”, and thus became the founder of China’s culinary industry.
Wang Zhenzhong: Yi Yin played a significant role in the overthrow of the Xia Dynasty by Cheng Tang. After Cheng Tang gained control of the Xia Dynasty, he also played a significant role in assisting Cheng Tang. After Cheng Tang, he played a significant role in the inheritance and consolidation of the Shang Dynasty’s throne, as well as in the system and rule of law throughout Cheng Tang. So Yi Yin is very beloved by merchants.
The throne of the Shang Dynasty has been passed down all the way, and the long 500 year history of the Shang Dynasty has unconsciously passed halfway. At this time, the relay baton of the Shang dynasty monarchy reached an important figure: Pan Geng. But the country taken over by Pan Geng could almost be said to be a mess, because at this time, the Shang Dynasty was plagued by internal and external troubles, with crises and a declining national strength. Pan Geng was a capable king who made many efforts to ease domestic conflicts in the decade after taking office, but still could not change the declining situation. If it continued, the dynasty would be in danger of collapse. This forced Pan Geng to consider ways to save him. So he decided to follow the example of the previous king and carry out the sixth capital relocation since Tang.
Where are we going? After repeated investigation and careful selection, Pan Geng decided to relocate to Yin on the shore of the Huan River north of the Yellow River. However, he faced opposition from many members of the royal family, who were worried that the relocation would weaken their power. They spread rumors everywhere, incited people to follow suit and oppose the relocation.
Pan Geng was a king who was good at doing ideological work. He gave three lectures to his subjects before and after the capital relocation, which are the three chapters of “Pan Geng” in the Book of Documents that have been passed down to this day. After repeated coaxing and intimidation, the nobles dared not object anymore, and the members of the clan could only obey.
In this way, roughly between 1320 BC and 1300 BC, Pan Geng led the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty and the people of Yandu, driving ox carts and herding sheep, crossing the surging Yellow River, and arrived here to camp and start a new life.
Wang Zhenzhong: Pan Geng believed that it would be more conducive to their development if he moved to Yin. Another thing is that he still has a very fresh political landscape, and coupled with the fact that Yin is adjacent to the Yellow River, it is also conducive to his water and land transportation, as well as the transportation of his strategic resources.
Zhu Fenghan: After Pan Geng moved to Yin, the Shang Dynasty that followed also governed the period after Pan Geng’s migration to Yin, also known as the Yin Shang or Yin Dynasty. In history, Pan Geng’s migration to Yin was usually regarded as the two successive periods. The first period was called the early Shang period, the later period was called the late Shang period, and some people called it the early Shang and late Shang period. This is the cultural period represented by the Yin ruins centered on Xiaotun in Anyang, Henan Province, which is the concentrated area of Yin ruins culture in our archaeology.
The Yin Ruins Site in Xiaotun Village, Anyang City, Henan Province
This is the Yin Ruins site located in Xiaotun Village, Anyang City, Henan Province. Yin Ruins is one of the top ten archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Since the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions in the late 19th century, about 150000 pieces of oracle bones have been unearthed in Yin Ruins, shocking the world. People’s excavation of the Yin ruins has never stopped, and the treasures from this underground seem endless. A large number of precious cultural relics such as oracle bones, bronze artifacts, and jade artifacts have surfaced on the surface of history. Archaeological evidence shows that this is the capital of the Shang Dynasty, Yin, which was relocated by King Pan Geng of the Shang Dynasty until the downfall of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty in 273 AD.
Yin Ruins is the first capital city site in Chinese history to be documented and confirmed by archaeology and oracle bone inscriptions. The Yin and Shang dynasties, which made people doubt, have been confirmed. The history of the Shang dynasty has been liberated from the fog of legends and has become a reliable historical record with written records. The excavation of the site and the excavation of cultural relics also prove a fact that during the Shang Dynasty, Chinese civilization had developed to a relatively mature stage.
After Pan Geng moved to Yin, the Shang Kingdom gradually became prosperous. These unearthed cultural relics not only reflected the social living conditions of merchants more than 3000 years ago, but also revealed the level of civilization and craftsmanship at that time. This was the peak period of the Shang Dynasty and also a peak of ancient Chinese civilization. The founder of a brilliant civilization was another successful king after Pan Geng: Wu Ding.
