Comfortable in both armour and gown, Fu Hao was described as being as hard as bronze and as soft as jade. From her funeral goods, we can see both sides of this remarkable lady general.
National Treasure 国宝
Ivory Cup inlaid with Turquoise, from the Tomb of Fu Hao
嵌綠松石象牙杯
Ivory | Shang Dynasty (ca. 1600BC-1046BC) | H. 30.5cm, D. 10.5-11.3cm | Excavated from Fuhao Tomb, Ruins of Yin, Anyang, Henan | Chinese Archeological Museum collection. 象牙｜商（约公元前1600～公元前1046年）｜河南安阳殷墟妇好墓出土 ｜中国考古博物馆藏
The Ivory Cup inlaid with Turquoise is a stunning Shang Dynasty artefact (c. 1200 BCE) found in the intact tomb of Lady Fu Hao in Anyang, China, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship with intricate turquoise chips set in carved ivory, featuring a handle shaped like a bird or dragon (Kui 夔), highlighting the wealth and artistry of the era, and revealing the importance of this powerful warrior queen.1
Combing various techniques such as three-dimensional carving, incision, relief and inlay, it is one of the two identical cups unearthed in 1976 from the tomb of female general Fu Hao in the Yinxu site in Anyang, Henan province, that showcase the ingenious artistic creativity and ivory carving crafts of the Shang Dynasty. One of the cups is housed in the National Museum of China and the other in the Chinese Archeological Museum.2
Ivory was a luxury item there. An elephant skeleton was found at Anyang, as the climate of China was warmer 3000 years ago, then elephants probably lived much further to the north than they do now.3
The Shang dynasty (ca. 1600-1050 B.C.) had not only bronze technology, but also writing, walled cities, and a complex state structure. Shang tombs, thousands of which have been excavated, provide rich evidence of Shang material culture and ritual practices.
Fu Hao 妇好 was one of the sixty-four consorts of King Wu Ding 武丁, the twelfth ruler of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1066 BC) in ancient China. Her tomb, excavated in 1976, is the only royal tomb that has been discovered intact and the only Anyang burial whose occupant can be confidently identified. More than a hundred bronzes bear the name of Fu Hao.4 Dated around 1250 BC, it is a tomb of modest size located outside the main royal cemetery.
“Fu Hao” Bronze Yue Ceremonial Axe “妇好”铜钺
Bronze | Shang Dynasty (ca. 1600BC-1046BC) | Excavated from Fuhao Tomb, Ruins of Yin, Anyang, Henan | China Archaeological Museum collection. 铜器｜商（約公元前1600～公元前1046年）｜河南安阳殷墟妇好墓出土｜中国考古博物馆藏
Fu Hao is known to modern scholars mainly from inscriptions on Shang dynasty oracle bone artefacts unearthed at Yinxu. From these inscriptions and from the presence of weapons in her tomb, it can be determined that Fu Hao was a general in charge of several military campaigns for the Shang dynasty.
The tomb also reveals aspects of Shang burial practices, as it contained human skeletons, suggesting the practice of human sacrifice, a ritual common in various ancient cultures. This site not only highlights the artistry and cultural practices of the Shang Dynasty but also offers insights into the social structure of ancient China. Fu Hao’s Tomb stands as a remarkable testament to the historical and cultural heritage of the era.
Photos taken at China Archaeological Museum (formerly Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) in Beijing Oct 2024, unless otherwise indicated.
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 :
- 米黄色。杯身如觚，圆口薄唇，中腰微束，底较小。通体雕刻繁缛精细的花纹，有兽面纹、夔纹等，并镶绿松石。鋬为夔形头向上，尾下垂，饰鸟纹，镶绿松石。鋬靠杯身的一面，有上下对称的小圆榫，插入杯身。Museum information card, accessed by 19 Dec 2025 ↩︎
- Ivory cup a masterpiece of carving craft from 3,000 years ago, Updated: Oct 30, 2023, https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202310/30/WS653f3819498ed2d7b7e9ebf8/ivory-cup-a-masterpiece-of-carving-craft-from-3-000-years-ago.html, accessed 19 Dec 2025 ↩︎
- Zhaodong Feng, L.G. Thompson, Tandong Yao, et al, Temporal and spatial variations of climate in China during the last 10 000 years, Volume 3, Issue 2
Archaeological, geological, historical, tree-ring and instrumental data indicate that the last 10 000 years were characterized in China by climatic variations at various temporal and spatial scales. The period from 10 000 to 9000 BP was one of increasing temperature. The Holocene ‘Optimal Period’ occurred approximately between 9000 and 3000 BP, within which there were two major cool episodes around 7300 amd 5700 BP and one minor cool episode around 4500 BP. During the cool period from 3000 BP to AD 1900 (Neoglaciation) three warm episodes occurred about 2700-2000, 1400-1000 and 800-700 BP. The last millennium was characterized by warming in the first half and cooling in the second half. During the most recent 500 years (‘Little Ice Age’), relatively warm episodes occurred about AD 1520-1650, 1720-1840, and 1890-1945. Over the long term, climate appears to have changed synchronously from the east to the west and from the south to the north; but it has changed asynchronously over the shorter term. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/095968369300300210, accessed 19 Dec 2025 ↩︎ - Altogether Fu Hao’s tomb contained:
– 468 bronze objects including 130 weapons, 23 bells, 27 knives, 4 mirrors, and 4 tigers or tiger heads
– 755 jade objects
– 63 stone objects
– 5 ivory objects
– 564 bone objects including nearly 500 bone hairpins and over 20 bone arrowheads
– 11 pottery objects
– 6,900 pieces of cowry shell
https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2fuhmain.htm, accessed 19 Dec 2025 ↩︎
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