Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan
issue date

Look into history
November 5, 2003
Article & photos by Vivian Zhang

The set of stone "Ben"

Have you ever had the chance to see an artifact produced more than 3,000 years ago?

People were really thrilled to find themselves surrounded by precious cultural relics last week, when they paid the visit to the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics at the Xiamen Museum. Over 20 relics, all marked as national first-grade, were on show. Xiamen Museum’s most cherished relic, a set of stone artifacts from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) unearthed in 1985 in South Fujian, made its debut appearance.

Plates for imperial use from Qing Dynasty
A painting from Qing Dynasty
A helmet （头盔） from Ming Dynasty
A porcelain jar from Qing Dynasty
The set consists of 12 pieces of stone Ben (石锛）, a tool used to cut or plow in ancient times. Since there is no evidence for how the stone Ben was used, archeologists have concluded that this set was used for religious service and etiquette.

Peng Jingyuan(彭景元）, a senior researcher at the Xiamen Museum, told the reporter that there were still arguments existing over whether the 12 pieces of stone Ben were used to perform a memorial service for the God of Months, or were musical instruments used at service ceremony. Since no other set of stone Ben has been uncovered in the world, these questions pose a mystery which, if solved, would be of fundamental importance to research on ancient religion.

The history of other items on display can mainly be traced back to Ming and Qing dynasties or from the 14th to the 19th century. Most of them are porcelain made at Jingdezhen, the "Ceramics Metropolis" of China. According to Peng, the ceramic industry experienced further development at Jingdezhen during the Ming and Qing dynasties, when skills became perfected and the general quality more refined. Government kilns were set up to cater exclusively to the needs of the imperial house.

It is very rare to have a large piece of porcelain successfully made during this time, because the lower part was easily deformed due to its heavy weight. Kilnmen and officials who monitored the kilns often performed religious ceremonies with the hope of finishing their task before strict deadlines. It has been said that sometimes children were thrown into the burning kilns as a sacrifice to the God of Kiln.

There are several large pieces of porcelain on show as well as small ones, ranging from jars and vases to bowls and plates. Some of the intricate（复杂的） craftsmanship （工艺） has been forgotton over time, which makes the antique porcelain even more valuable.

The exhibition was co-held by Xiamen Museum and Zheng Chenggong Commemoration Museum, which also contributed relics to the show, including seals, a cane helmet and a cane shield used by the army of Zhen Chengong, a distinguished general who drove away Dutch invaders and recaptured Taiwan in Ming dynasty.