On April 8, 1986, Zhou Zhengxi, a resident of Shuishouyingzi Village on the western bank of the Xiaolinghe River in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, unearthed a rusty bronze stick while digging out manure in a pigsty.

When this metal item was delivered to three archaeologists Yang Boda, Guo Dashun, and Sun Shoudao, they reached a conclusion: a national treasure, a rare item, dated back to 3,500 years ago.  

It was the time to the end of the Xia Dynasty and the beginning of the Shang Dynasty. This was the period of lower stratum of  the Xiajiadian culture in Liaoning.

The correct name of this cultural relic is “one-piece bronze dagger-axe with linked-bead patterns”. It is the earliest bronze dagger-axe unearthed in West Liaoning. The relic, is the most precious treasure in Jinzhou City Museum.

The archaeologists explained that the bronze dagger-axe was not used as a weapon, instead, it was a king’s scepter symbolizing identity and status. It is the first and the only bronze scepter unearthed in China.  

It represents the highest standard of bronze smelting in the North at that time: the handle and the body are cast in one piece; lozenge patterns are carved on both sides of the handle; linked-bead patterns are carved inside. Weighing 1,150 grams, it is cast with hundreds of grams of smelted bronze. At the same time, complex patterns are cast in the metal, and turquoise is inlaid on top.

From the form and material on the top to the decorative patterns on the handle, this bronze scepter shows specific style features of the Shang Culture in China’s Central Plain. Its top bends inwards to become a cloud-shaped cap, or “Mao”, and its bottom is a smooth oblate spheroid sheath, or “Zun”. These characteristics have been vividly recorded in bronze inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty.

The scepter was cast in bronze in one piece, decorated with lozenge and linked-bead patterns and inlaid with turquoise. The style and designs have never been found on bronze dagger-axes of China’s Central Plain. It is also the only one of its kind ever unearthed in the North.

The owner of the bronze scepter remains a mystery.

Experts speculate that he might have been the king of the ancient Tuhe State, who reigned in West Liaoning more than 2000 years ago.

Tuhe, the name of an ancient ethnic minority, is the forerunner of the Donghu nation. Located in the Dalinghe and Xiaolinghe River basins, the Tuhe State was founded during the Spring and Autumn Period and was adjacent to the Yan State on the southwest.

During this period, the Tuhe State was crushingly defeated by the allied forces of the Qi and Yan states. Its decline and fall occurred after General Qinkai repelled the Donghu nation.

The bronze scepter was unearthed on the tableland of the Xiaolinghe River. Within 20,000 square meters, relics of ancient pottery, stoneware and ashes have been frequently found. The site might well be a strategic area for the ancient Tuhe State.

The bronze scepter indicates that the magnificent Bronze Age of ancient Liaoning started simultaneously with that of China’s Central Plain.