Excavation of the Chime-bells

Text by Liu Yishan

Edited by He Sai, Bai Ning & Liu Kezheng

Photos by Su Zhuolin

The tomb consists mainly of four chambers. The previous story had a detailed description of the eastern, western, and northern chambers; this story will focus on the middle chamber—the largest of all, covering a total area of 46.3 square meters. This chamber stored the largest number of articles and items, among which the chimebells were the most magnificent and most spectacular.

The grand chime-bells, listed as a rare national treasure and the majestic king of Chinese music, was saturated with the Chinese civilization and wisdom. These bells are the living fossil of ancient science and technology, as well as the historical record of social development of ancient China. They were buried underground silently until excavated on May 22, 1978.

Treasures in the central chamber

On the east side of the central chamber sat a bronze drum base with a jiangu drum on it. To the north of the jiangu drum and close to the eastern wall, there is a pair of large bronze pots that stand parallel on a single stand. The uniqueness of the twin pots lies not only in the fact that they have lids, but also a hollowed hood (similar to a hollowed circular ring) around the mouth. This feature has a decorative effect, making them look more solemn and sacred, while the hollow hood made the lids better fit the mouth, which seemed stable and immovable.

North to the twin pots was a pair of grand jian and fou, which consisted of two utensils: a square jian exterior and a square fou interior. Jian was originally designed as a big basin to hold water. It was recorded in Zhuangzi’s article “Zeyang” over 2400 years ago that, “Duke Ling of Wei has three wives, once all of them bathe in the same jian together.” One basin could hold three women, you can imagine how big it was. Ancient rice wine went sour easily, hence ice was stored between walls of jian and fou in winter to preserve rice wine fresh. They were the most advanced ancient freezers. Both jian and fou had been unearthed earlier in other places separately. This discovery made people aware of the fact that they were used as a complete set.

To the west of the grand jian and fou was an extraordinarily fine, exquisite, and ingenious set of bronze zun and pan (its matching tray). Their molding method, the so-called de-waxing molding process, has not been deciphered up until today even after many efforts by archaeologists. Liu Xinglong, a notable contemporary writer, exclaimed the elegance of the zun and pan of Marquis Yi of Zeng and the greatness of their foundry craftsmanship in his novelP an Hui (coiled snakes, a pattern unique to the zun and pan excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng), indicating that no comparable technique could be found in any other part of the world.

Bronze base of the jiangu drum 鼓銅座

偉大的編鐘，這個有生命有靈魂的龐大音樂之王，凝注了古代中國文明、智慧、科技水平以及歷史記載的超級國寶，在茫茫的黑暗中等待，一直等到 1978年5月22日。

中室寶器

中室的東壁，放置青銅鼓座并有建鼓一件，建鼓原來放于鼓座之上，豎立著。

在建鼓之北，緊靠中室東壁有一對青銅聯禁大壺，即兩件大壺同置于一個禁座上。

這兩件大壺有一點比較特別，它們除有蓋外，蓋沿外還有一個鏤孔蓋罩（近似于一個鏤孔大圓環(huán)）。蓋罩一方面有著裝飾作用，使壺顯得更莊重，更有氣勢；另一方面，安上蓋罩使壺蓋扣合更穩(wěn)固而不致挪動。

緊靠聯禁大壺，其北有一對大鑒缶。鑒缶是由兩種器物組成，外為方鑒，內置方缶。

鑒的本意是裝水旳大盆。《莊子·則陽篇》中寫到：“靈公有妻三人，同鑒而浴?！币粋€盆可容三人洗澡，可見其大了。

古代的米酒容易變質，每年冬天將冰貯存起來，放置鑒內，將方缶內的酒冰鎮(zhèn)起來，使之不易變質，這是古人用的冰箱。

鑒和缶兩器過去也出土過，卻是分開出土的，并不知它們是放在一起配套使用的，直至這次一起出土，才真正弄明白了它們的用途。

大鑒缶的西部，還放置著一件極其精美精致精巧的青銅尊盤，這尊盤的鑄造之法，即失蠟法，考古人員費了許多功夫，目前尚未破解。當代著名作家劉醒龍在長篇小說《蟠虺》中，寫盡了曾侯乙尊盤的精美和其鑄造工藝的偉大，在世界上找不出與之相匹的技術。

Bianqing, a percussion instrument編磬，打擊樂器

The bianqing (stone chimes) was found in the northern part of the central chamber. On the bases of the bianqing stood two fantastic bronze-cast beasts facing the same way. Each of them was molded with the head of a dragon, the neck of a crane and the body of a tortoise. They support two layers of the chimes, both upper and lower layer arrayed 16 pieces each—all of which had been cleared out from the sludge at the bottom of the tomb.

