This is a distant era, where it used Xuanniao as its totem, oracle bones as its divination tool, and bronze as its ritual vessel. Although its name often appears in historical records, its true history is always elusive, leading many scholars to doubt it and even believe that this era does not exist at all. Until modern times, the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions and a large number of archaeological achievements undoubtedly proved that not only did this dynasty exist in Chinese history, but also a rich and brilliant civilization had already formed at that time, becoming one of the few ancient civilizations in the world at that time. Its brilliant achievements not only wrote a brilliant page in the history of world civilization, but also had a profound impact on the development of Chinese civilization. It was the Shang Dynasty that began in the 16th century BC.
This was a completely unexpected discovery. In 1899, Wang Yirong, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy in the late Qing Dynasty, occasionally contracted dysentery as an epigrapher. 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. They 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. Widely acquired in the capital, over 1500 pieces were acquired within a short period of time. 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, and Wang Yirong is therefore known as the father of oracle bone inscriptions. Due to the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions, the long lost civilization of the Shang Dynasty gradually revealed its true face.
Song Zhenhao, member of the academic department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: In the 500 year history of business, what did we mainly rely on in the past? The Annals of Yin and the Annals of Yin only add up to over 2800 words, so in the field of history, we used to treat it as something trustworthy or not. Some even read the list of deities as the history of the late Shang Dynasty, so this is very strange. History is real, it is not made up. So what do we have now? After the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions, it immediately brought us closer to the ancients, allowing us to directly observe what kind of society Shang was through oracle bone inscriptions.
The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions is one of the most important discoveries in the cultural field of modern China, but its journey of discovery is full of twists and turns. In 1900, the Eight Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and Wang Yirong committed suicide, putting an end to his research on oracle bone inscriptions. This dynasty, which was thousands of years ago, seemed to be once again shrouded in its mystery. Fortunately, Wang Yirong’s friend Liu E also recognized the importance of oracle bone inscriptions. He collected the oracle bones left by Wang Yirong and continued to purchase and study them. Three years later, he published “Iron Cloud Canggui”, which recorded 1058 pieces of oracle bone inscriptions with characters. This is the first book to interpret oracle bone inscriptions and strongly promoted the study of oracle bone inscriptions and Shang Dynasty civilization. This incident also alarmed foreign scholars. It is said that his work recorded 1058 pieces of oracle bone inscriptions, which is the first book to study oracle bone inscriptions and Shang Dynasty civilization. An elder pastor in Anyang, a Canadian named Ming Yishi who collected up to 50000 pieces of oracle bones, said that in the second year after the publication of “Iron Cloud Hidden Turtle”, foreign scholars had already started collecting oracle bones, first of all several European and American pastors, They sold the purchased oracle bones to Princeton University in the United States, the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, the British Museum in London, and other places. This led to a large-scale collection and research frenzy of oracle bone inscriptions in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. At that time, engraved dragon bones quickly became a new favorite in the antique market and were purchased at a high price. Merchants intentionally hid their collection sites for profit, so it is unknown where these oracle bones originated.
Xiaotun Village, Anyang City, Henan Province
Xiaotun Village is a remote small village in Anyang, Henan Province. In the past, many households here had a large amount of oracle bones, and now some people may have oracle bones in their hands. If this phenomenon is not discovered, research on oracle bone inscriptions and Shang Dynasty civilization will not be able to achieve much success.
Yin Ruins Site, Anyang City, Henan Province
In October 1928, this small village became lively. Dong Zuobin, who was hailed as one of the four oracle bone temples, was dispatched by the Institute of History and Language of the Academia Sinica to Xiaotun Village. Under his leadership, Anyang began the first archaeological expedition in history. Prior to this, Luo Zhenyu, who was also known as one of the four oracle bone temples, conducted continuous investigations, visits, and careful research. In 1908, he finally determined the exact excavation site of the dragon bones. It was Yin Ruins, the location of the late Shang capital city, located around Xiaotun Village, about five miles northwest of Anyang, Henan. At that time, all the dragon bones sold on the market came from here.