During his youth, Wu Ding was sent to the countryside by his father Wang Xiaoyi, allowing him to hide his name and live among the people on the banks of the Yellow River. During his more than ten years of rural life, Wu Ding personally participated in agricultural labor, came into contact with grassroots life, understood the hardships of people’s livelihoods, and experienced the difficulty of cultivating crops. This is the earliest record in Chinese history of young people being sent to rural areas for exercise.
During his rural life in Wuding, he also gained an important achievement by meeting Gan Pan and Fu Shuo, who became his left and right arms in the future.
After Wu Ding ascended the throne, he immediately appointed Gan Pan as the prime minister and had people go to the people to find Fu Shuo, who was a slave. With the assistance of wise officials and the great rule of the Yin Dynasty, the previous weak situation of the Shang Dynasty was quickly changed, and the country gradually prospered and developed.
Among the wise men who assisted Wu Ding, there was also an indispensable figure, who was the first documented female hero in Chinese history, Wu Ding’s wife – Fu Hao.
Fuhao Tomb, Yinxu Site, Anyang City, Henan Province
In 1976, Tomb No. 5 was discovered in Xiaotun Village, Anyang. Most of the bronze artifacts buried with it were engraved with the inscription “Fuhao”, and the owner of the tomb was Wu Ding’s wife Fuhao. Fu Hao is a very active female politician and military strategist who often presides over important political activities such as divination and worship. Fu Hao often participates in military activities and personally leads troops to fight. To the north, the Tu tribe was attacked, the Yi kingdom was attacked in the southeast, and the Ba army was defeated in the southwest, making great contributions to the expansion of territory for the Shang dynasty. Therefore, Wu Ding doted on her very much, granted her an independent fief, and often prayed to heaven for her health and longevity. After the death of Fu Hao, Wu Ding was heartbroken and missed her deeply. He held a grand funeral for her and placed a large number of burial objects. A ancestral temple was built on the cemetery to specifically worship Fu Hao. Such high treatment is evident from the tomb of Fu Hao.
With the assistance of wise officials, Wu Ding reorganized the administration of officials, improved taxation, developed agricultural production, and gradually made the country prosperous and strong. Immediately, he launched an external campaign against the four directions, mainly targeting the northern and northwestern regions such as the Turks, Shanggongxiakou, Guifang, and Qiangfang. He marched south towards the Jianghuai River, north towards Hetao, and west towards Weirui, bordering the Zhou ethnic group. His martial arts were unparalleled, and he often achieved significant victories.
With the continuous victories in foreign wars during the Wuding period, the national strength of the Shang Kingdom reached its peak in history, with a territory of thousands of miles, known as the “Wuding Prosperous Era” in history.
Wang Zhenzhong: It can be said that during the prosperous era of Wu Ding, there was not only the foundation laid by Pan Geng, but also the 59 years of Wu Ding’s reign. During the Wu Ding period, the Shang Dynasty was once very strong and prosperous in the late period. Moreover, Wu Ding was also very capable, unlike the later Shang kings who did not do anything, the second one was greedy for enjoyment. He not only did not seek enjoyment, but also had a good understanding of the people and their suffering. He also employed some very capable people. Therefore, in history, whether in literature or oracle bone inscriptions, he was a prosperous era of the Shang Dynasty.
The dialectics of history indicate that when things reach their peak, it is often the beginning of decline. The powerful Shang Dynasty hides a profound crisis at this time. In the prosperous era of Wuding, the tomb diggers of the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou ethnic group, gradually appeared on the horizon of history.
According to ancient books, the ancestors of Zhou served as agricultural officials for Yao, Shun, and Xia. As a result, the Zhou ethnic group was skilled in agriculture. In the late Xia Dynasty, the Zhou people migrated to the Xunyi area of Shaanxi Province for nine generations, and then moved to the Zhouyuan area in Qishan and Fufeng, Shaanxi Province. Taking advantage of the superior natural conditions there, they gradually developed. The Shang throne was passed down to Wu Yi, and at this time, the relationship between the Shang and Zhou dynasties was harmonious. Shang King Wu Yi granted Ji Li the great power of conquest. Ji Li then marched westward and northward, gaining great prestige. When Wu Yi’s son Wending succeeded to the throne, the Zhou tribe continued to develop, and Wending began to suspect Zhou. Once, he imprisoned Ji Shizengchao while he was congratulating him, and Ji Li died in a fit of anger in Shangdu.
