This happened in 2003. An old man in Anyang, Henan Province is fishing by the Anyang River. Fishing requires patience and relaxation. While the old man was waiting, his hook moved, and it was certainly gratifying to learn something. The old man also quickly began to collect the pole. He can feel that the drill bit on the hook should be heavy, and the process of pulling the rod is a bit laborious.
Finally, after the heavy "big fish" was pulled up, the old man was puzzled. Where does it look like fish? That is obviously a rusty "iron turtle". This "turtle" looks unusual, with four arrows on its back. The appearance is not so clear, it can't be eaten, and it looks a bit strange. Thinking about it, the old man brought this "iron turtle" home, and an idea was born in his heart: this strange "iron turtle" may be a cultural relic!
So in the end, the old man decided to report the matter to the relevant departments and handed over the "real fish". After expert appraisal, this "iron turtle" is indeed a cultural relic. Its history can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Judging from its various conditions, this cultural relic is worth hundreds of millions. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as "priceless".
The name of this "armored fish" is actually a bronze giant salamander. It is not a turtle, but the largest giant salamander among turtles. Like the tortoise, it is a reptile with similar appearance, but fiercer and larger.
Besides, this bronze giant salamander, just like its name, is a giant salamander made of bronze, with a length of more than 20 cm and a width of about 16 cm. On the whole, this catfish is in a crawling posture, with its head leaning forward, its four feet exposed and its tail leaning to the left. Four arrows are on the left shoulder and back of catfish.
The back of the bronze giant salamander is also engraved with inscriptions. Although there are only four lines and 33 words, experts know the origin of the bronze giant salamander from these crosses.
From the ancient books such as Shuowen Jiezi and Xuanbaozhi, we can know that the giant salamander has great strength and fierce temperament, and there are records that the giant salamander struggled with the tiger when it landed, so it is also a very powerful embodiment to catch such a powerful giant salamander in ancient times.
And this bronze giant salamander did come from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. According to the inscription, the Shang King shot a fierce giant salamander with an arrow by the Huan River. Later, a courtier made up three arrows for the giant salamander and captured it completely. Shang Wang thought it was an honor to capture such a powerful giant salamander, so he gave it as a book. According to the shape of the captured giant salamander, this bronze giant salamander is made into a book, and the back is engraved with the achievements of the Shang king.
From that time to now, this bronze giant salamander has a history of more than three thousand years. It is also a very rare bronze sculpture of giant salamander. Because it is made according to the captured giant salamander, its appearance is also very realistic, which enriches the anthropomorphic bronze wares in terms of types. The unique shape of the bronze giant salamander also provides a basis and help for studying the more important "shooting ceremony" in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Judging from its historical value or research value, this bronze colossus is worth hundreds of millions, which is really priceless.
Now, this precious "book-shaped bronze fish" has been placed in the exhibition hall of the National Museum of Beijing, quietly showing the world the vivid bronze products of thousands of years ago and telling the history of wandering.
Conclusion:
The preciousness of The Colossus of Bronze lies in its 3000-year history, as well as its research and proof value for the shooting ceremony, writing and bronze ware making in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The high price of hundreds of millions given by experts is a material affirmation of it, but the historical value behind this bronze colossus is immeasurable, and its existence and discovery have been very difficult. Witnessed more than 3000 years of dynasty change and the change of the four seasons. It is a historical vicissitudes, which carries too much intangible value to be measured by specific quantity.