He zun, Bronze zun ritual vessel in Baoji, China

The He zun is a bronze ritual vessel housed at the Baoji Bronzeware Museum in Shaanxi Province, standing approximately 39 centimeters tall with a diameter around 29 centimeters. Its interior surface bears 122 Chinese characters arranged in 12 rows that document significant information about early Zhou Dynasty rule and administration.

The He zun was cast in the fifth year of King Cheng of Zhou, the earliest Western Zhou bronze with a clear date. Its 122-character inscription records the king's exhortation at Chengzhou and the words 'dwell in this central region', the first known use of Zhongguo. In 1963 a Chen family dug it from a cliff at Jia Village, Baoji, and in 1965 sold it as scrap for 30 yuan before museum staff rescued it.

The inscriptions on this vessel contain the earliest written reference to 'Middle Kingdom' and show how early Zhou rulers documented their power and authority.

The vessel can be viewed at the Baoji Bronzeware Museum in Shaanxi Province, where it remains on permanent display for close examination. Visitors should plan to spend time reading the displayed information to fully understand the historical content of the inscriptions.

In 1976, when the vessel was sent to an exhibition in the United States, the US side requested it and offered a protection coverage of 30 million US dollars. The vessel is one of only 64 artifacts that can never leave Chinese soil. Its inscription also contains the earliest known occurrence of the character de (德, "virtue").