The Late Shang Dynasty Capital Site in Anyang City, Henan Province
The Yin Ruins have been identified as the site for the excavation of oracle bone inscriptions, which is extremely important information. Luo Zhenyu sent people to search and purchase extensively here. Within a few years, the number of unearthed oracle bones reached tens of thousands. Luo Zhenyu once believed that the oracle bones in the Yin Ruins had been purchased completely and the treasure was empty. However, when Dong Zuobin arrived in Anyang with a touch mentality, he found that almost every household in the village had preserved some oracle bones with ancient writing. A young local guide also took him to the place where the oracle bones were excavated, which made him extremely excited.
Museum of Bugu Yin Ruins Site
The true Shang Dynasty archaeology was born from this, and Dong Zuobin led an archaeological team to excavate 854 inscribed oracle bones and other ancient artifacts in Anyang for the first time. Such achievements immediately caused a sensation in the academic community and made Anyang the most important place for studying Shang Dynasty civilization. Subsequently, larger scale archaeological activities were carried out in Anyang. From 1928 to 1937, 15 large-scale scientific excavations were carried out in the Yin Ruins, resulting in a total of 24918 oracle bones, as well as a large number of relics such as copper, pottery, bones, jade, and stone tools. Palace and royal tomb sites from the late Shang Dynasty were also discovered, and many scholars devoted themselves wholeheartedly to research and verification. Sun Yirang, Luo Zhenyu, Wang Guowei, Ye Yusen, Wang Xiang, Guo Moruo, Shang Chengzuo, Rong Geng, and others became early scholars in China who studied oracle bone inscriptions and Shang Dynasty civilization. The colorful Shang Dynasty civilization was further presented to the world.
The Late Shang Dynasty Capital Site in Anyang City, Henan Province
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: Actually, in the past, from the Han Dynasty onwards, especially the Song Dynasty, we had epigraphy and were also studying poetry, songs, and fu in addition to writing. However, at that time, we focused more on writing. However, the excavation of the Yin Ruins broke through writing, which not only included written materials such as oracle bone inscriptions unearthed underground, but also all relics unearthed underground, such as bronze ware, pottery, building components, and large tomb sites excavated. These are historical materials, and this concept is also very important.
He Yuling is an associate researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and also the deputy director of the Institute’s Anyang workstation. He has been engaged in research on oracle bone script for decades, which is a highly knowledgeable and mysterious work. Only by deciphering the oracle bone script code can one truly understand the civilization of the Shang Dynasty. After the discovery of oracle bone script, deciphering its text became the primary prerequisite.
Museum of Bugu Yin Ruins Site
The methods of creating Chinese characters can be basically divided into six types, including pictographic, referential, semantic, phonetic, phonetic, and phonetic. In ancient China, these six methods of creating characters were referred to as the “Six Books”, which became the most powerful basis for experts and scholars to decipher oracle bone inscriptions.
Associate Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – He Yuling: By the time of the Yin Ruins, there were basically six ways to create characters, such as pictographic, phonetic, semantic, referential, pseudonymous, or borrowed characters. It may not be very clear about this, but these methods were basically available. Of course, the largest part was still pictographic. For example, in our simplest form, if you don’t recognize the characters, but he drew a few raindrops, you must know that this is the rain character. Drawing a sun, a moon, and a mountain is mainly a part of pictographic, which accounts for a large part.
Since the discovery of oracle bones with Chinese characters at the end of the 19th century, more than 150000 pieces of oracle bones have been discovered, totaling more than 4500 single characters. So far, more than 1200 have been recognized by the academic community, and there are also hundreds of characters. People can understand the general meaning of their character structures. The achievements made by scholars in the interpretation of oracle bone inscriptions have made it possible to explore the Shang Dynasty society and its civilization history through oracle bone inscriptions.
