The tripod is one of the most important types of bronze vessels. It is a vessel used for cooking and storing meat. During the Three Dynasties and the Qin and Han Dynasties, which lasted for more than two thousand years, the tripod has been the most common and mysterious ritual vessel.
The "Simuwu" large square tripod collected by the China History Museum is a bronze tripod from the late Shang Dynasty. It is rectangular, four-legged, 133 centimeters high and weighs 875 kilograms. It is the largest Shang Dynasty bronze in existence. There are three characters "Si Mu Wu" inside the belly of the tripod, which was cast by the King of Shang to worship his mother Wu.
Generally speaking, there are two types of tripods: round tripods with three legs and square tripods with four legs. They can also be divided into covered ones and uncovered ones.
There is a group of tripods, whose shapes are arranged in a row from large to small, called tripods. The number of tripods in the rows represented different status levels during the Zhou Dynasty. Lieding is usually in the odd number. According to literature and archaeological findings, the nine tripods should be the system of the princes, the seventh and fifth tripods are for the ministers, and the third and first tripods are for the nobles. However, the emperor's system was twelve tripods, which is an even number. However, the tomb of the emperor of Zhou has not been seen so far, so whether this record is correct remains to be confirmed. Of course, the Jiuding among the tripods does not represent the central power.
About the origin and function of "ding": The tripod was originally an ancient cooking vessel, equivalent to the current pot, used to stew and hold fish. Xu Shen said in "Shuowen Jiezi": "A tripod has three legs and two ears, and is a treasure with five flavors." There are round tripods with three legs and square tripods with four legs. The earliest tripod was a pottery tripod made of clay, and later there were bronze tripods cast from bronze. Legend has it that Xia Yu once collected Jiu Mu's gold and cast a Jiuding under Jingshan Mountain to symbolize Kyushu, and engraved figures of demons and monsters on it to alert people and prevent them from being harmed. Since the legend of Yu casting the Nine Cauldrons, the cauldron has developed from an ordinary cooking utensil to a nationally important weapon. When the country was destroyed, the Ding Dynasty was moved. When the Xia Dynasty was destroyed, the Shang Dynasty was prosperous, and the Jiuding Dynasty was moved to Bo (b?) Beijing, the capital of Shang. When the Shang Dynasty was destroyed, the Zhou Dynasty was prosperous, and Jiuding was moved to Hao (h?o) Jing, the capital of Zhou. From the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, the establishment of a capital or the establishment of a dynasty was called "Dingding".
The tripod is regarded as a national treasure, a symbol of the country and power, and the word "ding" has also been given extended meanings such as "prominence", "noble" and "grand", such as: Nine tripods in one word, Famous names, prime times, great help, etc. The tripod is also a ritual vessel used to mark merits and achievements. During the Zhou Dynasty, the kings, princes and ministers would make tripods to record the grand events during major celebrations or when receiving rewards. This custom still has a certain influence today. In order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, the People's Republic of China presented a giant bronze tripod, the Century Baoding, to the United Nations at the United Nations Headquarters on October 21, 1995. On the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the central government presented the "National Unity Tripod" to the Tibet Autonomous Region, which stands in the People's Hall Square in Lhasa, symbolizing national unity and the flourishing development of various undertakings in Tibet. This move has far-reaching significance and rich cultural connotation.
The tripod is the representative of my country’s bronze culture. It is the witness of civilization and the carrier of culture. According to the legend of Yu Zhu Jiuding, it can be inferred that my country had bronze smelting and casting technology more than 4,000 years ago. The large bronze tripod of the Shang Dynasty excavated from the underground conclusively proves that the Shang Dynasty in my country was already a highly developed Bronze Age. The "Simuwu" large square tripod collected by the China History Museum is a bronze tripod from the late Shang Dynasty. It is rectangular, four-legged, 133 centimeters high and weighs 875 kilograms. It is the largest existing Shang Dynasty bronze vessel. There are three characters "Si Mu Wu" inside the belly of the tripod, which was cast by the King of Shang to worship his mother Wu. The Da Ke Ding, Dake Ding, Mao Gong Ding and Song Ding unearthed in the Qing Dynasty are all famous bronzes from the Western Zhou Dynasty. The inscriptions on tripods and other bronzes record the laws and regulations of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and historical facts such as canonization, sacrifices, and conquests. They also passed on the seal characters of the Western Zhou Dynasty to later generations, forming a bronze calligraphy art with high aesthetic value. Therefore, it is even more valuable and has become a more important historical relic than other bronzes. Esthetician Li Zehou believes that Chinese bronzes, with their "unique three-legged vessel - the tripod as the core representative, are heavy and thick, the patterns are ferocious and mysterious, and the carvings are deep and protruding", they are the most aesthetically valuable items in the mature period of my country's bronze art. Bronze artwork.