New museum hall at Yin Ruins to display Shang Dynasty relics

A new museum hall at the Yin Ruins, a World Heritage Site known as “the hometown of oracle bone inscriptions,” is set to open in Anyang, Central China’s Henan Province, on February 26. About 4,000 cultural relics will be displayed to showcase the long history of China’s Shang Dynasty (c.1600BC-1046BC) culture, officials from the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) announced at a press conference on Monday.

Gao Yong, mayor of Anyang, said at the press conference that more than three-quarters of the precious artifacts are on display for the first time and include bronzes, pottery, jade wares, and oracle bones.

Focused on Shang Dynasty history and culture, the museum will showcase four major thematic exhibitions and one immersive digital exhibition.

The exhibitions in the new hall are not only a systematic overview and powerful presentation of the research results of Yin Ruins archaeology and Shang civilization, but also a new starting point for the protection and utilization of the Yin Ruins in the new era, which is of great significance for linking the past and the future, according to Gao.

Yin Ruins are home to the archaeological remnants of the ancient city of Yin, the last capital of the Shang Dynasty. It was added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 2006. The oracle bone inscriptions discovered within the ruins are the oldest known Chinese script.

Yan Yalin, director of the archaeology department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said that the Yin Ruins, a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation, are the first documented capital site of the late Shang Dynasty, as confirmed by archaeological excavations and oracle bone inscriptions. Hailed as the cradle of modern Chinese archaeology, the site has seen the highest frequency and longest duration for archaeological excavations among all the ancient capitals in China.