Traveling Through Yinxu: A Glimpse into China’s Ancient Past

In this second installment of our two-part feature, we’ll talk about Yinxu Ruins and the Shang Dynasty, offering a profound meditation on the timeless interplay between past and present, and the enduring spirit of a civilization that continues to inspire and captivate the world.

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Traveling Through Yinxu: A Glimpse into China’s Ancient Past

In this second installment of our two-part feature, we’ll talk about Yinxu Ruins and the Shang Dynasty, offering a profound meditation on the timeless interplay between past and present, and the enduring spirit of a civilization that continues to inspire and captivate the world.

In the old museum of Yinxu Ruins, where the exhibits are mainly categorized by material such as bronze, jade, and oracle bones, there aren’t many representations of individuals. However, in the new museum, there are exhibits like “Who is Zi? – Special Exhibition of Oracle Bones from the Eastern Land of Huayuan Zhuang in the Yin Ruins” and “Where does Cháng come from? – Special Exhibition of Yǎ Cháng Tomb from the Eastern Land of Huayuan Zhuang in the Yin Ruins”. These exhibits allow people to get to know two merchants from 3,000 years ago – a young prince named Zi from the Shang Dynasty and the iron-blooded general Yǎ Cháng.

In the divination inscriptions of Zi, not only are there daily activities of the royal family of the Yin Shang dynasty such as sacrifices and hunting but also details of his personal life such as enrollment in school, music and dance, and horse riding. According to the divination records, King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty paid special attention to Zi, both watching and rewarding him for his dance performances. Because of these frequent and intimate contacts, many experts speculate that Zi might be the child of King Wu Ding and Queen Fu Hao, also known as “Xiao Ji” as recorded in ancient texts.

But even as a prince, he still had to adhere to the school’s regulations. One divination inscription indexed as H3:553 reads “Zi qí yì, jiàng wǎng xué,” roughly translates to “If Zi is ill, should he still go to school?” This inscription can be considered a 3,000-year-old note requesting sick leave. One netizen jokingly remarked, “So it turns out, ancient people had the same question as me.”

These oracle inscriptions, resembling “The Prince’s Diaries,” were discovered in 1991 in a storage pit in the eastern area of Huayuan Zhuang in the Yin Ruins. Among the 1,583 oracle bone inscriptions unearthed at that time, the 689th inscription contained over 2,250 divination records from the reign of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty, and the inquirer was respectfully referred to as “Zi.” This excavation was not only rated as one of the top 10 archaeological discoveries in the country that year but also brought this “Zi” out from the obscure pages of history.

Now, let’s move on to the other personalized exhibit at the new museum. The “Where does Cháng come from?” exhibition hall focuses on a series of artifacts unearthed from the Yǎ Cháng tomb, which is Tomb No. 54 in the eastern area of Huayuan Zhuang in the Yin Ruins. The bronze and jade artifacts unearthed here, some of which were previously displayed prominently in the old Yin Ruins Museum, include the bronze Ox Zun vessel that appeared on the CCTV program Nation’s Greatest Treasures, which we’ll talk more about later. 

He Yuling has a special attachment to this grand tomb. It was the first project he participated in excavation after joining the institute. He still remembers vividly the morning in mid-December 2000 when a villager from Huayuan Zhuang hurried to the Anyang Workstation of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, located less than 10 minutes away, to report suspected tomb robbing activity near the eastern end of Huayuan Zhuang village. At that time, He Yuling   had just graduated with a master’s degree and had recently arrived at the Anyang Workstation.

After the discovery of Tomb No. 54, the archaeological team originally planned to wait until spring when the ground thawed before starting work. However, when tomb raiders appeared, they were frightened and quickly began clearing the grand tomb. Similar to the Fu Hao tomb, the “enjoyment hall” above the entrance of Tomb No. 54 deceived the tomb raiders, leading them to believe it was merely an ancient architectural relic, and thus objectively protected the integrity of the tomb. Upon opening the tomb chamber, archaeologists were astonished by the scene inside, with precious artifacts scattered everywhere such as bronze spears and bronze axes... Bronze axes symbolized power; the Fu Hao tomb discovered in 1976 yielded four bronze axes, while this tomb yielded seven.

