Why was "Si Mu Wu Ding" renamed "Step Mu Wu Ding" many years later?

Stepmother Wuding (formerly known as Simuwuding). In March 1939, Wu Peiwen, a villager in Wuguan Village, Anyang, Henan Province, and his family discovered the treasure in the wild. More than 40 villagers were summoned and they dug for three consecutive nights (to prevent the Japanese from discovering it, the construction started at night) before they dug up this rusty behemoth from 13 meters underground.

Soon after hearing the news, the Japanese came to the village many times in an attempt to steal the tripod. In order to protect the safety of Dading, Wu Peiwen fought wits and courage with the Japanese many times. After failing, the Japanese sent people to follow Wu Peiwen. In desperation, he finally entrusted the secret of Dading to the villagers and fled the village for refuge. In order to protect Wu Ding, his stepmother, Wu Peiwen and other villagers moved the burial place three times in the Wu family compound, and finally buried it in the east room of the Wu family compound to prevent it from being plundered by the Japanese invaders. Until the victory of the war.

The Houmuwu Ding is the largest and heaviest bronze ritual vessel unearthed in the world so far, and is known as the "treasure of the country". It is now a national first-class cultural relic and is included in the list of cultural relics prohibited from overseas (border) exhibition. The tripod weighs 832.84kg, is 133cm high, has a mouth length of 110cm, a width of 78cm and a foot height of 46cm. Stepmother Wu Ding - The body of the tripod is cast with fine coiled dragon patterns and Taotie patterns. The workmanship is very fine and the texture is clear. There are two fish shapes on the ears of the tripod. There are cicada patterns cast on the four legs. The overall appearance is majestic, heavy and elegant, making people feel awe-inspiring. The inner wall of the tripod is engraved with the inscription "Stepmother Wu". Through research on related bronzes and ancient texts, archaeologists have concluded that the Houmuwu Ding was made by the two sons of King Wuding of the Shang Dynasty to worship their mother Wuhu ("Muwu" is the temple name of the concubine Wuhu of the Shang King Wuding). ). The excavation of the Houmuwu Ding is of great significance to archaeology and is a representative work of bronzes from the Yin Dynasty in China. The casting process is very complex, which symbolizes the superb bronze casting technology and Chinese cultural connotation of the Shang Dynasty.

At first, the modern historian Mr. Guo Moruo believed that "Si Mu Wu" meant "sacrifice to mother Wu", so he named it Simu Wu Ding. Another scholar, Luo Zhenyu, also said: "Si is the word ancestral hall." It means sacrifice. Therefore, Simu Wuding has been used ever since. But at the same time, many archaeologists and history enthusiasts have objections to this name. (In March 2011, the new National Museum of China opened, and the Houmu Wu Ding was officially moved from the Museum of Chinese History to the museum, and the sign in front of the Shi Ding appeared. What is shown is "Stepmother Wuding". After the CCTV broadcast, it immediately caused an uproar in society. The dispute between "Si" and "Queen" expanded from the academic circle to the topic of social debate. The tripod was unearthed from the Yin Ruins in the Museum of Chinese Characters and was named "Si Muwu Ding"), so there has been constant controversy. Many archaeologists and history enthusiasts have suggested that the word "Si" should be interpreted as the word "Hou" because in ancient Chinese characters, Si and Hou are the same character. The word "hou" means "great and respected", which expresses the same meaning as the "hou" in the idiom "Emperor Tianhou Tu". It was changed to "Stepmother Wu", which means: this tripod is dedicated to the beloved mother Wu. This explanation refutes the previous understanding of "Si" as "sacrifice". Most experts believe that the naming of "Hou Mu Wu" is better than "Si Mu Wu". So later the textbook changed Simu Wuding to Houmu Wuding.

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