Mao Gong Ding (Bronze Vessel)

The Mao Gong Ding is a bronze ritual vessel from the late Western Zhou dynasty (around 800 BCE), famous for bearing the longest bronze inscription known from ancient China. The 500-character inscription records a royal ceremony where the Duke of Mao received his charge to govern, documenting political and ceremonial practices from nearly 3,000 years ago.

The vessel's tripod form (ding) was used for cooking sacrificial offerings, with inscriptions recording dedications to ancestors. The Mao Gong Ding inscription survived because bronze vessels were buried with their owners for use in the afterlife. Modern scholars use such inscriptions as primary sources for understanding early Chinese history, as bamboo and silk documents from this period have not survived.

The vessel is a supreme treasure of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.