Yuhou Zheng Pot

Bronze ware from the Western Zhou Dynasty
Total height 41 cm, mouth length 17.3 cm, width 12.6 cm. Collected in 1980. A vessel for holding water or wine. Rectangular mouth, flat rim, bulging lower abdomen, high ring foot. Animal heads holding rings on both sides of the shoulders. The neck is decorated with phoenix patterns, the abdomen is decorated with cross stripes, and the ring foot is decorated with wave patterns. The inscription in the mouth is cast with 24 characters in 4 lines: "On the first day of the second month of the king's reign, the first day of the year Renxu, Yu Houzheng made a treasure pot, which will be used forever by his descendants for thousands of years". The capital of the Yu State was near Zhangdian Town, Pinglu County, Shanxi Province. In 655 BC, the Jin State used the opportunity to destroy the Guo State and then destroyed the Yu State on the way back. Very few bronze vessels of the Yu State have survived. Yu Houzheng is the only name of a Yu monarch known to date.