Associate Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – He Yuling: The emergence of this script may have gone through a process, including early engraved symbols, which were aimed at a specific ethnic group or a settled ethnic group (symbol). However, I believe that this Chinese script is a gradual process of its own evolution, and it does not have, at least so far, any object of learning. It is gradually emerging in a process of its own evolution. The oracle bone script we now know is a script from the late Shang Dynasty, and we also have a major definition. It is a systematic script because it can fully record language and express meaning. It is a symbol of a mature writing system.
Chinese Language Museum Anyang City, Henan Province
Writing is a symbol of civilization, and the emergence of writing signifies that humanity has finally walked out of the era of tying ropes to record events. The most important script of the Shang Dynasty, oracle bone script, is one of the oldest scripts we can see today. Moreover, among the four major ancient script font systems in the world, only the ancient script font system represented by oracle bone script. Although it has undergone changes in different writing forms such as oracle bone script, golden script, seal script, clerical script, and regular script, the block script and basic grammar characterized by form, sound, and meaning have been preserved to this day, becoming the longest used and most widely used Chinese characters in the world. They are not only well-known to us but also affect our thinking. Methods and aesthetic perspectives.
Professor Li Xueqin from the Department of History at Tsinghua University: Our Chinese writing system has been developing since its inception and has taken a very special path to this day. It is different from many other ancient writing systems because the Chinese writing system has a special stability. Therefore, China is large, populous, and has many dialects. Without such a unified writing system, the unity of China’s own country and nation would be a problem.
Although the content written in oracle bone inscriptions is full of religious mystery, upon careful analysis, we will find that oracle bone inscriptions contain various aspects of the Shang Dynasty, such as worship, hunting, agriculture, celestial phenomena, conquests, and royal affairs, as well as many characters and words such as people’s names, titles, place names, and country names, making them an encyclopedia of the Shang Dynasty. The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions not only revealed the civilization of the Shang Dynasty, but also revealed the origin of ancient Chinese characters, gradually leading us to the source of Chinese wisdom. The Book of Documents, Duoshi, records that only the ancestors of Yin had books and scriptures, and during the Shang Dynasty, there were already documents written in simplified books. Unfortunately, most of these Shang Dynasty scriptures were not passed down, and the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions greatly compensated for this deficiency. However, these oracle bone inscriptions all have a common feature, which is that their content is related to worship.
The great affairs of the country were related to the worship and military, and the Shang Dynasty regarded religious worship as the top priority in governing the country. The entire Shang society was full of a strong religious atmosphere. The Shang Dynasty was an era where divination was necessary for everything. Oracle bone inscriptions refer to the inscriptions carved on turtle shells and animal bones, which were used by the people of the Shang Dynasty for divination and recording, also known as oracle bone inscriptions. The divination bones used were mostly the scapula of cows,
The divination armor used is the back armor and belly armor of turtles. Before divination, witches perform simple repairs on the oracle bones, and then use specialized tools to drill and chisel them. During divination, the drill and chisel on the back of the oracle bones are roasted, and different shaped omen patterns will be displayed on the front of the oracle bones. The Zhenren and Shang kings observe it to determine good or bad, and finally engrave the divination time, questions, and final results on the oracle bones.
Wang Wei, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The great affairs of the country are in the worship and military. This sacrifice is called sacrifice. Why is this sacrifice so important? Merchants believe that all things have spirits, so you need to please the gods and receive blessings. In fact, it is also to maintain the rule of state power. As we can see, although merchants worship various natural gods, they always worship their ancestors, which is the center of their religious beliefs. Therefore, we say that ancestor worship is the core of merchant religious beliefs.
