Today‘s featured items are the Dragon-shaped Libation Vessel and blessing sacrifice vessel "the Painted Coiled Dragon Plate", which are closely related to Shanxi New Year folk customs! Next, let's get to know these two friends well!

Pour a cup of wine, the treasure of the country --the Dragon-shaped Libation Vessel

the Dragon-shaped Libation Vessel is a wine vessel in the late Shang Dynasty which features 19 cm high, 44 cm long and 13.4 cm wide. It was unearthed in Shilou County, Shanxi Province in 1959 and is now collected in Shanxi Museum. The Dragon-shaped Libation Vessel archived by Shanxi Museum is a national first-class cultural relic and is known as "the treasure of the Shanxi Museum".

It is covered with the patterns of dragons, snakes and crocodiles, which were the symbol of the Shang Dynasty in ancient China. They were fond of wine, and the act of consuming wine to heart’s content at the table is a characteristic feature of the Shang Dynasty culture. More than three thousand years ago, the nobles of the Shang Dynasty attached great importance to the wine, which can be seen in this national treasure.

The first dragon pottery in China -- the Painted Coiled Dragon Plate

This Painted Coiled Dragon Plate was unearthed from the site of Tao Temple in Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province in 1984. It is from the distant Neolithic Age and is the earliest image of Pan Dragon(a kind of dragon) ever seen in the Central Plains. Known as "China's first dragon pottery", it is currently housed in Shanxi Museum and serves as a special burial artifact symbolizing status.

The Painted Dragon Pan is a sacrificial utensil rather than a practical utensil. It may have been an important ritual utensil used for praying for rain or a good harvest at that time. This also indicates that the Painted Coiled Dragon Plate’s patterns, as the emblem of the totem family, show that the sign or physical symbol of royal power and state has appeared in the Tao Temple at that time.

There are aspects to discover about the Dragon-shaped Libation Vessel and the Painted Coiled Dragon Plate. Welcome to the Shanxi Museum to admire the exquisite cultural relics. We also extend a warm invitation for you to visit Shanxi during this Spring Festival and immerse yourself in an authentic cultural year!