Apart from the chimebells, bianqing, jiangu drums, and jian and fou sets, other unearthed objects in the central chamber included 7 ses (a plucked instrument similar to a zither), 5 shengs (reed pipe wind instrument), 2 panpipes, 2 ruos (shaped like a bamboo flute), 2 small drums, some lacquered cups and the like.

In the southern part of the chamber, groups and rows of bronze sacrificial vessels were found. The top of the 9 dings (an ancient cooking vessel with two loop handles and three or four legs) was covered with bambooweaved lids, and on each of the bodies of 5 dings was a pair of hooks. Right in the middle stood two huge dings and in each of their handles hung a hook, upside down. A long-handled bronze spoon draped horizontally across the rims of the two dings, indicating that it was applied in conjunction with the dings.

9 dings were placed at the forefront and 8 guis (a widemouthed container for food) came behind. The set of nine dings and eight guis represented the social status of the owner. According to the rituals of the Zhou Dynasty, only the emperor could use them together.

Besides, there was a great variety of other utensils like pans, braziers, sifting shovels, huo dings (a vessel for boiling the meat in major ceremonies), round jians, all of which were arranged in very good order, obviously absent from the impact of mud or flowing water.

Some beef bones were found in two huo dings. In the other dings, beef, pork and fish bones were left, while wild goose bones were discovered, too.

Se with colored lacquer 彩漆瑟

中室的北部，出土有編磬。

編磬架座由一對青銅鑄造的怪獸組成，怪獸由龍頭、鶴頸、龜身糅合為一體，奇特而別致。磬分上下兩層懸掛，每層16 塊，共32 塊。這些磬塊都是從墓底淤泥中清理出來的。

編鐘、編磬、建鼓及鑒缶等擺放的中室之間，還出土了瑟7件，笙5 件，排簫2 件，箬（形似竹笛）2 件，小鼓2 件，還有一些漆杯等。

中室的南半部，青銅禮器成組成排，9 件升鼎上，各用竹編制的蓋子蓋著，5 件鼎上，各有一對鼎勾，正當中有一對大鼎，鼎耳上各倒掛一個鼎勾。一件長柄青銅勺，置于兩件鼎的口沿上，表明是與鼎配套使用的。

9 件鼎擺在最前面，8 件簋居其次?！熬哦Π梭笔秋@示墓主身份的，按周禮，只有天子才能用。

此外，還有盤、炭盆、漏勺、鑊鼎、圓鑒等各種器物，林林總總。這些器物整整齊齊排列，沒有受到泥土和流水的沖擊。

兩件鑊鼎內，各有半邊牛骨骼，其他鼎器內還有牛、豬、魚和雁的骨骼。

中室其他的器物不再一一細說?？傮w上看，中室北半部，置放了編鐘、建鼓、編磬、瑟、笙、排簫等樂器，這里是曾侯乙的音樂廳無疑。南半部擺的是禮器和洗漱具、煮肉之鼎，加上冰酒用的鑒缶配套，這里是曾侯乙盥洗、吃肉、喝酒的地方。曾侯乙聽著編鐘、編磬演奏出的金聲玉振之音，吃著肉喝著酒，身邊還有美女伺候，在地宮里依舊生活享樂。

All in all, the northern section of the central chamber was set with musical instruments, such as the chime bells, jiangu drum, stone chimes, ses, shengs, and panpipes. Doubtlessly this was the odeon of Marquis Yi. In the southern part were the ritual and sacrificial vessels, toiletries, dings for cooking meat, together with the jian and fou. It was the place where Marquis Yi washed, ate, and drank, where he still enjoyed himself in this underground palace while being served by beautiful maids, listening to the euphonious music, devouring his meat and savoring his wine.

The grand chime-bells, listed as a rare national treasure and the majestic king of Chinese music, was saturated with the Chinese civilization and wisdom. These bells are the living fossil of ancient science and technology, as well as the historical record of the social development of ancient China. They were buried underground silently until excavated on May 22, 1978.

Gui, a sacrificial vessel used to hold staple food簋，供奉食糧的祭器

The chime-bells unearthed

As the water gradually drained, it was daybreak and the red morning sun rose in the east. After waiting for over 2,400 years underground, the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng saw their first ray of sunshine.