In a remote village in Wuyuan, Jiangxi, there is a mysterious dance called Nuo Dance. As far as we know, it has a history of over 3000 years and is recorded in the inscriptions of the Yin and Shang dynasties. It is inferred that people in the Shang dynasty would perform similar dances to pray for blessings before hunting. The oracle bone inscriptions contain characters such as arrows, bullets, and nets, all of which are pictographic characters for hunting gear. The oracle bone inscriptions record that the methods of field hunting at that time included chariot attack, dog chase, arrow shooting, traps, nets, and burning mountains. Due to the improvement of fishing and hunting technology, people at that time were able to capture many birds, animals, and fish. From the content of the oracle bone inscriptions, there were only animals such as elephants, tigers, deer, elk, elk, ox, ox, boar, fox, monkey, etc.
Museum of Animal Bone Yin Ruins Site
More wild animals were identified from the animal bones unearthed from Zhengzhou and Yin Ruins. Most of these wild animals were captured, and the animal husbandry in the Shang Dynasty gradually flourished. In the Shang Dynasty, a large number of livestock were killed as sacrifices during festivals. Therefore, merchants had to capture and raise a large number of livestock to meet the needs of festivals, which greatly promoted the development of hunting and animal husbandry economies. At that time, all six livestock were raised, including cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, rags, and chickens.
Song Zhenhao, Member of the Academic Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Song: The livestock used for worship mainly come from two types: one is wild in nature, and the other is domesticated. Therefore, it is better to raise a large number of domesticated animals because they are guaranteed to be sacrificed almost every day. If they are not domesticated, they rely on animals. What if they cannot be caught one day? So the main focus is still on domestication. In the past, we used to talk about the five livestock, which were chickens, cows, sheep, horses, and dogs. Of course, horses were not used for worship, but the main chickens, cows, and sheep were mostly domesticated, with a large scale of domestication. When (XX) said there were thousands of cows and thousands of sheep, it was equivalent to a large livestock farm, which raised about a thousand cows, which was a very large scale.
Museum of Agricultural Tool Yin Ruins Site
Compared to animal husbandry, agriculture was a more important economic source at that time. More than 3000 stone sickles were discovered in the Yin ruins, with thousands of them buried in pits and traces of use. Although a small number of bronze agricultural tools appeared in the late Shang Dynasty, the main tools for agricultural production in the Shang Dynasty were still stone and wooden tools, including sickles, hoes, shovels, and plows. Since the 19th king of the Shang Dynasty, Pan Geng, moved the capital to Yin, agriculture has received greater attention, far exceeding other industries.
Museum of Bugu Yin Ruins Site
At that time, there were already records of fertilization, and the shape of the word “Tian” in the oracle bone inscriptions resembled a chessboard shaped cultivated land. In the fields, there were paths and canals, one vertical and one horizontal, forming several square fields. This is precisely the characteristic of the ancient well field system in China. During the Shang Dynasty, there were many types of crops, and the most recorded one in oracle bone inscriptions was millet. In addition, there were also grains such as millet, wheat, rice, mulberry, and hemp. Nowadays, the main grains of the Shang Dynasty were roughly available, and China’s agricultural civilization began to mature, becoming the material basis for the long-term development of the entire Chinese civilization.
Song Zhenhao, member of the academic department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: As an agricultural country, the Shang Dynasty must combine the calendar and have a very complete calendar. Without the calendar, when it sows and harvests, it cannot proceed normally. Therefore, the calendar of the Shang Dynasty was very developed.
Museum of the Yin Ruins Site in the Forest of Bone Inscriptions by the Calendar
The ancestors of the Shang Dynasty had realized the important role of astronomy in agriculture and developed a comprehensive calendar based on astronomy. The Shang Dynasty calendar recorded the month as the Taiyin (month), the year as the sun, the day as the stem and branch, 30 days for the major month, 29 days for the minor month, 12 months in the regular year, and 13 months in the leap year. In early divination, the leap month was placed at the end of the year, known as the 13th month, known as the year-end intercalation method. This marked the beginning of China’s establishment of the leap month, laying the foundation for the determination of the traditional Chinese calendar and greatly promoting the development of agriculture. At this time, there was a large surplus of food, and merchants began to use it to make a large amount of wine.
