The throat of the Nine Provinces, no wonder the Northern Song Dynasty's glass grapes were unearthed here!

Dingzhou, once the capital of the ancient Zhongshan Kingdom, was where seventeen generations of Zhongshan kings of the Han Dynasty thrived. Rich in timber and minerals, abundant in agricultural products like hemp and mulberry, and strategically located at the crossroads of north-south and east-west communication, it was known as the 'throat of the Nine Provinces, the crucial area of the divine capital.' During the Spring and Autumn period, the Baidi Xianyu established the state of Zhongshan, which was frequently attacked by Jin and pressured by Zhao. In the Warring States period, Zhongshan moved its capital to Gu (present-day Dingzhou). Dingzhou was a silk weaving center, with silk weaving bureaus established by the Northern Qi and Sui dynasties. Dingzhou's kesi silk originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty, reaching its peak during the Xuanhe period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song period, the production of kesi silk expanded to the southern Su-Song region, and kesi silk based on flower and bird paintings became extremely popular. Dingzhou was an important production area for silk fabrics and porcelain on the Silk Road. With the opening of the Silk Road, Eastern and Western cultures blended here, and glassware and gold and silverware from Western Asia, Central Asia, and Mediterranean countries were introduced to China. The compass pendant was a type of jade pendant frequently worn by Han Dynasty nobles, often made of Hetian mutton-fat jade. Lions, also called suanni, were referred to as 'tianlu' (heavenly blessings) and 'bixie' (evil warding) by the Han people. Early amber originated from Europe and was considered a symbol of the sun. Europeans called it 'northern gold,' and only nobles could possess it. Amber from the Baltic Sea region of Europe was the most famous. Amber artifacts have been unearthed from pre-Qin period sites in China. After the opening of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty, amber gradually entered the Central Plains. During the Northern Dynasties, Sui, and Tang periods, with the flourishing of Buddhism and East-West exchanges, amber, as one of the 'seven treasures,' gained importance. As an ornament, it was called 'tiaotuo.' In the early and middle Western Zhou period, 1046-771 BCE, locally made faience beads were widely used in ritual bead and jade pendants. In 900 BCE, transparent glass appeared, used to imitate natural crystal and make luxury items. As early as the Warring States period, crystal artifacts, also known as water jade, water essence, water green, and thousand-year ice, had already appeared. During the Warring States period, 476-221 BCE, the Chu people created lead-barium glass using local materials, producing a large number of dragonfly eye glass beads and jade-imitating glass bi discs, sword ornaments, seals, and other items. Dragonfly eyes generally refer to colorful glass beads decorated with eye patterns. From Egypt in the second millennium BCE to China during the Qin and Han periods, the popularity of dragonfly eyes is believed to be related to the belief in the evil eye. As amulets, they could ward off the evil eye. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were endowed with the mystical qualities of Buddhism. During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, glassware from the Sassanian Empire and even the Roman Empire was considered treasures, and glass craftsmen from the Western Regions began producing glass in the capital. During the Song Dynasty, crystal products were widely used as supplements to jade, and craftsmen mastered the technique of glass blowing, using it extensively for Buddhist rituals and daily life. In the Yuan Dynasty, the 'Guanyu Bureau' was established, possibly a government-run workshop specializing in the production of jade-imitating glassware. In the early Ming Dynasty, Zibo became an important production site for glassware. Ding kiln, listed as one of the five famous kilns, began firing no later than the Sui Dynasty. The white-glazed lotus-patterned dragon-head purification bottle, unearthed from the base palace of the Jingzhongyuan Pagoda, is praised as the 'king of Ding porcelain.' The phoenix-head pot, also known as the 'Hu pot,' was a vessel shape influenced by Persian culture and popular during the Tang Dynasty. Its prototype was the handled pot in Sassanian and Sogdian silverware. The auspicious beast grape mirror was popular from the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang to the Wu Zhou period and was the most unearthed type of Tang mirror. Emperor Taizong once brewed grape wine using Western methods. During the Two Jin Dynasties, the makara pattern was introduced to China with Buddhism. In the Song Dynasty, it merged with traditional Chinese fish and dragon patterns, becoming known as the fish-dragon pattern, symbolizing the beautiful wish of a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Dingzhou has always been a place of economic prosperity, cultural convergence, Buddhist influence, and exquisite craftsmanship, vividly reflecting the diverse and unified cultural pattern of the Chinese nation.