They and they, all buried with long sets of jade pendants, dazzling and exquisite, not only displaying the identity, status, rank, and wealth of the tomb owner when alive, but also reflecting the nobility and elegance of the aristocracy. Reporter Yang Jieying, China News Service.

The scale of the tomb and the burial objects of the Marquess of Jin's wife at the Beizhao Jin Marquis' Tomb site in Quwo, Shanxi, vividly reveal the historical transformation of the Jin state from the time of its initial enfeoffment by Tang Shu Yu with only "a hundred square li around the He and Fen rivers" to its eventual inclusion of the southern part of Shanxi from the Western Zhou to the early Spring and Autumn periods. Among them, the burial objects of the wives of Marquis Mu and Marquis Jing of Jin were both numerous. Why is it said that the Marquess of Jin's wife was "loved by four thousand people"? What stories lie behind this? Recently, China News Service's "East-West Question" interviewed Tian Jianwen, a researcher at the Shanxi Institute of Archaeology, to interpret this.

The jade artifacts in the hundred-treasure box of the secondary wife of Marquis Mu of Jin, as provided by the interviewee.

The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

Reporter from China News Service: What similarities and differences are there in terms of burial customs, style, shape, and unearthed artifacts between the tomb of the Marquis of Jin's wife at the Beizhao Jin Marquis Tomb site in Quwo and other tombs?

Tian Jianwen: Firstly, the positions of the Marquis of Jin and his wife, both the Marquis of Jin and his wife are buried in a supine and extended position, but in terms of the arrangement of the tombs between the husband and wife, in the early Western Zhou period, the Marquis Xiefu group and the Marquis Wumu group were arranged as male on the west and female on the east, while from the middle Western Zhou period onwards, after Marquis Cheng, the arrangement changed to male on the east and female on the west. Therefore, this period also marks the watershed and manifestation of the marital relationship, that is, the gender concept, in compliance with the Zhou ritual system.

Secondly, the Zhou Dynasty was a society governed by rites, specifically manifested in bronze and jade ritual vessels. The bronze ding was a symbol of status, with the number of dings buried with the Marquis of Jin exceeding that of the Marquis's wife, especially in the late Western Zhou period. In terms of water vessels, the Marquis of Jin had more bronze pans and yi (), while the Marquis's wife had more bronze pans and he (). The Marquis of Jin had more square-bodied bronze pots, while the Marquis's wife had more round-bodied ones. In terms of wine vessels, the Marquis of Jin commonly had bronze zun, jue, and zhi (), while the Marquis's wife rarely did. The Marquis of Jin also had more chariot and horse fittings, while the Marquis's wife had fewer, with chariot and horse pits specifically set up for the Marquis of Jin. Musical instruments such as bells and stone chimes, as well as bronze weapons and tools, were only found in the Marquis of Jin's tomb.

The bronze pig vessel buried with Lady Jinghou Xiefu. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.

Photo provided by the interviewee: Bronze pot with bird-shaped lid and human-footed base, buried with Lady of Jin Xian Hou.

Thirdly, pottery, proto-porcelain, and lacquerware are rare in Marquis Jin's tombs but common in those of the Marquises' consorts. A Marquis Jin's tomb typically contains only one pottery li, while a Marquise's tomb, in addition to the li, also includes gui, dou, and guan, especially large-mouthed zun and tripod weng, which are exclusive to the Marquises' consorts. As for the jade and stone artifacts carried by the tomb owners, except for Marquis Su of Jin, who had more than his consort, the other eight groups of consorts had significantly more than their respective Marquises. For instance, ornaments can be divided into chest ornaments and shoulder ornaments. Both Marquises and their consorts have chest ornaments, but shoulder ornaments are exclusive to the consorts.

The jade group pendant from the tomb of Lady Pengmu, the wife of Duke Jing of Jin, is shown in the photo provided by the interviewee.

To treat death as life, these distinctions reflect the different gender orientations of Marquis Jin and his wife.

Reporter from China News Service: How can the funerary objects in the Lady's tomb reflect the gradual rise of the Jin State from its initial "100 square li to the east of the He and Fen rivers" when it was established by Shu Yu?

