Editor's note:
The beauty of the national treasure, through ancient and modern times, is used to carry the Tao, and it is magnificent.
Behind each rare cultural relic is the ingenuity and wisdom of the ancients, engraved with the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, and witnessing the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.
Starting from February 20, 2023, China News Agency's "East and West Questions" launched a series of plans for "Treasures of Town Halls" (2), using experts to explore the meaning of cultural relics and the stories behind them.
China News Agency, Hefei, February 23rd. Question: How does the Chu Dading embody the "last stubbornness" of the romantic Chu State?
——Interview with Xu Dazhen, vice president of Anhui Museum and research librarian of cultural museums
China News Agency reporter Zhang Qiang
The Chu Dading unearthed from the tomb of King Chuyou in Shou County, Anhui Province in 1933 has a history of more than 2,500 years and is one of the "treasures of the town hall" of the Anhui Museum.
Chu Dading, also known as Zhuke Ding, is 113 cm high, 87 cm in diameter, and 284 cm in belly circumference. It is a bronze cooking utensil of Chu State in the late Warring States period. It weighs 400 kilograms. Bronze round tripod.
How does Chu Dading embody the "last stubbornness" of Chu people?
What kind of ups and downs did Chu Dading experience?
How to inherit the cultural elements of Chu Dading in modern times?
Xu Dazhen, who has been engaged in cultural relics research, management, and cultural and creative work for more than 30 years, was recently interviewed by China News Agency's "East and West Questions".
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: How does Chu Dading embody Chu's "last stubbornness"?
Xu Dazhen:
The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were China’s Bronze Age. “The major events of the country were the sacrificial and military affairs.” The use of bronze wares was closely linked with sacrificial offerings and wars, which was a typical feature of this period. Bronze wares became a symbol of national political power. Bronze mining, smelting and casting Technology represents the highest productivity in China's Bronze Age.
The Chu Dading is also known as the "Zhu Ke Ding", with a height of 113 cm, a diameter of 87 cm, and a weight of nearly 400 kg. It was unearthed in 1933 from the tomb of King Chuyou in Shou County, Huainan City, Anhui Province.
Photo provided by the interviewee
Anhui is located on the border between the north and the south, with convenient transportation. As the transition zone between the Central Plains and the southern countries, it is an important hub of cultural exchanges.
The southern Anhui area is rich in copper ore resources, and it was one of the main sources of bronze casting materials in the Central Plains Dynasty.
The Jianghuai area belonged to Huaiyi in ancient times. During the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties, the Central Plains dynasty fought or made peace with many small Huaiyi countries in order to obtain copper resources, which promoted economic and cultural exchanges between the north and the south. The highly developed bronze culture in the Central Plains deeply influenced the Anhui region.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Jianghuai region became a place where major powers must contend. The cultures of the Central Plains, Qunshu, Wuyue, and Chu complement each other here. Therefore, Anhui in the pre-Qin period presented a colorful, magnificent, diverse and inclusive cultural outlook.
Among them, the most influential one is the Chu culture, which inherited many characteristics of Shang and Zhou cultures, and its splendid cultural achievements have attracted worldwide attention.
For example, Qu Yuan, a famous romantic patriotic poet in Chinese history, all of his works embody the abundant fantasy and passion of the Chu people, as well as their deep feelings for family and country.
As an important part of Chu culture, Chu ware is also well-known at home and abroad.
Citizens visit the Chu Dading at the Anhui Provincial Museum.
Photo provided by the interviewee
Chu people's political civilization, ideology, religious beliefs, utensil culture, etc. embodied in Chu culture all had a great influence on the later Han Dynasty.
From the early Han lacquerware and bronze ware unearthed in Anhui, it can be seen that the Han Dynasty inherited the elements and temperament of Chu culture.
Shouxian County, Anhui Province is the last capital city of Chu State. There are many Chu State relics. The most representative and influential one is the national first-class cultural relics-Chu Dading.
The big tripod of Chu has a round mouth, square lips, a bulging belly, a round bottom, and ears attached.
The protruding round hoop around the abdomen is decorated with stamped patterns, the outer walls of the ears and neck are molded with diamond-shaped curved dragon patterns, and the heels of the feet are embossed with animal head patterns.
The twelve-character inscription on the flat edge of the tripod mouth is inscribed with the words "Zhike is the collection (zhuì), extension, and huán armpit", and the two characters "Anbang" are engraved on the root of the forefoot and the lower outer wall of the left abdomen. .
There are also very thin inscriptions on the outer wall of the left abdomen near the bottom.
At present, there are two explanations for the word "zhuke" in the academic circles. One is the craftsmen invited from other vassal states, which shows that the status of craftsmen in the Warring States Period was relatively free; the other is low-level officials who manage craftsmen.
Chu Dading is huge in size, and its shape design pursues the perfect combination of strength and momentum, which has extremely high historical, artistic and scientific value.
During the casting period of the Chu Ding, the state of Chu has changed from a superpower that dominated for a while to the end of the crossbow, but the word "Anbang" on the Chu Ding still reflects the ambition and vision of the Chu state and the greatness of the Chu people. "The Last Stubbornness".
China News Agency reporter: What kind of ups and downs did Chu Dading experience?
Xu Dazhen:
The Chu Dading comes from the tomb of King Chuyou, and it is the only tomb that has been identified as the king of Chu so far - Li Sangudui, Shou County.
