Capital Move of Pangeng
The Nanyue King's Tomb
The Yangjiawan Terracotta Army
The Tomb of Zhao Shudai in the Jin State |
When the Shang Dynasty was established, Bo, the current Shangqiu City, Henan Province, was set as its capital. During the next 300 years, Shang moved its capital five times for the reasons of battle and inner strife for the throne within the imperial family, as well as frequent floods in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The 20th emperor of the Shang Dynasty was Pangeng, a capable emperor at that time. In order to renovate the unsteady social situation, he decided to move the capital to Yin (today’s Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan). Later, he rectified the political situation and revived the declining Shang Dynasty, which then reached its prime time during the reign of Emperor Wuding. In the next 200 years, Yin remained to be the capital of the Shang Dynasty, hence the Shang Dynasty is also called Yin-Shang. |
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Anyang Yin Ruins
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- Oracle Bone Inscriptions
- Oracle bone inscription is the most ancient character of China.
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- Simuwu Bronze Vessel, a Treasure of Courtesy
- Simuwu Bronze Vessel, excavated in Anyang Yin Ruins in Henan Province, is the heaviest ancient bronze ware in the world by now, which is named for the three Chinese characters "Si Mu Wu" carved on...
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- Wuding Resurgence
- The emperor Wuding of Shang Dynasty with posthumous title "Gaozong" was in the reign for 59 years, during which the Shang Dynasty reached its zenith, and this period of time was called "Wuding...
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- Palace and Ancestral Temple Site of Yin Ruins
- With a total area of 71.5 hectares, the Palace and Ancestral Temple Site is an integral part and the most important site of Yin Ruins, where distributes a large number of oracle bone storage pits.
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- Royal Cemetery Site of Yin Ruins
- The Royal Cemetery Site of Yin Ruins is the location of Shang mausoleums area and lieu for sacrifice, which marks the beginning of emperor mausoleum system in China.
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- The Museum of Yin Ruins
- Established in 1987 with a land area of over 100 mu, the Museum of Yin Ruins was designed by famous ancient building experts strictly based on the original sites.
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- Stone Chime with Tiger Patterns
- It is a stone chime carved with the pattern of a complete tiger with the fluent and complicated lines.
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- Pottery Drainpipe
- The insert pottery drainpipe takes the shape of a cylinder; with its one end small while the other big and thick.
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- Jade Dragon
- This jade dragon is a circular sculpture that is blackish green on one side and slightly brown on the other.
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- Bronze Mirror
- Altogether five Shang-Dynasty mirrors have been unearthed at present.
Other Topics
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- Lacquer Engraving
- A traditional lacquer engraving technology, lacquer engraving was a technique widely applied on...
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- Jade Daily Articles
- In the early period of jade culture in China, almost all jade ware was used as daily articles...
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- Gold and Silver...
- Tang Dynasty witnessed the most sophisticated technology and unparalleled prosperity of gold and...
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- Bronze Mirror
- The bronze mirror was used by the Chinese people before the introduction of the glass mirror. The...
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- Ox-Headed Agate...
- Unearthed from the Tang Dynasty vault in the He Family Village of Xi'an in 1970, the ox-headed...
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- Oblong Polychrome...
- The oblong box is carved with checks in yellow, green and purple. Inside the hexagonal checks,...
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