The 3,000-Year-Old Bronze Elephant-Shaped Zun Has Arrived in the BMC! Limited-Time “Business Trip” for 27 Days!
Source：Beijing Tongzhou Fabu 2025-06-25
The blockbuster exhibition “This is the Shang” welcomes another heavyweight artifact—the Bronze Elephant-Shaped Zun (wine container) from the collection of Hunan Museum has made its debut, offering visitors a glimpse into the exquisite craftsmanship and sacrificial culture of Shang Dynasty artisans. This exhibit will be on display until July 13.
The bronze zun takes the form of an elephant with its trunk extended forward, ending in a phoenix head, atop which a crouching tiger rests. From the neck to the legs, the surface is adorned with leiwen (thunder pattern) as the background, and further embellished with taotie (mythical beast), tiger, kui dragon, and phoenix bird motifs. The entire body exhibits a verdant green patina and was unearthed without a lid. Classified as a sacrificial zun, this category of bronze ware is exceedingly rare and hence of great value.
The Bronze Elephant-Shaped Zun, a Shang Dynasty ritual wine vessel, was unearthed in 1975 from Shixing Mountain in Liling, Hunan Province, and is now housed in the Hunan Museum. It is a realistic, zoomorphic vessel used in sacrificial ceremonies, crafted using the lost-wax casting technique.
Based on its tusk features (only male elephants possess prominent external tusks), the prototype is identified as a mature male Asian elephant, providing invaluable physical evidence for studying the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Basin during the Shang Dynasty.
Venue: Halls 1 & 2, the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing (Capital Museum of China East Branch)
Tickets: Available for purchase via the official WeChat public accounts and mini-programs of the Capital Museum of China and the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing
Guided Tour Services: Audio guide devices available for rent at the entrance of the exhibition halls
Bronze Elephant-Shaped Zun (Shang Dynasty)
Overall Height: 22.8 cm
Width: 14.4 cm
Length: 26.5 cm
Unearthed in 1975 from Shixing Mountain, Liling City
Collection of Hunan Museum (Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Appraisal Center)
The Bronze Elephant-Shaped Zun, a Shang Dynasty ritual wine vessel, was unearthed in 1975 from Shixing Mountain in Liling, Hunan Province, and is now housed in the Hunan Museum. It is a realistic, zoomorphic vessel used in sacrificial ceremonies, crafted using the lost-wax casting technique.
Based on its tusk features (only male elephants possess prominent external tusks), the prototype is identified as a mature male Asian elephant, providing invaluable physical evidence for studying the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Basin during the Shang Dynasty.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition Dates: May 19 – October 12Venue: Halls 1 & 2, the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing (Capital Museum of China East Branch)
Tickets: Available for purchase via the official WeChat public accounts and mini-programs of the Capital Museum of China and the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing
Guided Tour Services: Audio guide devices available for rent at the entrance of the exhibition halls