Shaanxi History Museum. [Photo/chinaculture.org]

Shaanxi History Museum, is among the largest and most important museums in China. The museum houses over 370,000 pieces of historical relics in a 65,000 square meter area, its contents include pottery, bronze works, coins, porcelains, murals, paintings, gold and silver objects.

Artifacts at the museum span a period of more than 1,000,000 years, ranging from the Stone Age to modern times, around 1840.

The museum's buildings are replicas of those typically found in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and symbolize Shaanxi’s extensive history and remarkable culture. Among its precious collections are 18 pieces have been listed as national treasures. Some of its most important pieces are:

1. Duoyou Ding (Bronze Tripod)

 

Age：Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 16 century – 11th century BC)

288 Chinese characters in 22 lines are inscribed inside the vessel, recording the account of when the Zhou army, led by General Duoyou, defeated Yan Yun, an ethnic group in the northern part of China. According to the inscription, the Zhou army defeated the enemy in four battles, killing 350 and capturing 23 Yan Yun soldiers and 127 war carriages.

This vessel is of great importance in researching the war history of Western Zhou and neighboring ethnic groups.