In the "National Melting Pot" exhibition hall of Shanxi Museum, a pair of dazzling gilt copper bottles attract attention.
The body of the vessel is covered with exquisite patterns: there are tigers, leopards, bears, camels and antelopes in the grasslands and mountains, as well as mythical creatures such as the nine-tailed fox, feathered man, and fairy rabbit in the Central Plains culture.
What is the reason why the elements of the Central Plains and the grassland style appear on this copper bottle at the same time?
▲Hu Fuwen wine bottle, 24.5 cm in height and 23.4 cm in diameter, 2 pieces in total, with the same size, shape and decoration, and the entire body is gilt.
Now stored in Shanxi Museum.
▲The patterns on the body of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle include tigers, leopards, bears, camels and antelopes from the grasslands and mountains, as well as mythical creatures such as the nine-tailed fox, feathered man, and fairy rabbit in Han culture.
01 The “twins” of “rebirth” in Youyu County
September 1962, Dachuan Village, Youyu County, Shanxi Province.
The party branch secretary of the Dachuan Village Production Team and the children in the village discovered a batch of extremely exquisite bronze wares in the ravine of Fodianping in the south of the village. The bronze wares were then transported back to the Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee.
Among the bronze vessels, the most eye-catching one is a pair of twin cylindrical wine bottles.
On the rim and lid of the wine-warming bottle are engraved the Han official inscription "Zhongling Hu Fu's wine-warming bottle, weighing 24 kilograms, made in the third year of Heping". Another one is engraved with the character "二".
▲There is an inscription engraved on the rim of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle.
According to the inscription "Heping 3rd Year" on the wine-warming bottles, this pair of precious wine-warming bottles was cast in the 3rd year of Heping (26 BC) during the Western Han Dynasty.
"Heping" is the second reign name of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty Liu Ao. His reign lasted from 33 BC to 7 BC and witnessed the prosperity and changes of the mid-Western Han Dynasty.
This pair of wine-warming bottles is not only an outstanding representative of the arts and crafts of the Han Dynasty, but also a silent witness of that era.
▲The inscription on Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle records that its casting date was during the reign of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty.
The picture shows the Yanling Mausoleum of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, located in Weicheng District, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province.
(Picture source: Shaanxi Hanzhong Firefighting Official Account)
"Zhongling" in the inscription is a place name, belonging to Yanmen County of the Bingzhou Prefecture, in the south of Youyu County in present-day Shanxi Province; the Wenjiu Bottle was unearthed in Dachuan Village, Youyu County.
This place belonged to Zhongling County in the Han Dynasty, and the place name recorded in the inscription is consistent with the location where it was discovered.
▲The "Zhongling" in the inscription belonged to Yanmen County of Bingzhou Governor in the Western Han Dynasty, in the south of Youyu County in Shanxi Province today.
(Image source: "Chinese Historical Atlas (Volume 2): Qin, Western Han, and Eastern Han Dynasties" edited by Tan Qixiang, published by China Map Publishing House in October 1982)
During the Western Han Dynasty, Yanmen County was located on the northern border of the Han Dynasty, connected to the Xiongnu.
In order to make the frontiers harmonious and stable, the Western Han Dynasty adopted many effective ethnic policies, which laid the institutional foundation for the ethnic policies of the Central Plains dynasties in the future, the most prominent of which were the marriage policy and the hostage system.
During the period of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu Zhu Leruo Di Chanyu succeeded his father Huhanxie Chanyu, still married Wang Zhaojun, and sent his son to serve the Han Dynasty as a hostage.
▲On September 26, 2023, the immersive performance of "Zhaojun's Marriage" was performed in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, recreating the historical event of "Zhaojun's Marriage" in the form of song and dance.
Photo by China News Service reporter Liu Wenhua
While making peace, the Han Dynasty provided supplies to the Xiongnu and opened border markets.
For example, "Hanshu Biography of the Xiongnu" records: "Next year (the second year of Heping), Shanyu submitted a letter to the court. In the first month of the fourth year of Heping, he entered the court and was given 20,000 pieces of brocade silk and 20,000 catties of catkins. Such as Jing Ning Shi." During the Han Dynasty, in the face of border ethnic minorities, especially internally affiliated groups, the central government adopted a series of preferential policies to strengthen the integration between Han and ethnic minorities and achieve long-term stability in the country.
These policies not only reflected the tolerance and tolerance of the Han Dynasty towards the foreign people, but also demonstrated the wisdom and strategies of ancient China in handling ethnic relations.
"Book of Han: Chronicles of Emperor Cheng" records: "In the first month of spring in the fourth year of (Heping), the Xiongnu Chanyu came to the court. ...In February, the Chanyu returned to his country."
The "Three Years of Heping" when Hu Fuwen's wine bottle was cast was the time when the Xiongnu and the Western Han Dynasty coexisted peacefully, and the place where it was made was also the place where nomadic culture and farming culture merged.
▲"Oasis on the Fortress" Shanxi Youyu.
Photo by Xin Tai
Youyu area has been the place where farming in the Central Plains and nomadic culture in the north converged since ancient times. It is an important stage for the integration of ancient Chinese culture.
As the convergence point of the three major cultural areas of Western Liaoning, Central Plains and Hetao, its influence far exceeds the geographical scope and promotes the process of Chinese history.
02 The cultural blend presented by gorgeous patterns
The history of wine bottles can be traced back to the Warring States Period.
