A symbol of authority, what are the uses of tripods in ancient times?

The tripod is one of the most important types of bronze, is used to cook meat and meat storage utensils. For more than 2,000 years during the Three Dynasties and the Qin and Han Dynasties, the tripod was the most common and mysterious ceremonial vessel.

The Chinese Museum of History collection of "Simuwu" large square tripod is the late Shang Dynasty bronze tripod, rectangular, four-footed, 133 centimeters high, weighing 875 kilograms, is the largest surviving Shang Dynasty bronze. Inside the belly of the tripod, there is "Si Muwu" three words, is the king of the Shang Dynasty to sacrifice his mother E and casting.

Generally speaking, there are two types of tripods: three-legged round tripods and four-legged square tripods, which can be divided into two types: covered and uncovered.

There is a group of tripods, the shape from large to small, become a column, known as Li Ding, the number of Li Ding in the Zhou Dynasty is representative of the different status levels. The number of tripods represented different status levels during the Zhou Dynasty. According to the literature and archaeological findings of the nine tripods should be the system of the vassal, seven, five tripods for the Secretary, three, one tripod for the rank of soldiers. But the system of the Son of Heaven for twelve tripods, is an even number, but so far no tomb of the Son of Heaven, so whether this record is correct remains to be confirmed. Of course, the nine tripods in the list of tripods is not the nine tripods on behalf of the central power.

On the origin and role of "tripod": tripod was originally an ancient cooking utensil, equivalent to the current pot, used to stew and put fish. Xu Shen in the "Shuowen Jiezi" said: "tripod, three feet and two ears, and the five flavors of the treasure also." There were three-legged round tripods and four-legged square tripods. The earliest tripods were clay-fired pottery tripods, and later there were bronze tripods cast in bronze. Legend has it that Xia Yu once collected the gold of the Nine Shepherds and cast nine tripods under the Jing Mountain to symbolize the nine states, and engraved on them the figures of demons and monsters, so that people would be on guard against being harmed by them. Since the legend of Yu casting nine tripods, the tripod has developed from a general cooking utensil to an important weapon for the state. The country is destroyed tripod move, Xia Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty, the nine tripods moved in the Shang capital Bo (b?) Beijing; Shang Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty, the nine tripods moved in the Zhou capital Hao (h?o) Beijing. From the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, the capital or the establishment of a dynasty was called "Ding Ding".

The tripod was regarded as a symbol of statehood, statehood and power, and the word "tripod" was also given the meaning of "prominent", "honorable", "grand" and other derived meanings, such as: a word of the nine tripods, the great name, the heyday, and the help of the tripods, etc. The tripods were also used as a means of honoring achievements. Ding is also a ceremonial instrument for honoring achievements. Zhou Dynasty, the king or ministers in the major celebrations or to accept the reward are cast tripod, in order to record the grand occasion. This ritual still has some influence today. In order to celebrate the 50th birthday of the United Nations, the People's Republic of China presented the United Nations with a bronze tripod - the Century Treasure Tripod - on October 21, 1995 at the United Nations Headquarters. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the Central Government presented to the Tibet Autonomous Region a "tripod of national unity", which stood in the square of the People's Hall in Lhasa, symbolizing the unity of the nation and the flourishing development of all undertakings in Tibet. This is a far-reaching gesture with rich cultural connotations.

The tripod is a representative of China's bronze culture. It is the witness of civilization, but also the carrier of culture. According to the legend of Yu cast nine tripods, it can be assumed that our country as far as 4000 years ago, there is a bronze smelting and casting technology; from the underground excavation of the Shang Dynasty bronze tripods, conclusive proof of China's Shang Dynasty has been a highly developed bronze age. Chinese History Museum collection of the "Simuwu" large square tripod is the late Shang Dynasty bronze tripod, rectangular, four-footed, 133 centimeters high, weighing 875 kilograms, is the largest surviving Shang Dynasty bronze. Inside the tripod's belly are the words "Simuwu", which was cast by the Shang king to worship his mother, W. The tripod is the largest surviving bronze vessel of the Shang Dynasty. The Da Yu Ding, Da Ke Ding, Mao Gong Ding and Song Ding unearthed in the Qing Dynasty are all famous bronzes of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The inscriptions on the tripods and other bronzes recorded the rules and regulations of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the historical facts of enthronement, sacrifices, conquests, and so on, and passed on the Big Seal Characters of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the later generations, forming the art of Jinwen Calligraphy of high aesthetic value, which made the tripods even more valuable, and made them even more important historical artifacts than the other bronzes. According to aesthetician Li Zehou, Chinese bronzes are the most aesthetically pleasing bronze artworks in the mature period of China's bronze art, with its "unique three-legged ware - tripod as the core representative, with a heavy and robust ware system, harsh and mysterious decorations, and deep and protruding carvings".