Treasures of the phoenix kingdoms

Treasures of the phoenix kingdom

A bronze drum base unearthed in the tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State in Suixian County, Hubei Province, in the late 1970s
A bronze sculpture of an imagined animal that resembles a crane but has a pair of antlers, dating back to the Warring States period
A bronze wine vessel dating back to the early Zhou Dynasty is particularly attractive because of the coiled dragon on top
A silk-embroidered dragon, phoenix and tiger pattern on a garment dating back to the Warring States period (476-221 B.C.)
Visitors appreciate a bronze ding, an ancient cooking vessel 2. A bronze drum base unearthed in the tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State in Suixian County, Hubei Province, in the late 1970s

More than 200 Bronze Age artifacts selected from five museums in Hubei Province in central China, including bronzeware, jadeware, lacquerware and silk fabrics unearthed in the province are on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing. The exhibition, titled Phoenix Kingdoms—The Last Splendor of China's Bronze Age, presents items produced by the people of the Zeng and Chu states that thrived in the early Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.). They were known as Phoenix Kingdoms because the phoenix, a revered mythical bird, featured prominently in their culture.

Of the many treasures on display, the most popular one is a bronze drum base discovered in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. The complex design of this masterpiece outshines the predominant aesthetic standard of its time. The pedestal consists of eight pairs of large dragons and dozens of tangled small dragons.

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)