The death of Ji Li further exacerbated the conflict between the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and after another reign of the Shang dynasty, the last king of the Shang dynasty, Emperor Xin, stepped onto the historical stage. He is the infamous King Zhou of Shang in historical records.
Shi Zaixin is tall and powerful, capable of fighting against fierce beasts barehanded. And sensitive and talented, able to speak eloquently. At the beginning of his reign, he worked hard and made some achievements. He has always wanted to emulate his ancestor Gaozong Wuding and establish immortal achievements.
The first thing Emperor Xin needs to do is to eradicate Ji Chang, the son of Ji Li. After the death of Ji Li, Ji Chang succeeded as the Marquis of Zhou and was determined to avenge his father. But he learned from his father’s lesson and became more cautious of business. He kept his guard low, but he still acted as a minister in business, secretly trying to win people’s hearts and achieve great things. The Zhou ethnic group is becoming increasingly prosperous, threatening the rule of the Shang dynasty.
Youli City, Tangyin County, Anyang City, Henan Province
This is the Youli City ruins located 4 kilometers north of Tangyin County, Anyang City, Henan Province. Youli City is the oldest remaining national prison site in China. This is the place where Ji Chang was imprisoned more than 3000 years ago.
Di Xin was determined to eliminate Ji Chang’s major concern, but he struggled to find a suitable opportunity. Once Chonghou Hu heard Ji Chang speak ill of Emperor Xin, so he reported it to Emperor Xin. Emperor Xin intended to kill him, but was intimidated by Zhou’s influence in the west, so he imprisoned Ji Chang in Youli.
Ji Chang is usually diligent in political affairs, but now he suddenly loses his personal freedom and feels very painful. Legend has it that one day, he discovered many yarrows around him, so he remembered how Fuxi used them to draw the Eight Trigrams. He collected some grass stems and used them to interpret the Eight Trigrams when he was lonely. The more he interpreted it, the more interesting it became. Later, he studied it day and night, and combined his own ideas of “Heavenly Dao”, “Earthly Dao”, and “Humanity” to deduce Fuxi’s innate eight trigrams into sixty-four hexagrams. He paired the six hexagrams of each hexagram with auspicious, inauspicious, beneficial, and inauspicious hexagrams and line words, compiling a vast and profound book. This is the Book of Changes, known as the “head of the Qun Jing”.
After Ji Chang was imprisoned by Emperor Xin for seven years, Emperor Xin did something that later made him regretful. Under the temptation of Zhou’s minister offering beautiful treasures, Emperor Xin released Ji Chang, which laid a huge curse for the Shang Dynasty.
Ji Chang, who returned to the Zhou tribe, gained more popularity among the people, and people from all over came to seek refuge. At this time, the joining of an important figure led the course of history, and he was Jiang Ziya, who was pursued as his own family by Confucianism, Legalism, Military, and Zongheng, and was revered as the “master of a hundred schools of thought.”.
Taigong’s Hometown, Weihui City, Henan Province
This is the hometown of Duke Tai in Weihui City, Xinxiang, Henan Province. According to historical records, Jiang Ziya was a knowledgeable and talented minister, as well as an extraordinary politician and military strategist. Jiang Ziya heard about the deeds of King Wen Jichang, so he took the opportunity to meet him while fishing. The two of them regretted meeting too late and later served to assist Jichang. With the assistance of Jiang Ziya, the Zhou people flourished and became even more powerful.
Bigan Temple, Weihui City, Henan Province
This is the Bigan Temple, 15 kilometers away from the hometown of Taigong. Bi Gan was the uncle of Emperor Xin of the Shang Dynasty, who had been in politics for more than 40 years. He served as the Grand Tutor to assist Emperor Yi and Emperor Xin, two generations of emperors. This famous wise minister and young master in Chinese history was ultimately killed by his own nephew.
In sharp contrast to the help of the wise people in Jichang, Emperor Xin betrayed his relatives. He is far from a wise minister, close to petty people, listens to slander, and sets a trap for loyal and virtuous officials. Ignoring advice, he often subjected his opponents to torture. It is said that he was the inventor of the famous “cannon branding” in the history of Chinese torture.