What’s even more remarkable is that, with the continuous exploration of the ancient tomb, the remains of the tomb owner were unearthed. In burial sites from the Shang and Zhou periods, large bronze artifacts were common, leading to large burial chamber sizes and sufficient oxygen, making it difficult to preserve the human remains. After the bronze artifacts oxidize, they easily acidify the surrounding soil, which is also detrimental to the preservation of the remains, hence the rarity of finding skeletal remains in Shang Dynasty tombs.

From the unearthed bronze weapons, it has been determined that the owner of the tomb is named “Yǎ Cháng,” a 35-year-old male standing at 1.7 meters tall. “Yǎ” was a title for military generals during the Shang Dynasty, while “Cháng” is presumed to be a family surname. Through methods such as strontium isotope analysis, it is speculated that Yǎ Cháng is likely an “outsider,” suggesting he may have been a general from the “Cháng” clan leading troops in battles during the Yin Shang period.

A total of seven wounds caused by cuts or blunt-force trauma were found on his body, with six of them concentrated on his left side. It is inferred that the cause of his death may have been a bronze spear piercing his pelvis, leading to fatal arterial bleeding. This general ultimately died on the battlefield.

He Yuling told The Context that only members of the royal family were buried in the palace area, but Yǎ Cháng belonged to the “Cháng” clan, so he shouldn’t have been buried in the royal family’s location. When excavating the grand tomb, he imagined that the Shang king at the time must have highly esteemed and favored Yǎ Cháng, but unfortunately, he died in battle. He believed that the Shang king must have attended his funeral. Archaeology often gives the impression of seeing objects rather than people. With the curation of the new museum, He Yuling hopes to tell stories through artifacts, recounting not only Yǎ Cháng’s iron-bloodedness on the battlefield but also the circumstances of his daily life.

The special exhibition “Where does Cháng come from?” not only displays the weapons he used but also many aspects of his daily life. For example, there is a stone tri-hole palette, where three holes can hold different colors. Bronze and pottery palettes were common during the Shang period, but stone palettes were relatively rare. Perhaps, General Yǎ Cháng was not only skilled in warfare but also a person of taste and interest.

In museums, novices may admire the treasures, while experts look at the issues explained by sets of artifacts, but this doesn’t mean that archaeologists don’t have their own preferences. He Yuling particularly admires the Yǎ Cháng bronze Ox Zun, which was featured on the program Nation’s Greatness Treasurers. It is the only bronze Ox Zun found in the Yin Ruins, adorned with divine animal motifs throughout its body, making it a masterpiece among Shang Dynasty bronze artifacts, both in terms of artistic value and craftsmanship.

Another intriguing artifact unearthed from the Yǎ Cháng tomb is a bronze hand, and it is truly shrouded in mystery. Initially, experts speculated that it might be one of the earliest prosthetic limbs in history. Since Yǎ Cháng was often engaged in battles and likely suffered injuries, could this be a substitute for one of his hands? Unfortunately, apart from the skull, pelvis, and some limb bones, which had turned to powder due to the passage of time, it’s impossible to determine. Some have also speculated that it might be part of a scepter, a ritual object for sacrifices, or even the earliest form of a backscratcher... 

Given that the bronze hand is the only one of its kind unearthed so far, its purpose remains uncertain. Perhaps archaeology is just like that – attempting to solve one problem only to uncover more. Ancient civilizations gradually become clearer, yet simultaneously reveal more complexity and mystery.

The discovery of the Yin Ruins was purely accidental. For a considerable period, the existence of the Shang Dynasty had been questioned by many scholars. This skepticism stemmed from the fact that historical records about the Shang were scant and brief, only found in classics such as the Book of Documents, the Book of Songs, and the Records of the Grand Historian. In the tumultuous era of the 1920s, scholars like Li Ji, who returned from Harvard University, struggled to peer backward some 3,000 years into the past. If the achievements of the previous generation of archaeologists were in “digging out” the Shang Dynasty, then the task of the new generation of archaeologists was to bring the Shang Dynasty back to life through the silent imperial capital of the Shang Dynasty, dormant for over 3,000 years.

As research on the Yin Ruins continues to expand, many breakthroughs have been made – from the periodization of Yin culture to environmental studies, from human races, populations, and family organizations to architecture, craftsmanship, agriculture, burial systems, sacrificial systems, writing, art, and the very nature of society during the late Shang period. And now, the new museum of the Yin Ruins has become a fresh way to transport curious visitors back in time to the Shang Dynasty.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Li Jing, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.