In Wuzhen, Zhejiang, the most traditional brewing techniques have been passed down to this day. China is an ancient country of wine making. As early as the Longshan Culture period before the Xia Dynasty, naturally fermented fruit wine had appeared in China. Wine can alleviate labor fatigue, increase life interest, and various wonderful features have made people particularly fond of wine. Gradually, the technology of grain based wine making was born. In the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese people invented the method of compound fermentation of wine yeast. We cannot verify the first person to invent this method of wine making, but we will deeply admire that this method of wine yeast brewing has been used since more than 3000 years ago. At that time, wine was mainly used for worship, and priests (virtuous people) would take a certain amount of wine to worship. After completing communication with the gods, alcohol was used in major events such as sacrificial ceremonies and congratulatory ceremonies. The trend of drinking among merchants became prevalent, and the culture related to alcohol also flourished accordingly. However, wine is also a double-edged sword. It is a fine wine in the world, but excessive consumption can also have terrible consequences. The last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, caused the extravagance of the entire dynasty by indulging in wine pools and meat forests, resulting in excessive drinking and immorality, and ultimately losing the country.
Wang Zhenzhong, a member of the academic department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the wine culture was due to the highly developed religious worship of businessmen in his time. It was a very important function and role of wine at that time. So now, including in Yin Xu in Anyang, or recently after the discovery in the North China Mall to the north of the Yin Ruins, wine vessels are very developed in the modern archaeological discoveries of the Shang Dynasty, in the artifacts and ritual vessels of the Shang Dynasty.
Yin Ruins Site Museum Anyang City, Henan Province
A large number of wine utensils were unearthed in the Shang Dynasty ruins. The Shang Dynasty was the first peak in the development of Chinese bronze ware, and its influence on the land of China at that time was extremely profound.
Bronze Lei Sichuan Museum
A large number of Shang Dynasty bronze artifacts have been unearthed in Dayangzhou Town, Ji’an, Jiangxi, more than a thousand kilometers away from the Yin Ruins. Even more distant bronze artifacts similar to those of the Shang Dynasty have been unearthed in the Sanxingdui Site. At that time, bronze artifacts were symbols of power. The clever design and exquisite workmanship of these wine utensils are still impressive to this day. However, due to their age, this technique has been lost.
Ma Baicheng, Secretary General of the Bronze Industry Association in Yichuan County, Henan Province
Ma: The ratio of this and that copper, from ancient times to the present, basically has that percentage in this ratio. If you add something inside, more or less, the effect it produces will be different.
Ma Bocheng is the Secretary General of the Bronze Industry Association in Yichuan County, Henan Province. He is the youngest local bronze craftsman, and the ternary alloy of copper, lead, and tin was pioneered by Shang Dynasty craftsmen. The ratio of this ternary alloy has been lost, and Ma Bocheng has always wanted to replicate the bronze ware of the Shang Dynasty.
In the Shang Dynasty, bronze casting had become the most important handicraft sector, especially reaching its peak in the later period of the Shang Dynasty. Its superb bronze manufacturing technology impressed future generations. The bronze of the Shang Dynasty was often accompanied by authority and status. Although it had a wide variety of types, it was rarely used as agricultural tools, nor was it used to cast characters or animals and plants. This reflects the idea that “national affairs lie in sacrificing and military”, indicating that the rulers of the Shang Dynasty attached the most importance to religion, politics, and military, and highly integrated them with the culture of artifacts. These were directly used as sacrificial or practical tools for the nobility. If the craftsmen at that time were slightly careless, they would face beheading. Due to the danger, they use their lives to complete their works, which makes the works they cast almost perfect in terms of craftsmanship and design.
