Yu Zhu Jiuding
The tripod is a ritual vessel developed from the pottery tripod of the Stone Age. It was later given royal power and became a national token. According to legend, Yu cast the Nine Cauldrons in Kunwu, and it was passed down as a good story.
"Han Shu·Jiao Si Zhi" records: "In the past, Emperor Tai made a divine tripod, which unified the heaven, earth and all things. The Yellow Emperor made three tripods, which symbolized heaven, earth and people. Yu collected the gold from Jiu Mu and cast the Jiuding, which resembles Jiuzhou. "Yu cast the Jiuding among the three castings in ancient times, and it has been proven and recognized by all dynasties.
Yu cast the Nine Tripods, and it is also said that he started casting the Nine Tripods. Whether it is Yu Zhuding or Qi Zhuding, casting the tripod should be the common wish of their father and son. After the Jiuding was cast, it was passed down from generation to generation in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Jiuding was cast in Kunwu. "Lu Shi Chun Qiu", "Guang Yun" and other records: "Kunwu made pottery." "Yunji Qizhao" also records that Kunwu mined metal before the Xia Dynasty and used it to "form a model" of pottery methods and make molds for casting. Metal utensils. Due to the superb casting skills of the Kunwu people, the official position in charge of bronze smelting before the Zhou Dynasty was also called Kunwu.
Kunwu people’s superb metal making skills naturally took on the task of making Jiuding. The engineer who made Jiuding was called Feilian. Before the tripod was cast, Wengnan, the great shaman of Kunwu Kingdom, also held a grand sacrificial and divination ceremony. Jiuding was cast as expected. On the tripod are engraved the names and locations of various kingdoms in the Xia Dynasty, as well as the beautiful scenery of Kyushu mountains and rivers, strange gods and other objects.
The tripod became a national treasure. When Shang defeated Xia and Zhou defeated Shang, they first captured Jiuding and hid it in the Ancestral Temple. "Destroy its ancestral temple and move its important utensils" refers to this fact. There are many events about tripods in classics and documents, such as "The King Cheng Ding Ding", "The King of Chu Quests for the Ding", "Qin Qi Seeking the Ding", "Nine Dings to Protect the Country", and "Surabaya Fishing for the Ding". They are all stories about the tripod being a token of the country.
How big is the tripod? Lu Buwei has seen people the size of Jiuding. He recorded in "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals": The three armies were hungry and sat next to the cauldron. If it was suitable to use it as a steamer, then the cauldron would not be suitable. This means that the cauldron was big enough to become a rice cooker for the three armies. "Historical Records" also records. King Wu of Qin was famous for his courage. He once tried his best to lift a cauldron, but he died of exhaustion. The ancients said that the tripod of a thousand gold is probably equivalent to the current weight of three to four hundred kilograms.
Where is Kunwu? "Hanshu Geography" records: "The original Zhuan Xu's ruins in Puyang were where Kunwu lived during the Xia Dynasty." Zhuan Xu's ruins were Emperor Qiu, which is today's Gaocheng site (Gaocheng Village, Wuxing Township, Puyang County). Today's "Puyang County Chronicle" also records: In the sixth year of Emperor Zhongkang, Zhuanxu's great-great-grandson Fan was conferred the title of Bo (historically known as Xia Bo) by Zhongkang for his meritorious service and lived in Kunwu, and the country was renamed Kunwu. Diqiu, the capital of Kunwu Kingdom, lived for thirteen generations.
"Puyang County Chronicles 1980-2000" makes inferences based on "Geographical Chronicles of the Former Han Dynasty", "Book of Tang", and "Minutes of Fangyu": the capital of Zhuanxu and the capital of Kunwu of Xia Fang Kingdom, Weidong The moved capitals were all in one place, that is, Diqiu, Kunwu City, and Weidu were all in the same place (P105). But there is also annotation under the entries of "ancient city" and "Kunwu": "Kuo Di Zhi" records: "The old city of Kunwu is thirty miles southwest of Puyang County." In ancient times, the name of the clan and tribe, the emperor gave Fan as his surname. , granted the title of Kunwu. He is good at making ceramics and casting bronze ware. Xia Qi once ordered the Jiuding to be cast in Kunwu, and this is it (P134). Therefore, Zhishu's views on the current location of Kunwu are inconsistent. Where exactly is Kunwu City? It remains to be further verified by historians.