Upon seeing Emperor Xin’s violent and debauched behavior, Bi Gan sighed and said, “If the Lord does not admonish disloyalty, if he fears death, he will not speak of bravery. If he does not admonish others, he will die. Loyalty is the utmost.” So he went to the Star Picking Tower to strongly admonish Emperor Xin for three days without going, but was ultimately killed by Emperor Xin and his heart was dissected.
Bi Gan was known as the “number one benevolence in the world” because he advised his ruler to death. Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei built a temple here to commemorate his loyalty.
Cruel in nature and cruel to loyal officials, as a result, all the feudal lords and ministers were afraid of Emperor Xin and gradually distanced themselves from the Shang Dynasty. Under the flattering words of the flatterers around him, Emperor Xin gradually became addicted to alcohol and sex, often indulging in all night pleasures.
Picking Stars in Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province
Picking Stars Platform is located in Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province. Qi County is one of the ancient capitals of the Shang Dynasty – Chaoge. This is the place where Emperor Xin seeks pleasure and entertainment.
With the continuous expansion of desire, Emperor Xin felt that the capital city of Yin could no longer meet his pleasure requirements, so he expanded the capital south to Chaoge. Emperor Xin also ordered the construction of separate palaces and palaces in various places, and he often took his favorite beauty, Daji, to these places for fun.
Wang Xiaoyun, Director of the Cultural Relics Management Office of Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province: Now our place is called Zhuixingtai. The lower layer of Zhuixingtai is a Longshan Cultural Site, and the upper layer is a relic of the Yin Shang Culture. Look at this place, it’s a layer by layer of rammed earth. King Zhou sent slaves to ramme this layer by layer, and after ramming it up, he built a very high platform and a very high gatehouse on top of it, several tens of meters high, so high, very high. Why is this building called the Star Picking Tower? It was built on the same night that this building was built. King Zhou and Su Daji were playing on this building. It was an observation deck that allowed them to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the court songs. At this time, Su Daji lay in King Zhou’s arms and acted coquettishly. She insisted on a star in the sky, and then King Zhou took the opportunity to pick a star. Based on this reason, this is called the Picking Star Tower. Later in the Western Zhou Dynasty, this tower was destroyed by lightning and fire. To commemorate Bi Gan, this tower was called the Picking Heart Tower.
As the saying goes, “releasing a tiger back to the mountain is always a danger.” At this time, Emperor Xin, who was obsessed with women all day, had completely eliminated his guard against Ji Chang.
In order to test his appeal, Jifa conducted a series of military probing operations. He believed that the time was still not right, so he led his troops back to continue waiting for the opportunity.
The annexation of feudal lords, the formation of gangs, and the conduct of military exercises by Ji Fa finally aroused Emperor Xin’s vigilance. But at this time, the Shang Dynasty was already in its twilight years, and years of external military use gradually revealed the long-term accumulation of problems. Since the beginning of his reign, Emperor Xin has devoted all his energy to fighting against the Eastern Barbarians and had no time to consider the rise of the Zhou people.
After two more years, Ji Fa believed that the conditions were finally ripe and officially sounded the horn of destroying the business.
In January 1046 BC, Ji Fa personally led three hundred chariots, three thousand brave soldiers, and 45000 armored soldiers to march eastward to conquer the Shang Dynasty.
Upon hearing that Ji Fa had sent troops, Emperor Xin was greatly alarmed. At this time, most of the troops of the Shang Dynasty were still on the way to conquer the Eastern Barbarians, and the vast empire had no combat capability for a while. The only thing Emperor Xin could do was to race against time. He immediately recalled the main frontline troops and hurriedly rushed to Chaoge City.
For a long time, the lack of attention to Zhou allowed Zhou to develop rapidly. In addition, the long-standing social conflicts were not resolved, which led to the rapid growth of Ji Fa’s anti Zhou forces. Various feudal lords joined the anti Zhou army, and the army marched north across the Yellow River, reaching directly outside Chaoge City.
The enemy army was approaching the city, and at this time, Emperor Xin’s Dongyi army was still on the way back, with a long journey and heavy traffic, making it impossible to rush back to the savior. The great country was in peril, and Emperor Xin could only show his last card. He gathered a mob of slaves, prisoners, and others to assemble a force of 170000 people and set off to the front line to engage in a decisive battle with the Zhou army.