Amidst the shouts of the cheering crowd, Tan Weisi calmed down while checking the water condition. He instructed the workers to slow down the pumping lest the chime bells should collapse and suffer irretrievable damage because of loss of buoyancy due to the water recession. The chamber containing the outer coffin was 3.3 meters deep, and the emerged part of the wooden beams was barely one meter above water and more than two meters of their bodies were still soaked in the water.

Tan Weisi and his workmates formulated a “two-preventionone-guarantee” plan quickly. Firstly, prevention of sun exposure: getting steel frames and plastic roof to shield the relics from sunlight. Secondly, prevention against collapse: installing safety racks on the tops of the walls, from which broad bands of the folded plastic membrane could be stretched down to hold the beams and prevent them from shaking, toppling, or breaking. Thirdly, conservation of moisture: wrapping the beam with plastic foam saturated with water and preparing some sprayers to work in order to maintain the moisture of the beams, roughly the same as when they were underwater to avoid drastic changes in humidity.

Once the plan was agreed, the pumps continued their working, with more attention on the chimebells and less on the flagpole-like wooden pole in water in the east of the bell base. With the recession of the water, the pole began to sway, and a black spherical item appeared at the bottom. As everyone was trying to figure out what it really was, the wooden pole broke with a cracking sound and the round item fell into the water. It was proved later to be a jiangu drum. It fell into the water because the wooden pole broke at the bottom as it was rotten and beyond the buoyant force of water. Even years later, Guo Dewei, who was then in charge of cleaning up the central chamber, reproached himself for the fault he made as that was the only case of spoilage of cultural relics from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng.

Each of the bell bodies is featured with fine patterns 曾侯乙編鐘每件鐘體都有精細的花紋，造型優(yōu)美

偉大的編鐘，這個有生命有靈魂的龐大音樂之王，凝注了古代中國文明、智慧、科技水平以及歷史記載的超級國寶，在茫茫的黑暗中等待，一直等到1978年5月22日。

編鐘出土

隨著水漸漸排出，天亮了，紅霞掛在東方，曾侯乙編鐘在地下等待了2400 多年后，重新出世，見到了第一縷陽光。

在群聲歡呼之中，譚維四看了看水里的情況，頭腦冷靜下來。他吩咐減慢抽水速度，防止編鐘因缺水的浮力而垮掉，帶來無法彌補的損失。槨室深達3.3 米，已出水的木架橫梁不過一米左右，下面還有兩米多的軀體浸在水中。

譚維四幾個人制定出了“兩防一?！钡姆桨浮Ｒ皇欠罆瘢簻蕚滗摻罴芩芰吓?，只要太陽一出，即行遮擋。二是防倒：槨墻上架設安全架，從架上用塑料薄膜折成的寬帶垂直而下，托住橫梁，避免搖晃、傾覆、斷裂。三是保水：在木梁上加蓋飽水塑料泡沬，準備幾個噴霧器，不斷地噴水，保持木梁的濕度大體與在水下時相當，不致發(fā)生驟變。

方案制定后，抽水機繼續(xù)抽水。

大家的注意力全放在編鐘上，卻對鐘架東邊水中豎著的旗桿狀的木桿沒怎么注意。隨著水位下降，木桿開始晃動，下部露出了一個黑色圓球樣器物。大家正欲對此物進行探究時，木桿“咔嚓”一聲斷了，圓球樣器物落入水里。事后探清，這是一件建鼓，因底部木桿已朽，失去水的浮力而折斷。多年后，當時負責清理中室的郭德維還為這一失誤而自責，這是曾侯乙墓提取文物的唯一一次損折。

隨著槨室的水位不斷下降，到5月24日午夜又露出一層橫梁，長短兩根曲尺相交。

5月25日，又露出一層橫梁，與其上橫梁結構形體相似。譚維四帶領考古人員，每天小心謹慎地工作著，采取了一切可能的安全措施，一直到6月12日，才將65 件鐘體和橫梁以及各種構件全部安全取出墓坑。

至此，規(guī)模宏大、氣勢磅礴、造型精美、數量眾多的曾侯乙編鐘，巍然屹立在地面上。

曾侯乙編鐘鐘架呈曲尺形，分長短兩架。

長架長7.48 米，高2.65 米；短架長3.35 米，高2.73 米。每架分上、中、下三層。中、下兩層呈垂直方向相交。小編鐘全為鈕鐘，分三組，三組互不相連，即南架上有一組，西架上有兩組。小編鐘鐘架形似足球門框，上為橫梁懸掛小編鐘，兩端用圓木柱支撐。南架上一組為6 件，西架上兩組，一組為6 件，一組為7 件。