Simuwu Ding Yin Ruins Museum
This may be their most successful work, which is the largest bronze ware discovered in the world today, representing the highest level of development of Shang Dynasty bronze ware, the Simu Wu Fang Ding. The Simu Wuda Fang Ding was unearthed in Wuguan Village, Anyang, Henan in 1939. It has a total height of 133 centimeters, a length of 110 centimeters, a width of 78 centimeters, and a weight of 875 kilograms. According to research, two to three hundred people must work together to complete this masterpiece during production.
Yin Ruins Site Museum Anyang City, Henan Province
These bronze vessels are filled with mysterious patterns, showing a worship of divine power. The composition of the patterns on Shang Dynasty bronze vessels mystify and formalize animals in reality. The various strange patterns such as gluttonous, Kui dragon, and phoenix patterns in bronze decorations all reveal a mysterious atmosphere, triggering continuous exploration and interpretation by the world.
In addition to decorative patterns, some Shang Dynasty bronze vessels were also engraved with inscriptions. They first appeared in the middle of the Shang Dynasty, and by the end of the Shang Dynasty, there were inscriptions of more than ten or even dozens of characters. The inscriptions on bronze vessels were called Jinwen, formerly known as Jinding wen. It was the emergence of these bronze vessels that brought about the glorious bronze civilization in Chinese history.
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: Because many bronze vessels, also known as ceremonial vessels, are used by aristocrats in various ceremonial occasions. Of course, they need to be dignified first. They give people a sense of awe, regardless of their shape or decoration. On the other hand, they are also art pieces with artistic appreciation value. Therefore, the patterns and designs of this bronze vessel are unique and ingenious, and they give many good artistic ideas. Therefore, it is a practical tool that combines ceremonial vessels with art.
Museum of Yinxu Site of Musical Instruments
At that time, in addition to being cast into ritual and weapons, bronze ware was also used to cast a large number of musical instruments, including percussion instruments such as copper bells and cymbals. The development of production in the Shang Dynasty led to a greater demand for entertainment, which promoted the development of music in the Shang Dynasty. The literary and artistic development of the Shang Dynasty was very advanced, and musicians specialized in learning music and dance emerged. According to musicologists, the music of the Shang Dynasty had already developed the concept of semitones, allowing for the production of melodies with relatively fixed pitch levels. The highly developed Shang Dynasty music was the precursor to China’s rich culture of ritual music.
A jade figure with a waist and wide handle, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
In the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, there is an extremely precious Shang Dynasty jade artifact that, like bronze, became a symbol of the status of the aristocracy at that time. As this jade artifact is too precious, it is generally not exhibited. The jade figure with a waist and wide handle was unearthed from the tomb of the mating wife of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty. He knelt down with both hands, had a solemn appearance, and his body, clothing, and even hairstyle were meticulous, showcasing the superb sculptural level of the Shang Dynasty and providing us with information about merchants.
Wang Wei, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Regarding the various aspects of life during the Shang Dynasty, of course, we can hardly understand them from literature. The “Records of the Yin Dynasty” have very simple records, so unearthed relics and artifacts are a very important part of understanding the life of the Shang Dynasty. However, first of all, we should have no understanding of what merchants were like, what their image was, what their attire was, what specific behaviors they did, and so on. Whether it is literature or even oracle bone inscriptions, you do not have them, nor can you see their image. Therefore, our impression of the image of merchants in our minds mainly relies on this jade figure to understand. Because this is realistic.
Museum of Jade Ware Yin Ruins Site
Yumu Yin Ruins Site Museum
Jade Carving Accessories Yin Ruins Museum
The years of work of archaeologists have enabled us to learn more about the Shang Dynasty civilization. In Shang Dynasty sites, archaeologists have discovered a large number of jade artifacts, including ceremonial vessels such as cong, gui, bi, jue, and huang, as well as ceremonial jade artifacts such as daggers, spears, large knives, qi, and yue, as well as cultural and daily necessities. Although the quality of these jade artifacts varies, the large quantity and variety of them are enough to prove the status of jade in the minds of the nobility.
