In ancient China, ding was a symbol
of imperial power. Therefore ding is often used in phrases and expressions
in the Chinese language to imply authority. For instance, wending, literally
"enquiring about ding", means plotting to usurp political power; yiyan jiuding,
literally "One word of promise is equal to nine dings', means a decisive
comment.
Simuwu ding was a very precious cutural relic, found in 1937 in An'yang of Henan
province. It was produced in late Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years age. This
square-shaped ding is the largest existing bronze ware in the world. It is
now housed in Chinese Historical Museum in Beijing.
Ding was a cooking vessel probably used to boil or cook food in the privitive
society. At that time, dings were made of clay. During Shang and Zhou (11th
century - 771 BC) dynasties, bronze cast technology reached a very high level in
China. Therefore, people used bronze to cast ding. However, dings
were no longer cooking utensil in ordinary people's life but an object for important
ceremonies to offer sacrifices. It was a symbol of imperial power.
Simuwu ding was cast by Emperor Wending of Shang Dynasty as a ritual object for
a ceremony to offer sacrifices to his mother. The three characters simuwu
form an inscription on the inside of the sidewall. According to archeologists, si
means sacrificial ceremony and muwu is the name of the emperor's mother.
Later on, Simuwu became the name of this huge ding.
Simuwu Ding is 1.33 m high, 1.10 m long and 0.78 m wide, weighing 832.84 kg. At
that time, it needed 1,000 kg of metal and two to three hundred workers to produce
it. This ding is solid in build, magnificent in appearance and was made with
fine craftsmanship. The four pillar legs are thick and strongerful. The motifs on
its body are exquisite and clear, symbolic of harvest and auspiciousness. Simuwu
Ding represents the highest level of bronze cast technology in Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
Previous Next