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This shape disappears around the 10 century bc. during the early Western Known in pottery as early as the Dawenkou (大汶口) (4,300 – 2,500 bc.) and
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Zhou period. Longshan (龍山) (3,000 – 2,000 bc.) cultures in the Neolithic period, the first
he cast in bronze appears during the Erlitou culture period. The only vessel of
this type actually known from that period was found in tomb 1 in section II of
Gui 簋 the Erlitou site, and is dated from Erlitou period IV. It strongly resembles the
Often termed a duan in bronze inscriptions, the gui was pottery vessels of similar shape of the same period, i.e., it has a tri-partite body
principally used to hold cooked rice, millet and sorghum. The in the shape of a bulbous li, a cylindrical spout, a semi-circular handle and a
vessel is composed of a circular, bowl-like body supported on wide round opening at its top.
a ring foot and may have two, three or, more rarely, four large
semi-circular lateral handles. The same-shaped vessel, but At the beginning of the Shang dynasty, during the Erligang period, the he is
without such handles is called a yu. very thinly cast and its body is supported by three hollow legs like the li, and
it has a small opening in its upper part, and a small semi-circular handle. This
Rare during the Erligang period of the early Shang dynasty, the gui of that time primitive vessel is often considered as a hybrid type and is sometimes referred
has a bowl-shaped body with a thin lip, a ring foot and two lateral handles. as a lihe.
A wonderful example of an early Erligang gui, perhaps the earliest so far
discovered, was excavated in 1974 from tomb M1 at Lijiazui, Panlongcheng, During the Yinxu period, the vessel’s body grows rounder, the three legs and
Hebei province. pouring spout become cylindrical, but the handle remains semi-circular, and a
cover appears that is attached to the handle with a chain. Some rare examples
Still quite rare at the beginning of the Yinxu period of the are square in shape, in which case they are supported by four cylindrical legs.
Shang dynasty, the gui begins to become much more popular By the end of the Shang dynasty, the he undergoes morphological changes and
at the end of the Shang dynasty and throughout the beginning its body becomes globular.
of the early Western Zhou, and becomes one of the most
important bronze vessels used in rituals. With the Zhou dynasty the morphological changes become more
pronounced. The he’s body can be either round, or flat, or oblong,
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Towards the end of the 11 century bc., the gui begins or, most rarely, it can assume the shape of a hybrid animal.
sometimes to have a cover and its original ring foot is replaced During the Spring and Autumn period, the vessel is sometimes
by three small legs or a large, high cubical stand, sometimes circular with flat front and back sections and is supported on
larger than the vessel itself. four small, stylized-animal-shaped legs.
This ewer-type vessel disappears by the end of the Warring States period or
He 盉 the beginning of the Han dynasty.
The exact use of this ewer or kettle-like vessel in ancient
times is difficult to determine. Every scholar agrees that this
type of vessel was designed to pour liquid but the question Hu 壺
is which kind, water or fermented beverages, or a mixture of Under the classification hu can be found large vase and jar-shaped
both? According the Shuowen Jiezi, (說文解字) the ‘Analytical vessels of various forms which, despite their morphological
Dictionary of Characters’, one of China’s earliest dictionaries, differences, share a certain number of characteristics: a bulbous
compiled by the lexicologist Xu Shen (許慎) during the Han body which narrows around its shoulders, a long neck and a ring
dynasty, the he was used to mix sauces. Wang Guowei (王 foot. Sometimes the hu has a cover, lateral handles or suspended
國維) and Professor Li Xueqin ( 李學勤) class the he in the handles and a chain.
category of vessels used to mix water and fermented beverages. Maud Girard-
Geslan indicates that this vessel was used for fermented beverages during the Though the general term for such vessels is hu, inscriptions
Shang dynasty but its function changed during the Zhou dynasty, when it was variously call such vessels hu, ping, fu, fang and chung.
used to hold and pour water during ritual ablutions.
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