安阳殷墟出土了大量都城建筑遗址和以甲骨文、青铜器为代表的丰富的文化遗存，吸引了很多游客来参观殷墟的文物。下面是带来的安阳殷墟英文导游词，欢迎查看。
In 1899, in Xiao Tun Village of Anyang City, Henan Province, villagers found many tortoise(龟) shells and bones carved with letters and symbols, which unveiled(显露) to the world Yin Xu, an ancient city with a long history and splendid culture. Since then this place has become of great interest to worldwide archeologists, because those inscriptions have proved to be the earliest written characters of human beings, the Oracles.
About 3,300 years ago, one emperor of the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC) moved his capital city to Yin, which is today’s Anyang city, and since then Yin has been the capital city for more than 250 years. Today Yin Xu has proved to be the earliest remains of an ancient capital city in written record. Covering a grand area of 24 square kilometers (more than 9 square miles), Yin Xu had a palaces district, civil residences district, tombs district and workshops district, divided into two parts by the Heng river in the city. This rational layout clearly shows people a powerful country and a well-equipped ancient city.
The large-scale excavation in Yin Xu has been continued since the last century. Besides the 150, 000 pieces of oracles, abundant bronze ware has been excavated, and among them, Simuwu Ding, a 4-legged bronze cooking vessel(器皿) is the biggest and heaviest bronze ware ever found worldwide. Apart from oracles and bronze ware, people have also excavated much pottery ware and jade. The excavation is still in progress and great discoveries come forth from time to time. Like a famous archeologist has said, in Yin Xu there are more treasures to be found.
Because of its great value in not only the historical relics of Chinese culture but also the human civilization of the whole world, Yin Xu topped the 100 Greatest Archeological Discoveries of China in the last century and it was listed in the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Yin Xu is revealing its beauty to the world.
Museum on Yin Ruins
OK, everybody. Soon we’ll get to the Museum on Yin Ruins, the best museum for the study of the Yin Shang Culture. Now please listen to me and I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a brief introduction on it.
As you know, China is one of the earliest countries to discover characters. As early as 4,000 years ago, people used bones or tortoise shells to record events of their social life. It is the earliest written form of language in the world. Today we call them the oracle bone inscriptions, which were first discovered in the Yin Ruins.
Speak of the Yin Ruins, it is at Xiaotun Village of Anyang City. In ancient times, Xiaotun was called Yin and it was the capital of the Shang Dynasty. So the period was also called Yin Shang. After the Yin had been overthrown, the city declined and the remains of it was later called the Yin Ruins.
The Yin Ruins is famous for three things,i.e.the oracle inscriptions, the bronze wares and the ancient capital of the Shang Dynasty.
Since the founding of new China, the Yin Ruins had been listed as the first group of cultural relics under national protection. In order to preserve its culture, the government built “Garden of the Yin Ruins” on the site. Today the garden is divided into several sections with ancient objects on display.
Next ,let’s come to the main hall where the oracle inscriptions are exhibited. I’ll talk something more about the oracle bone inscriptions. The oracle bone inscriptions were first discovered during the years of Emperor Guang Xu, in the Qing Dynasty. Then 15 important archaeological excavations were carried out within 10 years, and more than 16,000 pieces of bones and shells were found. But in the Shang Dynasty, they were used as divinations(预言), when people were very superstitious. The inscriptions cover a wide range of fields, such as sacrifice, wars, state affairs, weather, hunting, etc. Today, they provide important information for the study of the Shang Dynasty. And the study of the oracle bone inscriptions has become a new subject and is getting more popular among people.
Apart from the oracle bone inscriptions, bronze wares are another important part of the cultural relics discovered from the Ruins, which show that the technology of bronze casting reached its peak in the Shang Dynasty. The bronze wares include vessels, weapons,chariots and so on. Of all the unearthed wares, “Simuwu Ding” is the largest bronze ware in the world. It is elegant in appearance and intricately carved in patterns, showing the peak of bronze casting technology in the Shang Dynasty.
Finally we come to the side of the imperial palaces and tombs. The site of the imperial palaces lies on the north of the Xiaotun village, to the south bank of Henghe river. In 1976 near the site the the imperial palaces archaeologists found the tomb of the first woman general in Chinese history.
Tomb of Fu Hao.FuHao was Emperor Wu Ding’s wife,both intelligent and courageous. She had bravely led the Yin army fighting in many wars and made great contributions to the protecting of the country. After her death, Wu Ding built a large tomb near the palace to honor her merits. Buried together with her were many slaves and war prisoners as well as 1,928 sacrificial objects. Tomb of Fu Hao is the only well-preserved tomb unearthed so far in the Yin Rains. The large numbers of sacrificial objects are valuable cultural relics in the treasure house of Chinese art.
Moreover, there are some other precious ancient articles displayed in the museum, people who are interested in the Yin Shang Culture will gain a lot from our visiting.
Well, OK. So much for the introduction. Here we are, the Yin Ruins. Please get ready your stuff and then dismount the bus. We’ll begin our terrific visiting. I’m sure you’ll enjoy a splendid experience here. Have a good time. Thank you .