At dawn on January 1, 1046 BC, the Shang and Zhou armies engaged in a life and death battle in Muye, north of Ji County, Henan Province. This was the famous Muye Battle in history.
Emperor Xin placed the temporarily formed slave soldiers at the forefront as pioneers. The slaves had already harbored a deep hatred towards Emperor Xin, but now they were sent to die. They quickly turned their weapons and killed the Shang army, paving the way for the Zhou army to move north. Before dawn, the outcome of this historic decisive battle was determined.
As the sun set in the west, Emperor Xin saw that the situation had faded away and knew that he had committed many evil deeds, which made it difficult for him to escape death. He hid in Lutai and piled up the precious jade artifacts he had plundered for many years. He ordered someone to set fire to Lutai and self immolate to death.
Tang, Taiding, Taijia… Pangeng, Xiaoxin, Xiaoyi, Wuding… Emperor Xin, from the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC, ruled for a total of 31 kings. The Shang Dynasty, which lasted for more than 500 years, officially declared its downfall and enjoyed the throne for 800 years. From then on, the Zhou Dynasty began.
Lutai Temple, Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province
This is the Lutai Temple located in Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province. It is the Lutai where Emperor Xin and Daji enjoyed themselves. According to records, in ancient times, the peaks around this place stood tall, surrounded by white clouds, and rugged rocks, resembling a fairyland. Emperor Xin therefore ordered to spend a huge amount of money and seven years to build a deer platform here, specifically for consolidating the foundation, accumulating wealth, and enjoying hunting.
Emperor Xin built the Deer Terrace with a desire for pleasure, but unexpectedly, this magnificent project became his burial ground.
Nowadays, the once luxurious and luxurious palace pavilions no longer exist, replaced by the deity sealing platforms built by later generations. Jiang Ziya and the legendary immortals who conquered Zhou pressed the Lu Tai under thick dust.
Like Lu Tai, many stories about the Yin Shang Dynasty are buried beneath the surface of history. People’s understanding of the Shang Dynasty is based on records dating back to the Zhou Dynasty. It was not until the discovery of the Yin ruins that the legend of the Shang Dynasty emerged before people’s eyes. The archaeology of Yin Ruins is still ongoing, and the site is constantly being excavated. To this day, no trace of the wine pond and meat forest has been found, and there is also no trace of the bronze pillar used by Emperor Xin’s invention of artillery.
History is written by the victors, but the truth is only known to those who have experienced it firsthand. There are many unknown mysteries to explore in the legendary stories of the Yin and Shang dynasties.
Xiaotun Village, Anyang City, Henan Province, Yinxu Wang Ling
However, as mentioned in the “Book of Documents – Wuyi” section, it is an undeniable historical fact that in the later period of the Shang Dynasty, the kings were born with ease and did not know the difficulties of farming (planting and harvesting in spring and autumn, referring to agricultural labor). They did not listen to the labor of petty people, only indulged in pleasure, that is, corruption and corruption led to the downfall of the country.
90 Seconds of History: Discovering Oracle Bone Inscription
This was a completely unexpected discovery. In 1899, Wang Yirong, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy in the late Qing Dynasty, was occasionally diagnosed with dysentery. The doctor prescribed a prescription for him, which contained a traditional Chinese medicine called dragon bones. At that time, dragon bones were just a worthless medicinal herb, which were ancient turtle shells or animal bones that appeared in pharmacies and had never been noticed by scholars. However, when Wang Yirong purchased the dragon bones according to the prescription, he suddenly found that they were engraved with an ancient script that he had never seen before, which seemed even older than seal script. This unexpected discovery aroused his great interest and he quickly purchased all the dragon bones with inscriptions in the pharmacy. At the same time, it was widely acquired in the capital and within a short period of time, more than 1500 pieces were purchased. After research, Wang Yirong identified that the characters on the dragon bones were from the Shang Dynasty, This is the beginning of the discovery and study of Shang Dynasty oracle bone inscriptions in China. It is precisely because of the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions that this era, which has been disappearing for more than 500 years, has gradually revealed its true face, with Xuanniao as the totem, oracle bones as divination, and bronze as ritual vessels.