At the 30th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) on July 13 inVilnius, the capital of Lithuania, Yin Ruins, the site of a historic find dating to China’s ancient Shang Dynasty (17th-11th century B.C.) located in Anyang City, Henan Province, was inscribed into the World Cultural Heritage List, as unanimously agreed to by 21 representative countries. Yin Xu is the 33rd Chinese cultural site to make the list.
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The Tombs and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area of Shang Dynasty is the oldest and most intact tomb complex in China. by Qiu Qi/CFP |
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Time-Honored History
The 3,300-years-old ruins, which cross the south and north banks of the HuanheRiver and span an area of 24 square kilometers, have been evidenced to be the oldest such site in China. Comprised therein are the Palace, Royal Ancestral Shrines Area, tombs, handicraft workshops, living quarters and slave residences. Since the excavation began, discovered were about 150,000 inscriptions on tortoise shells, thousands of bronze pieces, and various types of jade and potteries.
Before inclusion to the World Heritage List, Yin Xu was already the focus of study for many prestigious Chinese scholars. “The inscriptions on tortoise shells are the origin of Chinese characters, which are now used by a quarter of the world’s population,” says Professor Li Boqian of BeijingUniversity. “These pictographs are the only ancient characters that were passed to today.”
Xu Guangde, a member of the Archaeology Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) notes that the tortoise shells inscriptions are not only a symbol of culture and civilization, but bear invaluable testimony to the authenticity of a series of documents, including Records of the Historian. And the recorded history of Chinese civilization was thus expanded by about five centuries.
The Yin Ruins bear witness to the prime of China’s Bronze Age and the golden age of early Chinese culture. “The large numbers of beautiful bronze wares unearthed in Yin Ruins are quite unique and it is the home to the biggest bronze ware, Simuwu Ding, ever found in the world.” said Du Jinpeng, the director of Shangzhou Dynasty office of the Archaeology Research Institute of CASS. The bronze pieces include gifts, musical instruments, weapons and tools. Some were destroyed, but most remained intact and are now housed safely in museums at home and abroad. Some unique Chinese traditions also originated from the Yin Ruins, like the asymmetric style of city planning, adhered to by most Chinese cities for more than 3,000 years.
Since its excavation 70 years ago, more than 8,000 tombs have been discovered, including the final places of rest for royals and clans. One can identify the status of the tomb’s resident by the shape, material, size and quantity of the wares buried with the dead.The site also tops the “100 significant archaeological discoveries in the 20th century of China,” as appraised by more than 40 authoritative archeological organizations.
Liu Qingzhu, director of the Archaeology Research Institute of CASS explains that the discovery of Yin Ruins will play an important role in the ongoing research of Chinese prehistory and ancient history. The evaluation of International Ancient Site Council is that the prominent value of Yin Ruins may parallel to those of ancient Egypt, Babylon and India.
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A bird’s eye view of the Yin Ruins
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Protecting Origins
Zhang Ailan, director of the Cultural Relics Bureau of Henan Province, says: “We make unremitting efforts to protect its integrity and authenticity. In order to maintain peripheral condition the same as history, we only keep the farmland and grassland and relocate residents within or close to the area.”
About 100 years ago, Wang Yirong, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) found the inscriptions on tortoise shells in Xiaotun Village of Anyang, which was noted in history book and made the village special. At the end of the 20th century, Xiaotun was prosperous, with five or more factories in the west, a breeding industry in the middle, and forests in the east. In April, 2001, Yin Ruins was submitted for inclusion to the World Heritage List. It was then that the factories began to be relocated, the livestock industry was halted and two thirds of the farmland was leased by the government. Seventy-six households were moved to a “new Xiaotun district” one kilometer away.
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Inscriptions on tortoise shells. At present, the Yin Ruins have provided the world with more than 150,000 inscriptions on tortoise shells comprising 4,500 characters, among which 1,500 have been decoded.
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A bronze ware excavated in the tomb of Fu Hao.
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Innovative Displays
After application was made for the World Heritage List, the staff from State Administration of Relics, Archaeology Research Institute of CASS, and Cultural Relics Bureaus of Henan Province and AnyangCity began to restore and preserve the site for display.
They reformed the original mode of display to conform to international standards which call for the peripheral environment of the ruins to be close to the original form. They adopted seven new methods, including reburying the relics and protecting elements of the site with glass panels, so that the artifacts may be safe while viewed by the public.
“We always respect science and expertise during the protection and display,” says Li Yangsheng. “The innovative ways of protection and display of the site have been recognized by experts of the WHC.”
