The heaviest lantern in the history of Longleat’s Festival of Light has been unveiled at the Wiltshire estate.
Weighing in at five tonnes, the Simuwu Ding lantern brings to life at scale the rare cultural relic first discovered in 1939 in China.
The bronze ding, an ancient cooking vessel with two loop handles and three or four legs, was discovered in Anyang, Henan Province; it was so big and heavy it could not be moved after it was unearthed.
To protect it, local people reburied it and unearthed it again in 1945; it is now on display in the National Museum of Chinese History.
The lantern is based on its design features in the Shang Dynasty area of The Festival of Light, which is marking its 10th anniversary at Longleat in 2024.
Daisy Mercedes, who has coordinated this year’s event at Longleat, said: “The Dings were used in Chinese Primitive Society as cooking utensils.
“At first, they were made of pottery clay. Then, as metallurgy emerged and developed, the material was changed to bronze at the end of the Shang Dynasty about 3,000 years ago.
“By that time, dings had changed function to become sacrificial vessels and the symbol of their owners' power and wealth.
“The Simuwu Rectangle Ding reveals a high level of casting technique and artistry. It represents the highest casting achievement of the Shang Dynasty.
“According to archaeologists, the King of the Shang Dynasty had the Simuwu Rectangle Ding made to commemorate his mother.
“The bronze ding unearthed in 1939 is 110 cm long and 78cm wide, its sides are six cm thick, and the loop handles are 133cm high. The whole ding weighs 75 kilograms and is the heaviest bronzeware to survive from anywhere in the ancient world.”
The casting of this huge bronze vessel used over 1,000 kilograms of metal and needed 70 to 80 craftsmen to work on it. It is the biggest bronzeware unearthed in China and is a treasure in the world's bronzeware collection.
“To be able to replicate it, along with other treasures and cultural icons from the Shang Dynasty, is a huge achievement – we needed to use cranes to lift it into position and we are sure our guests will marvel at the intricacy of the design,” she added.
The Festival of Light invites visitors to Journey through time as the event celebrates different eras of the earth’s evolution from the age of the dinosaurs to kings and queens, from the ice age to Ancient Egypt.
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