Ancient Jade Carving Production Liangzhu Museum
As early as the Paleolithic era, China had the use and processing of jade artifacts. However, it was only during the Shang Dynasty that jade making became an independent handicraft, and a true jade culture began to form. Jade was not only known for its beauty, but also for its moist, delicate, hard, and pure characteristics, representing virtues such as benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, and steadfastness. It was deeply loved by the world. At that time, jade was not only made into a national treasure, symbolizing destiny, authority, and rank, but also made into a household toy, blending with personal preferences and conduct. As a result, the culture of beautiful jade became more popular.
Ye Shuxian, Professor at the Institute of Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Ye: The discovery of jade is all on the ground, in mountains and rivers, but it is believed that it was bestowed upon humans by the gods. Therefore, whoever finds good jade has the possibility of connecting with the heavens and the gods. Therefore, jade began to serve as a symbol of those who connect with the gods.
Tang Jigen, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: So when monarchy emerged, when divine power emerged, of course, the best thing must be combined with monarchy and divine power, so jade naturally endowed with different or special values. In the Shang Dynasty, people with high status and status used better jade materials. Gradually, it became a symbol of identity. With the development of culture and human progress, people began to have spiritual needs. Gradually, people gave jade more cultural meanings because those with culture gave it.
Chema Keng Yin Ruins Museum
The transportation of the Shang Dynasty included two types: water and land. Water transportation was by boat, while land transportation used vehicles. In many Shang Dynasty sites, chariot and horse pits and chariot and horse tools were unearthed, and these two wheeled carts driven by horses were the main land transportation vehicles during the Shang Dynasty. The jade unearthed from Shang Dynasty sites, some from Hetian in Xinjiang, and some from distant southern regions, were thanks to advanced transportation, which established trade relations between the Shang Dynasty and distant foreign countries. The ancestors of the Shang Dynasty were good at business, and some non local sea shells, whale bones, and turtle shells were found in Shang sites such as Zhengzhou and Anyang. As a currency of the mid to late Shang Dynasty, about 4000 shells were unearthed from the tomb of Fuhao alone, some from the South China Sea and some from the coast of the Indian Ocean. At the same time, the ancestors of the Shang Dynasty also transported another type of item to various parts of the world, which was so wonderful that it lasted for thousands of years. To attract the attention of the world, countless people have taken pride in owning such an object, and many have traveled thousands of miles or even risked their lives, Following the footsteps of merchants, I came to China to search for this item, which the world named China after. It is porcelain.
Baitao Yin Ruins Site Museum
These are Shang Dynasty white pottery unearthed from the Yin ruins, which can be called primitive porcelain. Although the quantity is not large, this has advanced the history of China’s invention of porcelain to at least the early Shang Dynasty more than 3000 years ago. Nowadays, this skill, like casting copper, carving jade, and making wine, has already been integrated into our blood. Although the production process has changed, it has been passed down for thousands of years. The Shang Dynasty pottery industry has become one of the main handicraft sectors of the Shang Dynasty. There were pottery workshops in the royal capitals and aristocratic cities at that time. In addition to making ordinary pottery, kaolin can be used to burn white pottery, and merchants still produce white pottery. Such as You, Pan, Lei, Zun, etc., whose shapes are similar to those of bronze vessels, and their patterns are as exquisite as those of bronze vessels. These carved white pottery found in late Shang Dynasty sites, It is made by firing at high temperatures above 1000 ° C, with a beautiful shape, exquisite carving, bright color, and a sound of knocking.
Yin Ruins Site Museum Anyang City, Henan Province
The Shang Dynasty has been three thousand years since us, but the civilization created in that era did not distance us due to its age. Whether it was writing, calendar, agriculture, music, or bronze, jade, or porcelain, they all laid a solid foundation for the development of Chinese civilization, and many of them are still used today.
