On the evening of December 25, The Nation's Greatest Treasures, a popular TV variety show on cultural relics, was concluded with the commencement of its special season. Henan Museum's Bronze Chime Bells of the Zheng State (806-375 BC), Jade Pendant Decorated with Seven Jade Huang (ritual object) of the Guo State (1,046-256 BC) and stone quern with a roller of the Peiligang Culture period (7,000 years ago), together with Anyang Yin Ruins Museum's oracle bone of the Shang Dynasty (1,600-1,046 BC), will be showcased.
The oracle bone unearthed in Anyang's Yin Ruins. [Photo/Henan Daily]
"Originally only the Brzone Chime Bells and the Jade Pendant Decorated with Seven Jade Huang would appear in the special season, but to meet the needs of the Palace Museum, the stone quern with a roller unearthed at the Xihe Site in Henan's Xinzheng city, representative cultural relics of the Peiligang Culture period, have been newly added," said Ma Xiaolin, head of Henan Museum.
Featuring a 7-note scale, harmonious rhythm and beautiful tone, the chime bells unearthed at a sacrificial site of the Zheng State in Xinzheng city are of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC). Some traces of files for tone tuning have been found on each bell, which can be used for studying music styles of the Zheng State.
Unearthed in the cemetery of the Guo State in Sanmenxia city, the gorgeous jade pendant about 126 centimeters in length is composed of seven jade Huang with beads made of red agates and other materials. The jade pendant was owned by a king of the Guo State, which provides physical evidence for studying the jade wearing system of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC).
The oracle bone that will shine in the special season was unearthed in an oracle bone-storing pit in the Yin Ruins. "The oracle bone is basically well-preserved with 26 paragraphs of inscriptions related to the stories of ancestor worship with rams, ewes and bulls, training with different bows and arrows, inspection tour of King Wuding's wife Fuhao and the jade and silk products presented to her as tributes," said He Yuling, deputy director of Anyang Workstation of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Archaeology Institute. (Chinese source: Henan Daily Reporter: Wen Xiaojuan Translator: Zhao Hanqing Poster: Wang Junyi Proofreader: Ding Lan)
