The aristocratic life of Chu seen in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng
In 1978, a huge ancient tomb was discovered in Suizhou, Hubei Province. Its owner was Zeng Marquis Yi (Ji Yi), the ruler of the state of Zeng. Zeng State was the Sui State conquered by King Wu of Chu. Two places in one country was not uncommon during the Spring and Autumn period. The layout of this large tomb imitates the former residence of the tomb owner, with each tomb chamber symbolizing the functional areas such as the living room, living room, and banquet hall in the tomb owner's former residence. For hundreds of years, Zeng State has been one of the most closely related vassal states to Chu State, and therefore Zeng Culture belongs to a part of Chu Culture. However, due to the lack of written records, people gained a more detailed understanding of the specific situation of this ancient country through archaeological excavations.
The most striking thing in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is the variety of bronze objects buried in the tomb. When the tomb was buried, almost all the Household goods for daily use of the tomb owner were moved in. There were 134 bronze ritual vessels and daily utensils unearthed in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. Among these 134 artifacts, there are 117 utensils for food, wine, and water, as well as 17 bronze daily necessities. This is the most numerous and diverse bronze ritual vessels unearthed in China to date. These bronze vessels are arranged in sets and arranged in an orderly manner, clearly imitating the scene of the tomb owner's feast during his lifetime.
One of the best ways to restore the life of the nobility in the Spring and Autumn Period is to understand the cultural relics in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. What were the various types of bronze ware displayed in the museum today used for at that time? Legend has it that the life of nobles was "Zhong Ming Ding Shi". So how did the nobles of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods live, dress, eat, live, and travel? Presumably, every visitor to a museum will feel curious about this in their hearts. We might as well try to restore the life scene of the nobility of Chu more than 2000 years ago by introducing the cultural relics unearthed in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng.
If you go through the Spring and Autumn period and attend a noble banquet, the first thing for guests is to clean their hands. In Zhou Li, this stage is called "Wo Toilet Rite". According to the Book of Rites, the Nei Ze Chapter, "When entering the toilet, the young serve a tray (tray), while the elderly serve water, please wash the toilet. The toilet attendant gives a towel." This means that when nobles wash their hands, an elderly servant pours water from above, and a young servant holds a bronze tray to receive water from below. After washing your hands, another servant will hand over a towel.
The exquisite cast and inlaid red copper toilet fou (Figure 1) unearthed from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is specially used to hold clean water for hand washing. Another copper ladle (Figure 2) is used for pouring water. Its shape is elliptical, like a ladle. When using it, hold the hand behind it, and water flows out from the front outlet. The Chengpan (Figure 2) is held by a servant to receive water. It has a large mouth, circled feet, and a shallow and flat belly. The pan is also decorated with patterns of aquatic animals, achieving a perfect unity of functional and artistic functions.
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