Located at the Xiaotun Village, Anyang city, Henan Province, the ruins of the capital city of the late Shang Dynasty are preserved in the Yin Ruins Museum where inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells were discovered in 1899. It is also the birthplace of Chinese archeology, one of the 100 patriotic education centers of China, one of the superior national scenery areas as well as one of the National Key Historic Relic Sites.
The world famous Yin Ruins Palace is of great importance in the history of human civilization. Large amount of bones and tortoise shells with inscriptions, bronze wares, jade and stone wares and other rare cultural relics were found on the ruins of more than 50 majestic palaces here. According to archeologists, “we are excavating a slavery society”. The Yin (Shang) Culture of “three key factors of cities, characters and bronze wares” is “a glorious ancient Chinese civilization”.
The Yin Ruins Museum, like an art palace of ancient China culture, inspires and refines our sentiment on Chinese ancient civilization.
Let's first know something about the site of the Palace of Yin Ruins. The majestic Palace of Yin Ruins, one of the most famous classic cities of ancient civilizations of the world, falls into three catalogues: palaces, temples and altars. Large amount of culture relics have been found here, including the ruins of the cast brass, the bones and tortoise shells with inscriptions, bronze wares, jade and stone wares and others, among which are the top ones of China, or even the world. They are the manifestation of the unusual power of creation, wisdom and techniques of ancient Chinese. According to archeologists, “we are excavating a slavery society”. The Yin (Shang) Culture of “three key factors of cities, characters and bronze wares” is “a glorious ancient Chinese civilization”. Guo Moruo, a famous Chinese historian, once wrote poems to show his admiration and commented that the Yin Ruins are the starting point of Chinese civilization on the central plain and touring here is more enlightening than reading ancient books.
Now, we have come to the site of the Chariot Pits of Yin Ruins. Chariot Pits of Yin Ruins are the earliest chariots and road remains of ancient China. Animal-drawn carts were once the most important means of transport in ancient China, a vast land. Vehicles of the Yin (Shang) Dynasty, having been found several times, are generally of the same structure, showing a long interval between the Yin Dynasty and the time when they were invented. Vehicles are said to have been invented in the Xia Dynasty according to ancient documents. However, no such vehicles have been found yet. The Chariot Pits found on Yin Ruins are the earliest animal-driven carts in Chinese archeology, an evidence of China’s being one of the earliest ancient civilizations inventing and using carts.
The six Chariot Pits and road remains of Yin Ruins exhibited in the Museum were excavated by the Archeology Research Institute of China Social Science Academy in Anyang. These chariot pits are almost intact, being of great value in academic study and exhibition. In each pit there buried a chariot. Another two horses were buried in each of the five pits. In each of the four pits is one person immolated. Based on statistics, most of the immolated people are male adults, except for one male youth. Studies show that chariots of the Yin Dynasty were good-looking, solid, light, fast, balanced and comfortable. Chariot Pits of Yin Ruins are the most vivid history textbooks on the far ancient civilization of animal-driven carts as well as the cruel institution of burying the living with the dead in the slavery society.
Next, let's come to the place where the Oracle Bone Inscriptions are exhibited. Oracle bone inscriptions, the origin of Chinese characters and the earliest mature Chinese characters, were records of auguries in the Yin Dynasty, known as the earliest “archive” in ancient China. The 4,500 single Chinese characters recorded on 150,000 bones and tortoise shells found reveal social practices involving politics, military affairs, cultures, customs as well as science and techniques including astronomy, calendar, medicine and others. Judging from the 1500 single Chinese characters decoded, oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin Dynasty have learned to create characters by “pictograph, associative compounds, echoism, self-explanation, mutual explanation and phonetic loan”, manifesting the unique charm of Chinese characters.
Apart from the oracle inscription, bronze wares are another important part of the cultural relics unearthed from the ruins. China has a long history of manufacturing artistic bronze wares of unique artistic style and national characteristics. The various bronze wares including sacrificial vessels, musical instruments, weapons, tools, applicants, decorations and artistic works embody the climax of the bronze era in China presented by sacrificial vessels and weapons, playing an important role in Chinese ancient culture. Bronze wares of Yin Ruins, with their baroque, mysterious styles, beautiful decoration lines, abstracted animal designs, refined geometry patterns and delicate embossments, are manifestations of the religious and aesthetic views of Yin people in an exaggerative and mysterious style, being cultured with primitive roughness and artistic attractions. The glorious achievements of bronze ware casting of Yin Ruins have made it one of the centers of bronze civilization in the world.
