Anyang Yin Ruins.

This is the capital of a dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, and the place where the earliest mature Chinese characters were discovered. It is an underground museum with numerous precious relics, and the cradle of modern Chinese archaeology. This is Anyang Yin Ruins. According to historical records, the capital of the Shang Dynasty was moved several times in the early period. In 14th century BC, King Pan Geng moved the capital here, and Yin remained the capital of the Shang Dynasty until the reign of King Zhou. After King Wu of Zhou defeated King Zhou and destroyed the Shang Dynasty, this place gradually became ruins, hence the name Yin Ruins. Yin Ruins is a treasure trove of culture. With the deepening of excavation, it continues to bring surprises: more than 50 palace and temple ruins, 12 royal tombs, thousands of tombs of nobles and commoners, 1,000 sacrificial pits, 5 workshops, more than 30 chariot and horse pits, and a large number of oracle bones, bronzes, jades, bone artifacts, and pottery. It presents a three-dimensional image of ancient Chinese society and is a world-renowned ancient cultural site. Oracle bone script, named after its inscription on turtle shells and animal bones, was prevalent during the Shang Dynasty. It mainly records divination pronouncements from the time of King Pan Geng's move to Yin until King Zhou, and is the earliest form of Chinese writing. The discovery of oracle bone script in Yin Ruins can be traced back to 1899. At that time, Wang Yirong, a late Qing Dynasty official and epigraphist, found symbols similar to seal script on "dragon bone" (a traditional Chinese medicine). After repeated research, he determined that it was an ancient script and began collecting "dragon bone" for research. However, the Eight-Nation Alliance soon occupied Beijing, and Wang Yirong, unwilling to endure national humiliation, jumped into a well and died. His collection of oracle bones was sold to Liu E, author of "Travels of Lao Can". Liu E selected more than 1,000 pieces and printed them into a book - "Iron Cloud Collection of Turtle Shells", which is the world's first book on oracle bone script. It caused a sensation in China and abroad, revealing the ancient Chinese script that existed more than 3,000 years ago. However, it was not until 1915 that the epigraphist Luo Zhenyu finally found the origin of "dragon bone" in Xiaotun Village, Anyang, Henan Province. The excavation of Yin Ruins, which began in 1928, opened the way for the study of oracle bone script. In the temple area of Yin Ruins, there are numerous oracle bone kilns, which have unearthed about 150,000 oracle bones, shocking the world. Currently, among the more than 4,000 existing oracle bone characters, more than 1,000 have been identified (to encourage the study of oracle bone script, the China National Museum of Writing offers a reward of 100,000 yuan for each oracle bone character deciphered and confirmed. However, to date, only one scholar has successfully identified a character). Houmuwu Ding (Simuwu Ding) After the discovery of oracle bone script in Yin Ruins, local villagers gradually became aware of and participated in the "treasure hunt". The Houmuwu Ding was unearthed by villagers in 1939. Later, fearing that it would be looted by the Japanese, it was reburied underground. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the ding was unearthed again. It was first stored in the Anyang County Government, and then transported to the Nanjing Central Museum (now Nanjing Museum). After the completion of the National Museum of Chinese History, it was stored there. It is currently housed in the National Museum. The ding is inscribed with the three characters "Houmuwu". According to research, it was made by King Zu Geng or Zu Jia of the Shang Dynasty to worship his mother, Lady Wu. In our generation's history textbooks, it was called Simuwu大方鼎 (Simuwu Large Tripod Cauldron). Later, the academic community proposed a new interpretation of the inscription on the ding, changing "Simu" to "Hou". The Houmuwu Ding is massive and dignified, with exquisite and intricate decorations. It is the largest and heaviest bronze ritual vessel unearthed to date, showcasing not only the superb bronze casting technology of the Shang Dynasty, but also the sacrificial culture of that time. It is an outstanding representative of ancient Chinese bronze art. Tomb of Fu Hao Fu Hao was the queen of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty, and the first female general recorded in Chinese history. Although the tomb of Fu Hao is not large, it is well preserved and has a very rich collection of burial objects. A total of 1,928 artifacts of different materials were unearthed, including bronzes, jades, gemstones, and ivory. Among them are a large tripod cauldron engraved with "Simu Xin", a unique owl-shaped zun (wine vessel) of Fu Hao, and a three-sectioned steamer, which was unveiled for the first time. The tomb of Fu Hao is the only well-preserved Shang Dynasty royal tomb excavated to date, and the only one that can be linked to and dated by oracle bone script, and to identify the tomb owner and her identity. It is a milestone in the field of Chinese archaeology and Shang Dynasty history. The old building of the Yin Ruins Museum was built in 2005 and is a single-story underground structure. In order to better protect and display more unearthed relics, a new Yin Ruins Museum was built and opened in February 2024. There is a free shuttle bus from the Yin Ruins Palace Area to the Royal Tombs Area, which takes about 20 minutes. After visiting, you can return on the same bus.