Ancient Dian culture asks God for help.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, there lived a big tribe called Dian in Dianchi Lake, Yunnan, China. Dianchi Lake area has fertile land and mild climate. Residents are mainly engaged in agricultural production, raising livestock and fishing and hunting. Yunnan has a well-developed handicraft industry, especially famous for bronze smelting and casting, gold and silver wares and jade articles. A large number of archaeological data unearthed in recent years show that from the end of the Spring and Autumn Period to the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, Yunnan people have entered a prosperous bronze age. The bronze culture in Dianchi Lake area is represented by Shizhai Mountain in Jinning and Lijiashan Cemetery in Jiangchuan. Shizhaishan cemetery in Jinning was excavated five times from 1955 to 1996, which is one of the important archaeological discoveries in China. The gold seal of "Wang Yin, Yunnan" unearthed in the cemetery confirmed the historical facts of the existence of ancient Yunnan. In addition, the Lijiashan Cemetery in Jiangchuan and the yangfu Head Site in Guandu, Kunming are also important archaeological discoveries in China. In central Yunnan, there are many ancient cultural sites scattered around the plateau lakes such as Dianchi Lake, Fuxian Lake and Xingyun Lake. The remains of ancient culture, represented by Shizhai Mountain in Jinning and Lijiashan in Jiangchuan, are scattered around Dianchi Lake like colorful pearls. In particular, a large number of unearthed bronzes, with exquisite workmanship, special shapes and rich ethnic styles, have a unique position in China bronze culture and shine with the bright light of ancient Dian culture. 1. Wang Yin in Yunnan and Gubang in Yunnan 1956. During the second archaeological excavation of Shizhai Mountain in Jinning, archaeologists excavated 20 ancient tombs, among which Tomb No.6 was 3.40 meters long, 2.30 meters wide and 2.58 meters deep, and there was a beautifully made coffin with cinnabar paint in it. Funerary objects include gold, silver and copper. Among them, bronzes are the most abundant, including ancient bronze weights that "record" state affairs, as well as various figures, houses, models, ornaments, shellfish containers, etc. There are bells (a group of 6) representing the noble status of the tomb owner and accompanying bronze figurines; There are many kinds of weapons, such as ge, spear, sword and halberd. There are many bronze mirrors, stoves, kettles, smoking stoves, etc. Daily necessities show the rich and prominent position of the tomb owner. When it was about to be cleaned to the bottom of the coffin, a bright golden seal suddenly flashed among the funerary objects. The captain of the archaeological team personally picked it up and brushed away the dust, only to see four seal characters clearly engraved on it: "Wang Yin, Yunnan". In an instant, cheers broke out at the excavation site, and people rushed to tell each other that the mysterious ancient tomb that had been celebrated through the ages had been found! According to Hanshu and Huayang Guozhi, the capital of Yizhou County in Han Dynasty is Dianchi County, which is Jinning County in Yuxi on the south bank of Dianchi Lake. According to Records of the Historian Biography of the Southwest Yi Nationality, in the second year of Emperor Yuan Feng of the Han Dynasty (BC 109), Yizhou County was established in the ancient ruins of Yunnan, and the highest leader of Yunnan was named King of Yunnan, and Wang Yin was named King of Yunnan. Among all ethnic groups in southwest China, the most prized of Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty is King Dian. However, from the first century A.D., there was no record of Dian in various historical books, and the ancient Dian was lost in the long river of history. For a long time, people have always doubted the existence of ancient Dian State and the authenticity recorded in Historical Records. The discovery of Wang Jinyin in Yunnan proves that the Shizhaishan site is the graveyard of the king of Yunnan and his family, and it also proves that the records about ancient Yunnan in China ancient books such as Historical Records are reliable. Wang Yin is made of pure gold, weighing 90g, with a side length of 2.4cm and a height of 2cm. Snake button, snake head raised, snake body coiled, scales on the back. Wang Xi of Yunnan is the earliest material evidence that Yunnan belongs to the central dynasty. Although Wang Jinyin of Yunnan is Wang Yin, his seal shape is based on Nine Instruments of Hanshu as the standard for the rank of princes. The reason may be that although the king of Yunnan was crowned king by the Han Dynasty, in the eyes of the central dynasty, the political status of the king of Yunnan was only equivalent to a rank. This also objectively reflected the political relationship between the king of Yunnan and the central dynasty. The excavation of Wang Yin in Yunnan proves