Shangqiu was the capital of the Shang dynasty which flourished at the same period as Bronze Age Britain (1600BC – 1040BC)

Rich in ancient history dating back to prehistoric times the area boasts several important archaeological sites where pottery shards and bones have been discovered.

Standing proud in the city centre is this elaborately decorated structure representing a three-legged drinking vessel. The earliest examples of such cups have been discovered in this region. Prehistoric peoples found that the tripod gave the best stability on most surfaces. They have two ears at the top and a single handle. So the cup represents 1-2-3. On ancient texts it says that 1 gives birth to two. Two gives birth to three and three gives birth to everything so these drinking cups contain a deep philosophy.

The very earliest 3 legged vessel is this one

Some cups are decorated with animal faces to show how closely we live with the animal world.

Many examples of early Chinese script have been found, some carved on animal bones. This script is more fluid than modern characters and you can see more clearly how the pictographs formed.

The highlight of the museum was this ancient jade burial suit.

Each plate is made from jade which was extremely expensive so this suit was for an Emperor the work that has gone into its construction is phenomenal and each section is stitched together over the body. It does have the look of an early Cyberman!