Shibiao Town Cemetery

Shibiao Town Cemetery

Shibiao Town Cemetery is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Shibiao Town Cemetery, dating back to the Warring States period, is located in the northwest of Shibiao Town, Tangzhuang Township, Weihui City. It was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province in 1985. Within an area of approximately 30,000 square meters, a large number of Warring States-period tombs from the State of Wei are buried. Many Warring States artifacts were unearthed here between 1928 and 1935. In July 1935, the former Central Research Institute's History Museum conducted a joint excavation, unearthing one large tomb and seven small ones. The excavation report "Shibiao Town and Liuli Pavilion" was published in 1959.

The large tomb is situated in the northwest of the burial site, while the smaller tombs are distributed about 100 meters to the southeast of the large tomb. Most of the tombs are rectangular vertical shafts without ramps. The bottom of the large tomb is paved with a layer of stones, on top of which lies a wooden outer coffin (coffin chamber), surrounded by gravel and further filled with charcoal on the outside. Inside the outer coffin is a coffin, where human remains and clothing were found, along with 1,447 bronze artifacts. These include two sets of chime bells, ritual tripods, zun (wine vessels), hu (jars), jian (mirrors), pans, ewers, spoons, bronze mirrors, horse and chariot fittings, daggers, and weapons. Among them, the bronze jian inlaid with red copper wire depicting scenes of naval and land battles is the most outstanding, renowned both in China and abroad as a masterpiece of Warring States bronze craftsmanship. The surface of the artifact is divided into three layers of pictorial designs, featuring 292 figures depicted in boats and with fish imagery, illustrating various battle scenes such as infantry combat, naval warfare, close-quarters combat, spear battles, uphill assaults, ladder assaults, and stone-throwing attacks, as well as evenly matched positional battles. These vivid and lifelike scenes are a true reflection of warfare during the Eastern Zhou period. Other artifacts unearthed include pottery, jade objects, stone chimes, stone rulers, and seashells. This collection of relics provides important material for the study of ancient music, military history, and the inlay techniques used in bronze work.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Henan Province