Late Shang Dynasty, circa 14th–11th century BCE

Height: 133 cm, Length: 112 cm, Width: 79.2 cm

Unearthed in 1939 at Wuguan Village, AnyangCity, Henan Province

The "HouMuWu" Bronze Ding (formerly known as the "Si Mu Wu Ding") is monumental in scale, solemn, and imposing. Weighing 832.84 kilograms, it is the heaviest bronze vessel known from ancient China. Cast on the inner wall of the vessel is the inscription "HouMuWu," which is the posthumous temple name of the Shang king's mother.

The vessel body and its four legs were cast as a single unit, while the handles were cast separately and attached afterward. The casting of the "HouMuWu" Bronze Ding fully demonstrates that bronze production in the late Shang Dynasty was not only vast in scale but also highly organized and finely specialized, representing the pinnacle of Shang bronze culture.