that the owner of this tomb is a generation of Yunnan kings. Archaeologically, "Wang Yin in Yunnan" can be regarded as a type of "barbarian" Wang Jinyin in the Western Han Dynasty, which provides reliable material for the comparison and identification of such seals that may be found in the future (such as "Yelang Wang Yin" which is also found in historical books but has not yet been discovered), and has important archaeological value. Wang Yin is also of great historical significance. It is the earliest physical evidence that Yunnan belongs to the central dynasty. From this perspective, "Yunnan Wang Yin" is a national treasure cultural relic. Second, Yunnan's heavy weapons-copper shells and drums More than 30 special bronzes have been unearthed from Shizhai Mountain in Jinning and Lijiashan in Jiangchuan. These bronzes often contain shells. This kind of bronze ware is extremely rare in other parts of China, so Yunnan archaeology named it "Shell Container". As the name implies, it is an instrument for storing shells. The shells stored in the container were identified as "ringed shellfish" by the Biology Department of Yunnan University, which were produced in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. For a long time, shells have been an important currency of all ethnic groups in Yunnan. According to Fan Chuo's Records of Yunnan in Tang Dynasty, shell currency was still used in Nanzhao period. Storing shells in shell containers is a unique custom of Yunnan people, which symbolizes wealth. According to the shape, shellfish containers can be divided into two types; One is a barrel-shaped shell container, and the other is a shell container modified from copper barrels or other containers. Barrel-shaped shell container is designed to hold shells when casting, and it looks like a barrel. The waist is slightly narrow, thick up and down, and the bottom is three or four feet. The lid is often decorated with animals such as cows and tigers, among which cows are the most common. Another kind of shell container is represented by a copper drum-shaped shell container. This is the most important ritual vessel in Yunnan. Yunnan has no characters, so the plane of bronze drums is used to carve various three-dimensional figures, animals and houses. , focusing on character activities, constitutes one vivid scene after another in Yunnan's social life. Yunnan also has an important weapon-the bronze drum. The two bronze drums unearthed from Shizhaishan in Jinning and Lijiashan in Jiangchuan belong to the same type-Shizhaishan type. It is characterized by exquisite production, complex decorative patterns, sun patterns and halos on the drum surface, and decorative roads. Drum body is divided into three parts: trunk, waist and feet. The trunk and waist are often decorated with feathers, dancers, boats and cows. The bronze drum was originally a symbol of power rule, as a heavy weapon for sacrifice, reward and tribute. In the religious belief of ancient nationalities in southwest China, it is believed that drumming can communicate with gods. Therefore, the bronze drum is an essential thing in sacrifice. After the Han dynasty, bronze drums were not only used as heavy weapons, but also used to call on the masses to carry out wars, spread letters and gather people, celebrate weddings and funerals, and sing and dance. The bronze drum is an important musical instrument of Yunnan aristocrats, as Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, said: "When a jade snail blows its ridge, it becomes a tattoo." In a word, the bronze drum has penetrated into all aspects of the social life of ancient nationalities in southwest China, which shows its far-reaching influence. Today, the Zhuang, Dong, Shui, Miao, Yao, Gelao, Buyi and Wa ethnic groups in China still cherish bronze drums. Third, the "Niuhu Copper Case" and the unique aesthetic concept of Yunnan people Jiangchuan has a long history and is the most developed area in ancient Yunnan. A total of 4,000 bronze artifacts from the Warring States to the Western Han Dynasty were unearthed from the famous ancient tombs of Lijiashan at home and abroad, which were divided into five categories: weapons, musical instruments and decorations. Among them, the "Cow Tiger Copper Case" is the national treasure of a Chinese Odyssey. 