Henan Museum

I visited the Henan Museum three years ago, and this time I came to Zhengzhou for a second tour. It took nearly five hours in total for the morning and afternoon to visit all the exhibition halls, and I still feel that many were just a quick glance, without the opportunity to observe everything carefully. The nine treasures of the museum: * Jiahu Bone Flute: Neolithic Period, early Peiligang culture (about 9,000 years ago, around 7000 BC), the earliest musical instrument unearthed in China to date, and also the earliest playable musical instrument in the world. * Duling Square Ding: Middle Shang Dynasty, it is the earliest, largest, most perfectly cast, and best-preserved bronze heavy vessel known to mankind. It is also the earliest Chinese ritual vessel decorated with taotie patterns and nipple studs. Unearthed in Zhengzhou City in 1974, there are two pieces, the larger one is in the National Museum, and the smaller one is in the Henan Museum. * Fu Hao Owl Zun: Late Shang Dynasty (11th century BC), unearthed in 1976 from the tomb of Fu Hao in Yinxu, Anyang, Henan. It is 45.9 cm tall, 16.4 cm long at the mouth, and was used as a wine vessel. The shape resembles an owl with its head held high, round eyes, wide beak, small ears, tall crown, wings folded, and three points of support formed by the two feet and the tail. There is an opening on the back of the neck, covered on top, and the inner wall is cast with the inscription 'Fu Hao'. There is a beast-head-shaped bow handle on the back. * Jade-handled Iron Sword: Late Western Zhou Dynasty. Unearthed in 1990 from the tomb of Guo Ji in Sanmenxia City, Henan Province. The sword is 20 cm long, with a 13 cm hilt, and the blade is inserted into a carefully made cowhide sheath. There are traces of silk fabric wrapped around the sword, and the handle is made of Hetian jade. Due to long burial, the blade is broken into two pieces, and the sheath is corroded and stuck to the blade, making it impossible to separate. After research by experts, it was discovered that this sword is made of carburized steel, which is made by carburizing a block of wrought iron over a long period and repeatedly forging it, making the cast objects sharper and more durable. The jade-handled iron sword is exquisitely made, combining iron, copper, and jade. It is the earliest man-made iron product unearthed in Chinese archaeological excavations. Its discovery has advanced the history of Chinese man-made iron smelting by nearly two centuries, hence it is known as 'China's First Sword'. * Lotus Crane Square Pot: Spring and Autumn Period (771–476 BC). Unearthed in 1923 in Xinzheng, Henan. It is 117 cm tall, 30.5 cm long at the mouth, and 24.9 cm wide. The pot has a crown cover, a long neck, a drooping belly, and a ring foot. The pot is majestic and elegantly decorated. The crown of the pot is shaped like double-layered blooming lotus petals, with a crane ready to fly on the flat cover in the middle; dragon-shaped monsters on both sides of the pot neck serve as ears; the body is fully decorated with chi dragon patterns, with a three-dimensional small beast climbing on each of the four corners of the belly, and two curled-tail beasts with heads to the side and tongues sticking out under the ring foot, supporting the heavy vessel with all their might. * Cloud-patterned Bronze Ji: Middle Spring and Autumn Period (620–467 BC). Unearthed in 1978 in Xiasi, Xichuan, Henan. It is 28.8 cm tall, 103 cm long, and 46 cm wide. The Ji is a stand for placing wine vessels, supported by bronze stems of varying thicknesses with multiple layers of openwork cloud patterns, with twelve dragon-shaped beasts climbing around the Ji and another twelve squatting underneath as feet. This is the earliest bronze ware found in China that was cast using the lost-wax method. * Four Spirits and Cloud Qi Painting: Early Western Han Dynasty. Unearthed in 1987 from the tomb in the Liangguo King's Mausoleum area in Mangdang Mountain, Yongcheng. The mural is 5.14 meters long, 3.27 meters wide, and has an area of 16.8 square meters. The 'Four Spirits and Cloud Qi Painting' is located at the top of the tomb chamber, with a 7-meter-long giant dragon soaring in the middle, the Vermilion Bird to the east, and the White Tiger to the west, surrounded by monsters, lingzhi mushrooms, and cloud patterns. It has extremely high historical and artistic value. It is not only the earliest, largest, highest-ranking, and best-preserved mural seen in China but also a magnificent epic carrying the thoughts of immortality in the early Western Han Dynasty. Later, archaeological experts used scientific methods to cut out the mural in its original form and move it to the Henan Museum. * Wu Zetian Gold Slip: Early Tang Dynasty. Unearthed in 1982 at the Jueji Peak of Mount Songshan. The gold slip is rectangular, 36.2 cm long, 8 cm wide, and 0.1 cm thick, weighing 223.5 grams. The front is engraved with a double-hook regular script inscription of 3 lines and 63 characters, 'The sovereign of the Great Zhou, Wu Zetian, who enjoys music and the true Dao of immortality, respectfully visits the gate of the high mountain of Mount Songshan, offering a gold slip to the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus to remove Wu Zetian's sins, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Gengzi year, Jia Shen, the small envoy Hu Chao bows and respectfully reports.' This is Wu Zetian's prayer for blessings on Mount Songshan on the seventh day of the seventh month of the first year of Jiushi (AD 700), sending the eunuch Hu Chao to offer a slip to the gods to remove sins and disasters. This is the only gold slip found in China. * Ru Kiln Sky Blue Glazed Carved Goose-neck Vase: The only complete piece of sky blue glazed ware obtained from the archaeological excavation of the Ru official kiln site.