Da He ding
The Da He ding or Da He fangding () is an ancient Chinese bronze rectangular ding vessel from the late Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC). Unearthed in Tanheli, Ningxiang, Hunan in 1959, it is on display in the Hunan Museum. Uniquely decorated with a high-relief human face on each of its four sides, it is the only known ancient Chinese bronze cauldron to use human faces as decoration. Description The Da He ding is named for the inscription in bronzeware script on its interior wall, which reads "Da He" (), or "Great Grain". Judging by the inscription, it may have been used during sacrifices for harvest. Although the Da He ding was discovered in the southern Yangtze region, its inscription closely resembles those found in the core Zhongyuan region of the Shang dynasty. The ding is rectangular, with four legs, a common shape during the late Shang. It is high, and its opening measures by , which is slightly larger than its bottom. The most unique feature of the vessel is that each of its four sides are decorated with a dominant human face in high-relief, which is not found in any other ancient Chinese bronzeware. Around the faces are