In the Han Dynasty, the use of wine bottles became more popular and their uses became more extensive. They were not only used to hold wine, but also to warm the wine or maintain the aroma of the wine.
Hu Fuwen's wine bottle is entirely gilded, but a small amount of the gilding is worn away, exposing the copper tire at the bottom. If you look closely, you can see wear and scratches on the body.
The overall height of the device is 24.5 cm, the diameter is 23.4 cm, and the wall thickness is 0.4 cm.
There are three bear feet at the bottom, and there are symmetrical rings on both sides of the abdomen.
The three bears have their feet in a crouching position, with their two claws placed on their knees.
The title ring on the pavilion is in the shape of an animal mask, and he wears a three-mountain crown on his head.
▲The bear-shaped feet on the bottom of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle.
▲Hu Fu warms the head ring on the belly of the wine bottle.
The image on the body of the vessel is cast in a round and powerful relief molding method.
The lid has two rings, one is the edge of the lid, and the other is in the center of the lid, dividing it into two areas, the inner and outer areas.
There is a persimmon pedicle pattern in the center of the inner cover, with a lifting ring on the top. There are two tigers and two short-tailed animals (or Zan, a type of bear) symmetrically outside the persimmon pedicle pattern.
The tiger's body is carved with stripes, the short-tailed beast looks like it is looking back, and its body is carved with dots imitating hair.
There are three phoenix-shaped buttons in the outer area, evenly distributed at an angle of 60°, evenly dividing the outer area into three areas, with a dragon between each button, which is also a technique of low relief and negative line carving.
A small section in the middle of the dragon's body is submerged underwater and depicts the ripples of the water, dynamically depicting the dragon's state of diving underwater and emerging from the water.
There are still painted bird and animal patterns on the lid. First, double hooks are drawn with ink lines, then filled with color, and finally a layer of vermilion lacquer is applied.
On the rim of the two vessels and the outer edge of the lip under the cover are engraved official script inscriptions: "Zhongling Hu Fuwen wine bottle, weighing 24 kilograms, made in the third year of Heping".
▲The phoenix-shaped button on the outside of the lid of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle.
▲The water dragon pattern on the lid of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle.
The pattern on the body of the vessel is divided into upper and lower parts by a ring. The whole body is decorated with exquisite animal patterns, with delicate carvings and vivid expressions. Every detail is full of power and beauty.
The animal images on the body of the vessel are divided into two categories. The first category is more realistic animal images, such as tiger, bear, deer, camel, bird, monkey, cheetah, cow, and sheep.
Among them, cattle, sheep, and camels are the main symbols of wealth for the nomadic people in northern China. In particular, the appearance of the Bactrian camel pattern is an example of the frequent trade exchanges between the Central Plains and the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty.
The other category includes legendary images such as feathered men, nine-tailed foxes, phoenix birds, and strange beasts holding fairy grass. These patterns vividly reflect the belief in immortality in the Han Dynasty.
▲The Bactrian camel and phoenix patterns on the upper part of the Hu Fuwen wine bottle.
▲The image of a feathered figure on the lower part of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle.
The finely carved patterns on Hu Fuwen's wine bottles not only show tigers, leopards, bear bears, camels, antelopes and other wild beasts in the northern grasslands and forests, but also reflect the nomadic people's profound observation and respect for the natural world; at the same time, they also delicately depict the nine-tailed fox. Immortal images in Han Dynasty myths, such as the feathered man, the fairy rabbit, etc., depict the Han people's yearning for transcendence and pursuit of immortality.
This kind of artistic fusion is not only a formal combination, but also a deep-seated exchange and integration of cultural concepts and aesthetic concepts, reflecting the extensive and in-depth cultural interaction between the Central Plains civilization of the Han Dynasty and the surrounding nomadic peoples.
Every pattern on this ancient copper tire is like a bridge, connecting different cultures, allowing us to get a glimpse of the magnificent blend of culture and art of that era.
03 The ethnic blend behind the warm wine bottles
In the vast historical picture of ancient China, Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle tells the story of national integration with its unique charm.
It witnessed the cultural exchanges and mutual inspiration between the Central Plains and the nomadic peoples during the Han Dynasty, and the ruggedness of the frontier and the exquisiteness of the Central Plains reflected each other.
The dance of tigers and leopards and antelopes on the copper bottles, and the resonance of the nine-tailed fox and the feathered man are not only the interweaving of nature and mythology, but also a story about the in-depth exchanges between the Central Plains and the frontier, farming and nomadism.
Since ancient times, China's various ethnic groups have lived together geographically, absorbed each other culturally, depended on each other economically, and been closely connected emotionally, forming a pluralistic and unified pattern.
As a witness to this period of history, Hu Fuwen's wine bottle demonstrates the continuity of Chinese civilization and the inclusiveness and peace of the Chinese nation.
Through Hu Fu's wine bottle, we can get a glimpse of the wisdom displayed by ancient central rulers in ethnic policies, which enabled different cultures to learn from each other and develop together, which not only enhanced the cohesion of the country, but also enriched Chinese culture and injected vitality into the continued prosperity of Chinese civilization. .
(The pictures of Hu Fuwen’s wine bottle in this article were all taken by the author himself.)
(Author’s affiliation: Wu Wenda, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Producer | Wang Xiangyu
Editor | Li Yilin
Production | Hu Xiaodie
(Daozhonghua WeChat public account)