1972 was unearthed in Lijiashan cemetery in Jiangchuan. This kind of utensil was used to hold sacrifices such as cattle and sheep in ancient times. It is 43cm high, 76cm long and weighs17kg. The picture shows a standing bull with four hooves and four legs, and the front and rear legs are connected by beams. The bull's face is oval, its abdomen is sunken, and there is a calf inside. Behind the cow, a carved tiger bit the cow's tail, and its four claws caught Daniel's crotch. In this case, Daniel's neck muscles are plump, and his huge horns stretch forward, giving people a feeling of top-heavy tail, but a tiger is cast on his tail, and a falling force restores the balance of the case. The calf was placed horizontally under Daniel's abdomen, which enhanced the stability of the case. In terms of artistic style, the attitude, psychology and movements of Niu Hu are vividly portrayed by means of comparison, contrast and contrast. The old cow is docile and selfless, the calf is simple and lovely, and the tiger is fierce and cruel, which constitutes a very shocking tragic color and embodies the unique artistic aesthetic style of Yunnan people. The whole case is exquisitely conceived, with perfect shape, stable center of gravity, vivid image and realistic style. It has the unique style of Yunnan bronzes, fully embodies the perfect combination of artistic aesthetics and practical functions, and is a fine product of Yunnan bronze culture in China. In the bronze ornaments of the ancient Dian nationality, there are many fierce scenes showing wild animals fighting or group fighting. In the belt buckles depicting animals, most of them depict the fierce image of tigers and leopards. On other bronzes, it is also common to depict tigers and leopards. For example, some bronzes are often decorated with tiger and leopard patterns, some cast their ears into tiger shapes, some depict the image of feeding tigers, and some are carved with bronze statues of snakes and tigers. As a symbol of the authority of slave owners, it is enough to show that Yunnan people respect tiger and leopard as a symbol of courage and strength. This fear of tigers and leopards is also exemplified by other ethnic minorities in ancient times. The characteristics of ancient Yunnan bronze animal modeling art are: distinct theme, ingenious conception, clear hierarchy, enthusiasm, generalization but not boring. Mainly realistic, but also with a certain exaggerated color, while emphasizing the external characteristics of animals, but also pay attention to the depiction of the inner world, so as to achieve the realm of both form and spirit. Through the comprehensive analysis of relevant archaeological data and historical documents, the academic circles confirmed that the "Dian" people are distributed in Dianchi Lake and its surrounding areas, belonging to the "Southwest Yi" tribe, and their cultural remains represent the highest stage of the development of Yunnan bronze culture. The bronzes of Shizhai Mountain and Lijiashan in Jiangchuan show a vivid picture of the production and life of ancient ancestors. Among them, the shell storage device is the most vivid and comprehensive. The famous bronzes include shells for killing and sacrificing in Shizhai Mountain, shells for tribute, shells for textile, and the case of Niuhutong in Lijiashan, Jiangchuan. A naked slave was tied to a copper post on a shell container for killing and offering sacrifices. The slaves standing on both sides wore chains on their feet, and the slave owner of the priest sat in the middle with a bun. Scenes of bloody killings are presented to people. The overlapping drum-shaped war scene covered with copper shells presents a tragic war scene, which may be the scene of Yunnan people fighting "Kunming people" in Erhai Lake area at that time. The bronze drum was covered with a copper shell, indicating that the people of Yunnan held a ceremony of "praying for the New Year" at that time and sought a bumper harvest in agriculture by killing sacrifices. In the textile scene, the bronze figurines of 18 were cast on the cover of the copper shell container, all of them were women, and one of them was a slave owner, who was supervising the female slaves to engage in textile work, vividly reappearing the production scene at that time. Shell containers reflect a wide range of production and life scenes, including war scenes, captive offerings, textiles, tributes, hunting, grazing, bullfighting, music and dance, etc., and are rare physical materials for studying the slavery society in China. Among the bronzes in Yunnan, the theme of directly expressing cattle is the most. This reflects that the animal husbandry economy still plays an important role in Yunnan society, which is dominated by agriculture. Cattle and horses are not only important domestic animals, but also symbols of measuring wealth at that time. Through research, we can know that these exquisite bronzes have mastered the appropriate proportion of copper and tin, and the proportion of different utensils is also different: the weapons are about 20% tin-doped, and the texture is hard and not easy to bend and break; Decorations 10% or so, with low hardness, are easy to make ornaments of various shapes. It is also known that the molding technology and casting technology have reached a high level by using the method of split mold and combined casting to shape figures, animals and spectacular scenes. Brilliant Yunnan culture is the great creation of Yunnan ancestors in the long history. It is like a dazzling pearl, sleeping in the dust of history for more than two thousand years. Today, it shines again, adding gorgeous colors to the profound Chinese culture.