Tian Jianwen: At that time, "furen" was a special term for the wife of a feudal lord. According to "The Book of Rites: Qu Li Xia," "The consort of the Son of Heaven is called 'hou,' while that of a feudal lord is called 'furen'." Most of the Marquis of Jin married women from the Qi state of the Jiang clan as their consorts. For example, Marquis Mu of Jin married a Qi woman named Jiang, who gave birth to the crown prince Chou and Chengshi. Marquis Wen of Jin married a Qi woman named Jiang, known as "Jin Jiang." However, as time went by and the Jin state grew stronger, neighboring states began to view it differently. By the time of the fifth generation, Marquis Jing of Jin, Yi Jiu, his tomb contained two "Jin Hou Xi Fu Zuo Zhen Wen Kao Li Hou Bao Pan," where Li Hou is identified as Marquis Li of Jin based on his posthumous title. Additionally, a "Bo Xi Fu Zhao Zuo Peng Mu" gui was also buried with him. The character "mu" can be interpreted as either "mother" or "wife," and I choose the latter. If so, Marquis Jing of Jin's consort was "Peng Mu," a woman from the Peng state, likely the daughter of the Marquis of Peng in the northern part of Hengshui, Jiaxing County. Both Marquis Jing of Jin, Yi Jiu, and Peng Mu were buried with their heads facing south, towards the tomb passage, which was a result of adhering to and adapting to the funeral customs of Peng Mu's maternal home, the Peng state. The Marquis of Peng and his consort, Bi Ji, were buried with their heads facing west, also towards the tomb passage, which is identical in both Hengshui and Beizhao. In contrast, the remaining tombs of the Marquis of Jin, except for the two "Zhong" shaped tombs with passages on both the north and south sides, were all located on the north side opposite the tomb passage.

The jade face cover buried with Lady Pengmu, the wife of Marquis Jing of Jin, is shown in the photo provided by the interviewee.

Jinghou of Jin's wife, Pei Mu's tomb, was accompanied by a jade pendant set. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.

During the reign of the seventh generation of the Jin Marquis Su, he accompanied the Zhou king in the eastern expedition against the Suyi tribe, achieving remarkable military exploits. The Zhou king personally bestowed upon him a vessel of fragrant wine, a bow, a hundred arrows, and four horses. In gratitude and to commemorate the virtues of the Zhou king, Marquis Su of Jin commissioned a set of chime bells inscribed with the character "Su" as a memorial. The next generation was Marquis Mu of Jin, whose burial included five bronze ding tripods, four gui vessels, chariot and horse fittings, and weapons, particularly a set of eight chime bells inscribed with 68 characters, known as the "Chu Gong Ni" chime bells. Despite the vast distance between Jin and Chu, Marquis Mu of Jin possessed this set of bells, either through the Zhou king's reward or through commercial trade, demonstrating the extensive reach of the Jin state. He married two wives, and after the death of his secondary wife, Yang state sent two "Yang Ji Hu" funerary vessels, a testament to the tradition of women relying on their husbands' status, wealth, and honor.

The "Yang Ji Hu" was buried with the successor of Duke Mu of Jin. Photo provided by the interviewee.

Bronze Gui, the burial item of the legitimate wife of Marquis Mu of Jin, is provided by the interviewee.

Reporter from China News Service: Why does the secondary wife of Duke Mu of Jin have a tomb of excessive scale, with the number of burial objects reaching an unprecedented level among the tombs of the Marquises of Jin? What stories lie behind this?