After three robbery excavations in history, more than 4,000 cultural relics were unearthed here, many of which were scattered all over the country and even overseas.
The first batch of stolen and unearthed cultural relics was more than 800 pieces. The government of the Republic of China at that time collected them in Anqing, the capital of Anhui Province at that time.
Chu Dading.
Photo courtesy of Visual China
In 1937, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out in China, Li Xinbai, then director of the Anhui Provincial Library, urgently buried more than 700 pieces of Chu artifacts, including the Chu Dading, in the yard. Next, these Chu wares were packaged and transported to Nanjing, and then moved westward to Chongqing along with the cultural relics of the Forbidden City, and finally bumped all the way to Leshan, Sichuan, where they were able to survive the years of the Anti-Japanese War.
After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, these cultural relics were transported back to Nanjing.
On the eve of the founding of New China in 1949, in order to avoid the loss of national treasures again, Chu Dading was transported from Nanjing to Wuhu, Anhui, and settled in Hefei in 1952, finally ending nearly 20 years of displacement.
Chu Dading is large in size, and the years of ups and downs left it scarred.
From 1954 to 1955, Anhui invited the Jin brothers, the bronze restorers sent by Su, to complete the restoration of the Chu Dading and other heavyweight bronzes unearthed from the tomb of the King of Chu.
Today, the Chu Dading is safe in the exhibition hall, thanks to the selfless dedication of countless ancestors, which reflects the continuous inheritance of Chinese culture and the indomitable national spirit, which also echoes the meaning of the inscription "Anbang" on the Chu Dading.
The staff of Anhui Provincial Museum displayed Chu Dading cultural and creative products.
Photo provided by the interviewee
China News Agency reporter: How are the cultural elements of Chu Dading inherited in the contemporary era?
Xu Dazhen:
On December 13, 2014, to commemorate the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, a national public memorial tripod was permanently set up in the public memorial square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. .
Today, the tripod has lost its original function as a food vessel, but the importance of the tripod in Chinese culture cannot be underestimated. The tripod culture has been integrated into the genes of the Chinese people. The cultural connotation and national spirit it carries have the significance of learning and reference for modern people. , through which you can understand history and culture and enhance cultural self-confidence.
Chu Dading cultural and creative product ice cream.
Photo provided by the interviewee
In recent years, in order to inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture and make cultural relics "live", Anhui Museum has deeply excavated the connotation of cultural relics and regional culture in its collection, and developed cultural and creative products, which are welcomed by the general public, especially young people.
Among them, Anhui Museum's self-invented "Zuke is Coming - Blind Box for Cultural Relics Smelting and Casting".
This cultural and creative product takes culture as the core and experience as the way, so that more people can understand the production process of ancient bronzes, understand the glorious bronze culture of ancient China, and convey the spirit of ancient Chinese craftsmen.
After its launch in June 2022, this product has been out of the circle frequently and has been loved by many interactive cultural and creative enthusiasts.
China News Agency reporter: Why did Chinese bronze civilization become a wonderful flower among the world's bronze civilizations?
Xu Dazhen:
Bronze civilization is a common feature of all civilizations in the world. The earliest bronze wares in the world were discovered in West Asia, Europe and other regions, while the earliest bronze wares in China were discovered in Gansu Majiayao Culture and Qijia Culture sites in Northwest China.
Although Chinese bronze civilization developed later than Western bronze civilization, it can be called a wonderful flower in the world bronze civilization.
A bronze mirror of the Qijia culture on display at the National Museum of China.
Photo courtesy of Visual China
In the Western Bronze Age, tools were basically simple and rough, and even ceremonial objects were small statues; the production techniques were relatively simple, mainly forging and lost wax methods, and forging was used to carve patterns.
Chinese bronze wares are casted by the method of pottery blocks, and the production techniques such as mud casting, separate casting, casting and overlapping casting are mature. The cast bronze wares are complex in shape and exquisite in decoration. At the same time, many bronze wares are also cast with inscriptions, forming a unique style. situation.
The late Spring and Autumn period inlaid turquoise mythical beasts exhibited in the first special exhibition of the Shanghai Museum's "Why China" cultural relics and archeology series "Zhaizi China".
Photo by Zhang Hengwei
The bronze wares unearthed in China are mainly ritual vessels, which are symbols of state power and social rank. They are divided into food vessels, wine vessels, weapons, and miscellaneous vessels.
Chinese bronze ware reveals to the world the forging technology, cultural level and historical origin of the pre-Qin period with its unique shape, exquisite decoration and elegant inscriptions. It has extremely high artistic value, historical and scientific research value, and can be called the epitome of Chinese civilization. .
(over)
Respondent profile:
Xu Dazhen, vice president of Anhui Museum and research librarian of cultural relics, has been engaged in cultural relics research, management, exhibition planning, social education publicity, and cultural creativity for more than 30 years; he has published 2 monographs on regional culture research and many papers.
Presided over the first national census of movable cultural relics of Anhui Museum, and won the title of "Advanced Collective of the First National General Survey of Movable Cultural Relics" issued by the State Council census team; planned "Craftsmanship-The Craftsman Spirit Behind the Cultural Relics" and "The Sound of Wanle Hui- - Anhui Music, Opera and Cultural Relics Exhibition" was selected as the National Cultural Relics "Promoting Traditional Chinese Culture, Practicing Socialist Core Values" exhibition project.