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E-mail People's Daily Online, March 12, 2025
A visitor views an exhibit at the new building of Yinxu Museum in Anyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 26, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Located near the archaeological site of the Yinxu Ruins, which is the location of the last capital of the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC), the new building of the Yinxu Museum in Anyang, central China's Henan Province, received 1.8 million tourist visits in a year since it opened to the public on Feb. 26, 2024.
In the spring of 1976, an unlooted square-shaped tomb of modest size was discovered at the archaeological site of the Yin Ruins. The excavation unearthed nearly 800 jade pieces, making it one of the pre-Qin (221–206 BC) tombs with the highest number of jade artifacts ever found.
According to inscriptions on bronze vessels and oracle bones, the tomb belonged to Fu Hao, the beloved queen of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty.
The Tomb of Fu Hao contained not only jade objects of the Shang Dynasty but also numerous older pieces from the Xinglongwa, Hongshan, and Qijia cultures, many of them reworked—suggesting that Fu Hao was something of an "ancient jade collector." She was recognized as the first female general documented in historical records.
The new building of the Yinxu Museum showcases the collection of the Tomb of Fu Hao, painting a comprehensive picture of this remarkable woman's life.
Among Fu Hao's burial goods were over 460 bronze objects, including 210 ritual bronze vessels—the largest collection of ritual bronzes ever found in a single tomb during archaeological excavations at the Yinxu Ruins. The tomb's discovery gave scholars and the public their first glimpse into the lives of women in the Shang Dynasty and further unveiled the mysteries of the dynasty's bronze civilization.
In July 2006, the Yinxu Ruins, ranked as China's top archaeological discovery of the 20th century, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among Yinxu's many archaeological treasures, oracle bone inscriptions stand out as particularly significant.
At a restaurant on the first floor of the Yinxu Museum, visitors can savor noodles featuring oracle bone characters printed with edible squid ink.
The Yinxu Museum's new building houses several pottery statues that date back over 3,000 years, offering invaluable insight into the physical appearance of people in the Shang Dynasty.
During archaeological excavations at the Yinxu Ruins, researchers also discovered a vehicle with two people buried face-down at its front—likely a human-drawn vehicle historically known in ancient China.
In addition, the museum's new building houses animal-inspired relics. Two artifacts shaped like pig heads have a cartoonish appearance, covered in colorful patterns with slightly protruding eyes and large ears, giving them an adorably chubby look reminiscent of modern-day emojis. They were likely artistic pieces from the Shang Dynasty—essentially the ancient equivalent of today's "collectible figurines."