Simuwu Quadripod unearthed in the mausoleum area of the Yin Ruins, the largest and the most famous bronze sacrificial vessel in the world, is 875 kg in weight, 133 cm in height with an opening as long as 79.2 cm. Standing on the open plaza in front of the great hall is an enlarged copy of the original one for the convenience of touring and appreciation, with the original one cherished in the Museum of Chinese History. With its unusual air of majesty, together with its delicate decorative patterns, it is considered a treasure in the bronze culture of China as well as a glorious pearl shining on the peak of the world art. The superior cast techniques and scientific choice ingredients have even won the admiration of modern metallurgy experts. To cast such a significant vessel carrying such a great weight, advanced techniques and experiences in organization of laborers are necessary. As many scholars have pointed out, this huge bronze quadripod reflects the advanced slavery system of the Yin (Shang) Dynasty and the unusual power of creation of the people.
Finally, we come to the Fuhao Tomb. Fuhao was the Emperof Wu Ding's wife, also the first Woman general in Chinese history. The Fuhao Tomb excavated in 1976 ranked high among the top ten achievements in the archeology of that year. Lying on the southwest of the Foundation Ruins C, Fuhao Tomb is one of the most important archeology discoveries in the temple and palace areas of Yin Ruins since 1928. It is also the only discovered and well-reserved tomb of Shang royal members since the science excavation of Yin Ruins. As to the size, it is 5.6 meters long from north to south, 4 meters wide from east to west and 7.5 meters deep. On the tomb was built an ancestral temple described as “Muxinzong” by oracle inscriptions on shells and bones. Muxinzong is a memorial temple built by king Wuding to offer sacrifices after Fuhao’s death. The establishment now we see is the scientific restore of the remains of Muxinzong.
The Yin Dynasty ruins, also name the Yin empty, discussing dynasty later period capital city ruins. Mr. Guo Moruo in "Visits the Anyang Yin Dynasty ruins" in a poem acclaims: “the area south of Yellow River culture Yin initiates, view this victory in reads the ancient book”. Yin Dynasty ruins located at the Henan Province Anyang west northern suburbs Huanhe both banks, area approximately 24 square kilometers. According to the literature record, moves the capital from the plate age in this (Emperor Xin) perishes the country to the King Zhou, the entire Shang Dynasty later period take this as, altogether passes through 8 generations of 12 kings, 254 years. The age approximately worked as B.C. 14 century's ends before the 11th century.
Is located shore in the Henan Anyang Huanshui River Yin Dynasty ruins is the well-known both in China and abroad Shang Dynasty later period the kings ruins, is also has the literature record and the inscription on animal bones and tortoise shells verification and after the excavation discovery confirmation at present may the determination of age Chinese earliest capital city. The people understood truly this capital city is starts 100 years ago. in 1899 discovered the inscription on animal bones and tortoise shells, the bright group star, attracted likely people's vision on Yin Dynasty ruins this land, in 1928 started Yin Dynasty ruins archaeology, also has turned on this Underground museum front door. For dozens of years, the archaeology worker with theirs both hands, whisks off the dust-laden soil, excavates Yin Dai the palace, Wang Ling, the inscription on animal bones and tortoise shells, the bronzeware and so on important heritage attraction, has unfolded a richly colorful historical picture for us.
Yin Dai pursued commerce to perish Tang Jianguo to business King Zhou, has experienced 31 kings, more than 400 years history. After the Yin Dynasty ruins are the history book once recorded the plate age which move the capital, to the King Zhou body dead country extinguishes the period business. The Yin Dynasty ruins are the first batch of state-level Cultural relic preservation organ which our country announces, its key protectorate is area Xiaotun Village's palace ancestral temple locus, is Wang Du the heart, Yin Wang lives the daily life and the processing government affairs' place; North shore north Huanhe's military officer village, is Yin Daiwang the mausoleum, after the plate age moves the Yin later king died, buries in this, here is a broad in scale the murder ancestor worship sacrificial offering field.
for 70 years, the archaeology worker has altogether discovered palace ancestral temple architectural complex ruins more than 50, Wang Lingda in the Yin Dynasty ruins grave 12, aristocrat common people grave several thousand, sacrificial offering pit 1000, the city trench more than 1700 meters, Handicraft workshop 5, the chariot pit more than 30 places, the excavation unearthed animal bones and tortoise shells 150,000 pieces with large quantities of bronzewares, the jade carving, the earthenware, the bone implement and so on.
Recently, Anyang just held the inscription on animal bones and tortoise shells to discover that the 100th anniversary seminar, under attending Chinese and foreign expert's suggestion in abundance, Anyang decided reports the Yin Dynasty ruins for the world culture inheritance. “the tiger bites the human” from the Yin Dynasty ruins unearthed carved stone, such image, also has many in the Yin Dynasty ruins cultural relic, it has reflected the Shang Dynasty humanity in the nature the difficult survival, the crisis-ridden scene. Anyang then, the forest was densely covered, the lion tiger in groups, might tame including the elephant. This carved stone's original part, has been plundered by the Japanese. the Yin Dynasty ruins' big grave is buried along with the dead, often has the chariot pit. Yin Dai the vehicle has the dual purpose; first, uses in the war; second, to go on a journey. The Yin Dynasty ruins discovery's carapace, according to the expert concluded that the big prolificacy in the South China Sea, thought is from the south high quality goods, this explained that before 3000 transportations already quite developed, carriages and horses' application also is very naturally widespread.