中、下層橫梁的兩端和長、短橫梁相交處端部，各有一銅人武士頂托；西架長，其上下兩層的中部又加了一根銅立柱作為支撐。

As the water level in the chamber continued to drop, there appeared, at midnight on May 24, another layer of beams—a long one and a short one intersected in the shape of a carpenter’s square. On May 25, still another layer of beams, in a similar shape to those above them, emerged from the water. By taking all safety measures, Tan Weisi and other archaeologists worked meticulously to unearth the tomb. Finally, on June 12, the 65 bell bodies and the beams as well as various other components were safely taken out of the tomb.

Now, the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng, grand in scale, majestic in appearance, exquisite in shape and numerous in number, stood elegantly and magnificently on the ground. The support frames for the chime-bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng took the shape of a carpenter square, and they were composed of a long cot and a short one.

The long bell cot measured 7.48 meters long and 2.65 meters high; the short one measured 3.35 meters in length and 2.73 meters in height. Each bell cot had three tiers: the upper, middle, and lower. The middle and lower tiers intersected vertically. The small chime bells were all niu bells, divided into three sets, which were not connected. One set was suspended on the southern beam and the other two on the western one. The small chime bells’ cot was shaped like a football goal. They were hung on the horizontal beams, and both were supported by round wooden columns. 6 pieces were hung on the southern beam in one set, and two sets, consisting of 6 and 7 pieces respectively, on the western beam.

The two ends of the middle and lower horizontal beams, and the end of the intersection of the long and short beams, were held up by bronze warriors; the west bell cot was longer, and a bronze column was added to the middle part of the upper and lower beams as a supporting column.

The bronze warriors had swords in their waists and stood mighty and majestic, holding their hands up, and their facial expression solemn. Loyal to their duties, they held up the heavy weight with a graceful demeanor.

There were 33 chime-bells on the median-tier beam, all of which were yong bells, in three types: bells without mei (round stumplike stakes protruding on the upper part of the body), bells with short mei, and those with long mei.

On the lower tier of the frame were 13 large bells. Except for a bo bell on the western bell cot, the rest were long-handled yong bells. Of these big bells, the largest weighed over 200 kilograms and the smallest over 60 kilograms, the whole set of chimes totaling 4.4 tons.

The chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng have now become worldfamous. In addition to their large number, their completeness, and their size, they are also truly gorgeous. Each of the bell bodies, bell beams, bell cots, and bronze figurines has fine patterns, goldinlaid inscriptions, sculpted reliefs, and dragon-head patterns by openwork carving and hollowing techniques in brilliant colors.

What is worth mentioning is their cultural connotation: on the entire set of the chime-bells, there are inscriptions of more than 2,800 Chinese characters, mainly dwelling on ancient music theory, which has been a huge discovery for Chinese music historians. Moreover, the fact that such a huge and heavy article avoided being crushed or eroded in the underground palace for more than 2,400 years demonstrates the fine and unique molding techniques of ancient China.

(Translation: Luo Dongyuan)

The bronze warriors had swords in their waists and stood mighty and majestic, holding their hands up, and their facial expression solemn銅人武士，腰佩寶劍，威武雄壯，雙手托舉，表情肅穆

銅人武士，腰佩寶劍，威武雄壯，雙手托舉，表情肅穆。他們力舉千斤，忠于職守，裙帶飄逸，風采斐然。

中層編鐘共有33 件，全部為甬鐘，分無枚鐘、短枚鐘、長枚鐘三種。

下層全部為大鐘，共13 件，除西架當中一件為镈鐘外，其余均為長柄甬鐘。這些大鐘，最大的超過200 公斤，最小的超過60 公斤。全套編鐘，重達4.4 噸。

曾侯乙編鐘舉世聞名，除了因為它數量最多、最完整、體型最大外，還在于它很華美。每件鐘體、橫梁、立柱和銅人，都有精細的花紋、錯金銘文、浮雕、透雕鏤空龍首花紋和絢麗的色彩。

還有它的文化內涵。全套編鐘上，有2800 多字的銘文，內容都是音樂樂理方面的，這更是創(chuàng)造了紀錄。而且這么龐大這么重的物體，在地宮中歷經2400多年沒有壓垮，其支架的結構和懸掛的方法也是創(chuàng)紀錄的。