Tian Jianwen: Both Duke Mu of Jin and his principal wife were buried in "甲" shaped tombs with southern access ramps. The principal wife was accompanied by bronze funerary objects, including three ding tripods, four gui food containers, and one hu wine vessel, pan basin, yi ewer, jue wine cup, zun wine vessel, fangyi square vessel, and ding-shaped square box each. She was laid to rest in a coffin, with a jade face cover on her head. The secondary wife, however, was different. She was accompanied by bronze objects consisting of three ding tripods and two gui food containers, but her tomb had an oversized scale. For the first time in the Marquis of Jin's cemetery, a "中" shaped tomb with access ramps at both the northern and southern ends appeared, spanning a total length of meters. The bronze ritual vessels were placed at the northern corners of the coffin chamber, including ding tripods, gui food containers, hu wine vessels, and one jue wine cup, zhi wine vessel, fangyi square vessel, pan basin, he tripod, ding-shaped square box, and cylindrical vessel each. In this tomb, jade, stone, and agate artifacts were either placed inside or outside the coffin. The jade pendant set, consisting of jade huang, yuheng, jade tubes, glass beads, and agate tubes, totaling pieces of various jade ornaments, had a restored length of about centimeters. There was also a bronze square box, which I call the "treasure chest," containing small jade figurines of humans, bears, oxen, eagles, owls, lei, and turtles. The jade artifacts included: jade rings and bi discs totaling pieces, more than jade huang, jade ge pieces, jade human figurines, jade dragon-human figurines, jade oxen, jade bears, and eagles, owls, deer, horses, sheep, turtles, mantises, and jade xi, jade lei each, totaling nearly pieces. Among these jade artifacts, not only were there exquisite Western Zhou jade carvings, but also remnants of the late Shang Dynasty. The animal figures of jade eagles, owls, oxen, and bears likely included spoils from the time of King Wu's conquest of the Shang. If so, this secondary wife of the Marquis of Jin could be compared to the famous wife of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty, "Fu Hao," from the Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan, both being super "jade enthusiasts" and antique lovers. It is speculated that she lived a very long life and was still alive when King Ping of Zhou moved the capital to Luoyang in 770 BC. Duke Wen of Jin, who had rendered meritorious service to the king, saw a significant rise in his status among the vassal states and received numerous rewards from King Ping of Zhou, some of which were buried with her, also constructing a "中" shaped tomb similar to Duke Wen of Jin's.

The jade group pendant of Duke Mu of Jin's successor consort was buried with her. Photo provided by interviewee.

Reporter from China News Service: From the perspective of the long river of history, how did the aristocratic life during the Western Zhou period differ from that of other historical dynasties? What were the customs and practices?

Tian Jianwen: The Western Zhou Dynasty was a hierarchical society, implementing the system of enfeoffment and patriarchal clan system, thus formulating various rites and music systems for court meetings, sacrifices, weddings, funerals, and daily conduct. These systems stipulated different rituals and accompanying music for nobles of different ranks in their daily political and social activities, using music to alleviate social contradictions and adjust society.

From the tombs of the Marquis of Jin, it is evident that the Marquis and his consorts always wore jade pendants. The "Rites of Jade and Tassels" states: "A gentleman never removes his jade without reason; a gentleman compares his virtue to jade." They and they were buried with long sets of jade pendants, dazzling and exquisitely crafted, not only displaying the status, rank, and wealth of the deceased but also embodying the nobility's elegance and grace. Wearing pearls and jade, with slow steps, they moved slowly to show their demeanor, and the long and complex sets of jade pendants could only be worn while walking slowly.

Photo of the jade bead necklace accompanying the burial of Lady Jin Xianhou. Courtesy of the interviewee.

It can be said that the traditional culture of the Chinese nation as a state of rites was formed during the Western Zhou Dynasty, three thousand years ago.

Interviewee Profile:*

Tian Jianwen. Photo courtesy of interviewee.

田建文，山西省考古研究院二级研究馆员，兼任吉林大学考古学院外聘教授、山西师范大学历史旅游学院教授等。多年来从事田野考古与研究工作，撰写了140余篇黄河流域新石器及夏商、晋文化、秦汉、宋金元等不同时期的专业文章。2020年获“张颔领军人才”支持计划、2021年感动山西十大人物、2022年全国文物系统先进工作者等称号。

Title: "Tian Jianwen: Unveiling Why the Marquis's Wife Received 'Four Thousand' Favours - East-West Questions" Text Editor: Xu Huangguan Photo Editor: Cui Chuqiao Layout: Liang Jing Editor-in-Chief: Song Fangcan

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