In 1637, the famous scientist Song Yingxing (1587–1666) of the Ming Dynasty published The Exploitation of the Works of Nature.
As the world’s first comprehensive scientific and technological work on agriculture and handicrafts, it introduced more than 130 production techniques and tools. In the course of the development of Chinese civilization, the Chinese have long been in the world’s leading position in many arts and techniques such as bronzes and ceramics.
1. The Largest Ritual Bronze Vessel: The Houmuwu Ding
Anyang, located in modern day Henan Province, was the capital of the Shang Dynasty. This area features many artifacts hidden underground. In 1939, a group of villagers in Anyang’s Wuguan Village unearthed a huge bronze vessel: The Houmuwu Ding. At that time, China was at war with Japan, and Anyang had been occupied by the Japanese army. A villager Wu Peiwen risked his life and hid the artifact, successfully evading the Japanese army. This piece is now part of the collection at the National Museum of China in Beijing. A “ding” in the primitive society was a cauldron for cooking meat. The earliest dings were made from earth. With the development of bronze-making process, the Shang Dynasty artisans began to construct these vessels with bronze. However, the bronze ding was no longer used by ordinary people but used only for ritual sacrifices. It came to represent noble status and became a symbol of the power of the king.
The Houmuwu Ding was made by the King of Shang for the sacrifice of his mother. “Houmuwu” is the text located on the vessel’s interior. In ancient times, “Hou” has the meaning of “great, respectable”. The name of this vessel in its entirety means “to dedicate this ding to my beloved mother Wu”.
The Houmuwu Ding is 1.33 meters high, 1.1 meters long, 0.78 meters wide, and weighs 832.84 kilograms. It is the largest and most important bronze vessel in the Shang Dynasty. At that time, two or three hundred craftsmen were required to make it. The various decorations on its body are exquisite and beautiful, showing a good harvest and various auspicious scenes and designs. The square vessel has four column-shaped feet representing power and strength.
2. Musical Instruments from the Warring States Period: The Zenghouyi Bells
On a construction site outside the city of Suizhou, Hubei Province, in September 1977, workers blew up a hillside for a construction project and discovered the tomb of a prince of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. After the discovery of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (Zenghouyi) that contained thousands of relics, the most impressive of these artifacts was the set of the Zenghouyi Bells.
Thesc ancient bells were particularly popular in the Western Zhou Dynasty. China is the earliest country to produce and use bells as a musical instrument. The bells are made of bronze and are arranged in the order of the bells’ tones from high to low. They are hung on a huge bell rack and are struck with a T-shaped wooden mallet, producing resonant music in different tones.
The Zenghouyi Bells comprise one of the most complete sets of bells. In terms of condition, size, weight, or quantity, bells of this quality are extremely rare. There are a total of 65 pieces, divided into 8 groups hanging on a copper and wooden bell frame. The frame is 7.48 meters long and 2.65 meters high. It is divided into upper, middle and lower lavers. Each level has six bronze figures and several cylindrical connections. The design is ingenious and the structure stable. The entire set of bells weighs more than 2,500 kilograms. The largest bell is more than 1.5 meters tall and weighs over 200 kilograms. Each bell is engraved with texts that contain performance instructions and musical theory for that specific bell, and the entire set has been called “a precious work of musical theory” by scholars. This set of bells proves that Chinese music had developed to a fairly mature stage as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
The ancient Chinese bronze bells have been utilized as a cultural ambassador of sorts. They have been exhibited in more than 20 countries and regions, and about one-tenth of the world’s population has enjoyed the various types of ancient bell performances. Guests from more than 150 countries and regions in the world have enjoyed ancient bell performances in China, and many foreign leaders have been taught to play the bells during official visits to China.