Bian Zhong of Su, Marquis of Jin 晉侯穌鐘

 

Bian Zhong of Su, Marquis of Jin [wenmingyiblshe.com]

Bian Zhong is a set of bronze musical instruments widely used in ancient China. This set of Bian Zhong, made in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771B.C.), was unearthed from Marquis Su's tomb in Shanxi Province. It consists of 16 pieces and has an inscription with a total of 355 characters. The inscription engraved on separate pieces of Bian Zhong tells the complete story that Marquis Su of the Jin State received order of the King of the Zhou State to attack "Su Yi" in 846B.C. At present, 14 of the pieces are kept in the Shanghai Museum, and the remaining two smallest pieces are conserved in Shanxi Museum.