Wang Wei, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: I think the civilization of the Shang Dynasty depends on the development history of over 5000 years of Chinese civilization. We can say that the Shang civilization is a very important link. For example, we can say that the variety of bronze ritual vessels is complete, and this production technique is superb, including the formation of the entire sacrificial system, the expansion of the influence area of the Central Plains Dynasty, the invention of craftsmanship, the maturity and invention of political systems, including the maturity of his ideas, concepts, and even writing. These are all the basic cultural genes of the important Chinese civilization that were formed in the Shang Dynasty for thousands of years.
Unfortunately, the rampant alcoholism and extravagance of merchants were eroding the huge foundation of this royal dynasty. In the end, amidst the intoxicating aroma of alcohol, social conflicts continued to intensify, political corruption, and people’s hearts were scattered, ultimately leading to their downfall. Many people say that the Shang Dynasty died due to alcohol, which left a profound lesson for future generations.
One day in 1046 BC, when the army of the Zhou people was about to invade the capital of the Shang Dynasty, the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou, hopelessly climbed onto the southern Lu Tai, a city dedicated to worshiping the stars, and burned himself, resulting in the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.
The Late Shang Dynasty Capital Site in Anyang City, Henan Province
Three years after the fall of the Shang Dynasty, when the nobleman Ji Zi passed by the capital of the Shang Dynasty, he saw that the once glorious palace had been completely destroyed and barren. He wrote a poem called “Mai Xiu’s Poem” with great sadness. The remnants of the Shang Dynasty heard that they were all in tears. In a short period of time, the most concentrated capital of the Shang Dynasty civilization had become ruins, which is now the Yin ruins we see.
Yin Ruins Site Museum Anyang City, Henan Province
However, unfortunately, there is also a fortunate thing that a large number of oracle bones were buried underground after divination, which allowed us to rediscover the Shang Dynasty civilization after disappearing for thousands of years. Today, archaeologist He Yuling from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is still adhering to the dream of Chinese literati for more than a century, deciphering the text on the oracle bones to completely open up that glorious era. Ma Bocheng is still working on the imitation of bronze artifacts from the Shang Dynasty, restoring the skills of that time, which has become his lifelong pursuit. He has transcended thousands of years of artistic creation, and it is still being realized in the hands of skilled craftsmen. It is collected in museums at home and abroad and is dazzling. The cultural relics of the Shang Dynasty tell people that the Shang Dynasty, which lasted for more than 500 years, did indeed create a brilliant civilization, Not only was it one of the few ancient civilizations in the world at that time, writing a brilliant page in the history of world civilization, but it also had a profound impact on the subsequent Chinese civilization.
90 Seconds in History: Battle of Makino
Lianmeng Mountain is located two kilometers east of Huojia County in Henan Province. It is named after the various feudal lords who set up altars here to pledge their allegiance before the Battle of King Wu’s Conquest of Zhou and the Muye Campaign. In the early morning of the first month of the year 1046 BC, King Wu of Zhou led a 50000 strong army of Chen soldiers to conquer Zhou and set up a decisive battle with the Shang army. King Wu ascended to the stage and waved his army, taking the oath before the decisive battle. After the pre war mobilization was over, King Wu ordered a total attack on the Shang army, consisting of 300 chariots, 3000 warriors, and 45000 infantry. As soon as they appeared on the horizon, they were like a hurricane sweeping away from the Shang army on the flat ground. Although King Zhou’s army was also as numerous as ants, they were composed of slaves and prisoners of war. The vanguard of the Shang army not only did not advance, but also defected one after another, killing the Shang army and clearing the way for the Zhou army. The Shang army was in chaos and could not form a complete army. In an instant, the Shang army collapsed and collapsed, with over 100000 people retreating like a tide. As a result, before the sun rose to the sky, the victory or defeat was determined in this battle, This is the famous Battle of Muye in Chinese history.