Introduction to Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng

The tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is located at Leigudun in the suburbs of Sui County (present-day Suizhou) in Hubei, and was excavated in 1978. It is the tomb of a feudal King buried 2,400 years ago. There are inscriptions on many of the artifacts unearthed. The inscription on a short-handled dagger-ax, found next to the main coffin, indicates that it belonged to the guards of Marquis Yi’s sleeping quarters. The presence of many similar inscriptions suggests that the owner was Marquis Yi of Zeng. The study of the owner’s bones indicates that they belonged to a male aged forty-two to forty-three.

The inscription on a bronze bell found in the central chamber says that it was presented to the marquis as a ritual vessel to be used in the ancestral temple by King Xiongzhang, or the Hui King of Chu, in the fifty-sixth year of his reign, or 433 BC. That was roughly the time when the marquis was buried.

More than 15,000 artifacts were unearthed, including ritual vessels, musical instruments, lacquered articles, gold wares, jade wares, weapons, chariot parts, harnesses and bamboo slips.

The ritual vessels are dominated by musical instruments including the nine ding (cooking vessel) and eight gui (food container), bianzhong (bronze bells) and bianqing (stone chimes). Their number and arrangement are proper for the owner’s rank as a feudal King in the Zhou Dynasty, reflecting strict rules on rites and music as well as the reverence for Heaven and Earth, gods and ancestors in the pre-Qin period. There are many embodiments of Chinese high achievements in art, technology and astronomy in that period, such as the sixty-four double-note bronze bells (excluding the one presented by the King of Chu), the magnificently decorated zun and pan (wine vessel and companionate water vessel), and the suitcase with a diagram of the twenty-eight constellations.

The tomb surpasses any of the other excavated tombs in China in the number of bronze wares and in variety. Having never been disturbed before the excavation, they present a true picture of the owner’s funeral ceremony. Such a good state of preservation is rarely seen in archeological excavations. The arrangement of the ritual vessels basically conforms to the tradition in the Spring and Autumn Period, with ding arranged in proper order, gui in a set, li in a group, dou in pairs, and pan matched with the ladle. The bronze wares are characterized by special designs, exquisite techniques and splendid patterns. They are a comprehensive reflection of technical achievements in bronze-making in the pre-Qin period, featuring a variety of casting, carving, welding and decorating techniques.

125 pieces of musical instruments were unearthed in the tomb, which fall into eight categories—bianzhong (bronze bells), bianqing (stone chimes), drums, qin (plucked instrument similar to zither), se (a plucked instrument similar to zither), sheng (reed pipe wind instrument), chi (bamboo flute), and paixiao (panpipes). 115 of them, found in the central chamber, were used to play ancestral ritual music; the rest, found in the eastern chamber, were used to play music at the monarch’s sleeping quarters. They include many kinds that were new discoveries in the world. These instruments are valuable for the study of China’s history of music, reflecting the country’s musical achievements in the fifth century BC.

The tomb surpasses any other pre-Qin tombs in the number of wooden lacquered articles. A gold bowl weighing 2,156 grams, is the heaviest of all pre-Qin gold wares discovered. Also many jade wares were unearthed there. Some of them, shaped into small-sized oxen, sheep, pigs, dogs, chickens and ducks, may be tokens of prayer for good harvest and thriving livestock.

Unearthed weapons include dagger-axes, spears, halberds, shu (weapons made of bamboo), bows, arrows, shields and armor. The shu and the halberds with several dagger-axes are rare archeological finds.

Also unearthed were many chariot parts and harnesses. Among them are two chariot axle blades, which were used to make the chariot more lethal in combat.

The unearthed bamboo slips, on which there are altogether 6,696 characters, are the oldest of their kind ever discovered.

The exhibition features the most representative relics from the tomb, and embodies the spiritual and material life 2,400 years ago.

1、Bronze Crane with Antlers (National Treasure)

This is an imaginary auspicious creature, with crane’s body and deer’s antlers. In ancient China the crane and the deer were regarded as divine and auspicious creatures capable to communicate between man, ghost and god. This sculpture, placed east of the main coffin in the eastern chamber, might be meant to show his soul the way to Heaven or to pray for protection by gods.

2、zun and pan (National Treasure)

The zun is a wine vessel, and the matching pan is a water container. The wine vessel is put on the pan for cooling or heating wine. They are the representative of the intricately decorated bronze wares from the tomb, decorated with design of eighty-four dragons (twenty-eight on zun and fifty-six on pan) and eighty interlaced hydras (thirty-two on zun and forty-eight on pan). They are the most complicated and most beautiful of all pre-Qin bronze ritual vessels.

3、Bronze zunfou (National Treasure)

Two vessels of this kind were unearthed from the tomb, which are the same in shape and size. Both were found next to weapons, chariot parts and harnesses in the northern chamber. These are the largest bronze wine vessel ever discovered by archeologists. Both have inscriptions saying ‘commissioned by Marquis Yi of Zeng’ on their shoulders. The one shown here measures 126 centimeters in height and 100 centimeters in maximum abdominal diameter, and 327.5 kilograms in weight.

4、bianqing (National Treasure)

The bianqing, or a set of stone chimes, is a percussion instrument with fixed pitches. The thirty-two stone chimes, made of limestone or marble, hang from horizontal beams in two groups, and can produce crisp and bright tones. The whole set covers three octaves, and is capable to produce the twelve-tone equal temperament and conduct change of keys. They are tuned one semitone lower than the bianzhong (bronze bells).

The qing appeared in the Xia Dynasty, and was closely linked to ceremonies. bianqing, therefore, was an important ritual instrument. It was usually played together with bianzhong to produce what was called ‘metal-and-stone music’. The stone chimes and the bronze bells were hung along three walls, as befitted Marquis Yi’s rank as a feudal King.

5、Painted Lacquer Wooden Mandarin-duck-shaped Case

This case is both practical and ornamental. Found in an accompanying coffin of the western chamber, it should be a cherished object belonging to one of the females buried with the owner. On both sides of its abdomen there are pictures of dancing and playing bronze bells, and drums, which are a rare reflection of ancient Chinese music, dance and painting.

6、 Wooden Suitcase with Diagram of Twenty-eight Constellations

At the center of the lid is an ancient character dou, meaning the Big Dipper. It is surrounded by the names of the twenty-eight constellations, and flanked by images of a dragon and a tiger. Next to the constellation of kang there are four characters recording a date. The strokes of the central character are extended to connect to the constellations, signifying their interactive relations. By studying the diagram, some scholars have calculated the time of the observation on which it was based, that is, the evening of the third of the first lunar month in 433 BC, which is an auspicious day according moon phase.

7、Gold Bowl (National Treasure)

This bowl is a piece of tableware. It has a lid and contains a spoon. It is decorated with patterns of interlaced hydras, twisted cords, thunder and whirling clouds. The gold spoon may serve as a strainer, with one end with openwork dragon design. The bowl, weighing 2,156 grams, is the heaviest pre-Qin gold ware discovered. The strainer weighs 56.4544 grams.

8、Dragon-phoenix Jade Pendant in Sixteen Parts (National Treasure)

This is a national treasure. It measures forty-eight centimeters long. Carved out of five blocks of raw jade, it is divided into sixteen flexible parts, connected by one jade rings and one jade pin. By adopting openwork, in-relief, or intaglio techniques, it is adorned with thirty-seven dragons, seven phoenixes and ten snakes, decorated with patterns of grains, clouds and slanting lines. It was found next to the owner’s head. It might be used as a hat ribbon.