Shanxi, located in the ecotone between the agricultural area in the heartland of the Central Plains and the nomadic area in the steppes beyond the Great Wall, has been a ‘melting pot’ of ethnic integration since ancient times. These wine vessels excavated from Youyu County are physical evidence of non-Sinitic influence on Chinese civilisation.
Wine Vessel of Hu Fu 勮阳阴城胡傅酒樽
Bronzeware | Western Han Dynasty, third year of Heping (26 B.C.) | H: 34.7 cm, D: 65.5 cm Wt: 30 kg | Excavated at Dachuan village, Youyu County, Shanxi Province (1962) | Shanxi Museum collection. 铜器｜西汉 • 河平三年（公元前26年）｜高度 34.7厘米 口径 65.5厘米｜1962年山西省右玉县大川村出土｜ 山西博物院藏
In Dachuan Village, Youyu County in 1962, a total of nine bronze artefacts were unearthed, five of which bear inscriptions. The most important artefacts are a pair of “Zhongling Hu Fu Bronze Warming Wine Vessels” and a “Juyang Yincheng Hu Fu Bronze Wine Vessel,” collectively known as the “Hu Fu Wine Vessels.”1
The Yincheng wine vessel (above) resembles a bronze ding but is gilded and painted at the same time, a technique extremely rare among Sino bronze ware. The body is painted with lifelike animal patterns of tigers, elephants, deer, and horses. The rim is inscribed with the words: “Hu Fu bronze wine vessel from Yincheng, Juyang, weighing 120 jin, made in the third year of the Heping era (26 BC).”2
The outer ring has three auxiliary rings holding rings, and below it are three tiger-shaped feet. The entire object is gilded, and the decoration on the body is cast in relief and incised lines. Some areas were originally painted, and the painting technique involved first outlining with ink lines, then filling in the colours, and finally applying a layer of vermilion lacquer.
The vessel is covered with exquisite relief carvings, depicting realistic animal figures such as tigers, bears, deer, camels, cattle, sheep, monkeys, rabbits, birds, cheetahs, and elephants. The artefacts shape embodies the elegant style of the Central Plains during the Han Dynasty, while the patterns featuring grassland animals and realistic techniques reflect the characteristics of northern grassland culture, serving as a testament to the cultural fusion of multiple ethnic groups during the Han Dynasty.
The inscriptions “Zhongling,” “Juyang,” and “Yincheng” are all county names under the jurisdiction of Yanmen Commandery during the Western Han Dynasty, located in what are now Youyu, Yingxian, and Shuozhou areas of Shanxi Province. “Hu Fu” is a personal name, and scholars have determined that he was a Commandant of Yanmen Commandery during his lifetime.3 This artefact was cast in the third year of the reign of Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty (26 BC), a period when the Western Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu were at peace.
Wine-Warming Vessels of Hu Fu 中陵胡傅铜温酒樽
Bronzeware | Western Han Dynasty, third year of Heping (26 B.C.) | H: 24.5 cm, D: 23.4 cm, Wt: 6 kg | Excavated at Dachuan village, Youyu County, Shanxi Province (1962) | Shanxi Museum collection. 铜器｜西汉 • 河平三年（公元前26年）｜通高24.5厘米, 口径23.4厘米｜1962年山西省右玉县大川村出土｜ 山西博物院藏
Discovered together with the wine vessel were a pair of wine-warming vessels. The rim and lid on one of the wine warmer are inscribed with the Han Dynasty clerical script: “Wine warmer of Hu Fu of Zhongling, weighing 24 jin, made in the third year of Heping”. Another piece has an additional “two” character inscribed on it, indicates that they are a pair made at the same time. 4
The vessel is decorated with rings that separate the various parts, and are covered with relief animal patterns, including realistic animals such as tigers, bears, deer, and camels, as well as mythological figures such as nine-tailed foxes, winged people and phoenixes, all vividly depicted.
Through these Hu Fu vessels, we can glimpse the wisdom of ancient Chinese rulers in their ethnic policies, which enabled different cultures to learn from each other and develop together. This not only strengthened national cohesion but also enriched Chinese culture and injected vitality into the continued prosperity of Chinese civilisation.
All photos taken at Shanxi Museum Oct 2025, unless otherwise noted.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- 此次共出土9件铜器，其中5件带有铭文，最重要的器物为一对“中陵胡傅铜温酒樽”和一件“勮阳阴城胡傅铜酒樽”，合称“胡傅酒樽”。https://baike.baidu.com/item/胡傅酒樽/15719979
↩︎ - 稀世之珍 | 山西博物院“十大镇馆之宝” ，你见过几个？
2022-09-07 09:15. https://www.sohu.com/a/583061574_121199942, accessed 24 Feb 2026
镇馆之宝：汉胡傅酒樽。1962年右玉县大川村出土。通体鎏金加彩绘，技法十分罕见。器身彩绘虎、象、鹿、马等动物图案，形象生动。口沿刻铭文“勮（jù）阳阴城胡傅铜酒樽，重百廿斤，河平三年（公元前26年）造。
↩︎ - 铭文中的“中陵”、“勮阳”、“阴城”均为西汉雁门郡所辖县名，分别位于今山西右玉、应县、朔州一带。“胡傅”为人名，学者考证其生前应为雁门郡都尉。https://baike.baidu.com/item/胡傅酒樽/15719979
↩︎ - 武聞達，中國社會科學院大學. 金樽美酒：“胡傅溫酒樽”上的民族交融華章
在溫酒樽的口沿和器蓋上刻有漢隸銘文“中陵胡傅溫酒樽，重廿四斤，河平三年造”，另一件多刻一個“二”字。https://m.chinanews.com/wap/detail/cht/zw/ft10175003.shtml ↩︎
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