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67-627: The city of Ye by the Zhang River was the seat of the Wei Commandery and an important regional center in the Han dynasty . When the dynasty fractured into warlord states, the city served as the headquarters of Yuan Shao . After Yuan Shao's death, rival warlord Cao Cao took control of the city in the Battle of Ye in 204 and made the city his chief residence. As the years of war had destroyed

134-673: A Taoist monastery named Dongxiao Monastery (洞霄觀) was built on the Metal Tiger's. The Ice Well Terrace was noted to have been washed by the Zhang River, causing one corner to erode away. Today, after centuries of flooding by the Zhang River, only the Metal Tiger Terrace remained visible, while the Bronze Bird Terrace could only be identified through archaeology. The extant Metal Tiger Terrace (now known as

201-477: A Pretender to the Throne?" (汝奴仆下才，何得妄称帝) However Ran Min, an ethnic Han , accused Murong Jun of being "an over-ambitious barbarian Pretender" in turn. (尔曹夷狄禽兽之类犹称帝) Enraged, Murong had Ran Min whipped 300 times, exiled and later beheaded; although he soon became apprehensive about the possibilities of Ran's vengeful spirit causing a draught, and eventually Ran was buried with honours. Murong Jun next marched against

268-508: A major attack against Later Zhao's border region. In spring 350, Murong Jun launched the attack, and they quickly captured the important city of Jicheng (薊城, in modern Beijing ). Murong Jun then moved the capital from Longcheng (龍城, in modern Jinzhou , Liaoning ) to Jicheng. In short order, the entire Youzhou (幽州, modern Beijing, Tianjin , and northern Hebei ) became Former Yan possession. He then continued to march south, but temporarily halted his advances after nearly being defeated by

335-467: A major battle. Murong Ke, in command of Murong Jun's primary forces, tricked Ran Min's infantry into entering the plains, then dealt him a major defeat with attacks by cavalry forces. During the heat of the battle, Ran Min's horse was killed; he fell and the Murong troops captured him. When Ran was taken to Murong Jun, the latter famously rebuked him: "How could a lowly knave like you have the audacity to be

402-551: A park of 20 square kilometers, costing 75.62 million yuan . The park includes a recreation of the Three Terraces, the original foundations of the Golden Phoenix Terrace, a museum showing various unearthed artifacts, and locales commemorating Cao Cao and Jian'an poetry . The poetic tradition of the Bronze Bird Terrace began soon after its completion, when Cao Cao brought his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi to

469-635: A popular tradition took hold viewing Cao Cao as a lustful tyrant and his Bronze Bird Terrace a pleasure palace. The huaben Sanguozhi Pinghua ("Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language") elaborates on the connection Du Mu made between Cao Cao and the Qiao sisters : In the prelude to the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang goads Zhou Yu into war against Cao Cao by stating that Cao Cao

536-501: A single narrative. In chapter 34 of the novel, a glowing bronze bird was dug out of the ground after Cao Cao's conquest of north China, which Cao Cao's advisor Xun You interprets as an auspicious portent harking back to the ancient sage kings. Pleased by the sign, Cao Cao charges Cao Zhi with the construction of the Bronze Bird Terrace in Ye, flanked by two shorter ones called Jade Dragon and Gold Phoenix. In chapter 44, Cao Zhi's poem Ascending

603-413: A trope of Six Dynasties poetry known as the "Bronze Bird Performers" (銅雀妓), and the terrace itself was transformed from a symbol of splendour and glory to one of loss and longing. In Tang poetry , the now-ruined Bronze Bird Terrace joins historical imperial harems in the tradition of "palace resentment poems" (宮怨詩), where the women within were depicted as abandoned and wasting away their youths. Cao Cao,

670-528: Is Shi Hu's given name. Shi Hu died in 349, after which his sons killed one another for the throne only to be exterminated by Ran Min , whose state of Ran Wei lasted two years in Ye before being conquered by Murong Jun of the Former Yan in 352. Murong Jun moved his capital to Ye in 357, upon which he ordered the repair of its palaces and the Bronze Bird Terrace. Former Yan fell to Former Qin in 370, and Ye only became capital again under Eastern Wei and then

737-586: Is specifically campaigning throughout China in search of beautiful women to fill his Bronze Bird Terrace, and if Zhou Yu fails to act, his own wife—the younger of the Qiao sisters—would be made captive there. Also of note is that the Bronze Bird Terrace was described to be in Chang'an instead of Ye in this story. The Ming dynasty novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms attributed to 14th century writer Luo Guanzhong blends historical, literary, and popular traditions into

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804-454: Is the grand beauty of an imperial city, And the rolling vapors lie floating beneath. He will rejoice in the multitude of scholars that assemble, Answering to the felicitous dream of King Wen . As a result, an enraged Zhou Yu vows to go to war with Cao Cao and defeats him in the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208. Historically, the battle predates the terrace by two years, and Cao Zhi's poem was written two years after Zhou Yu's death. Nonetheless,

871-640: The Bronze Bird Terrace in 210 that became much-celebrated in Chinese poetry . Cao Cao's impact on Ye was so extensive that he alone, more than any ruler of the city before and after, is associated with the city of Ye in the Chinese cultural memory . Ironically, after Cao Cao's grandson Cao Huan was forced to abdicate to Sima Yan in February 266, Cao Huan was relocated to Ye where he lived for

938-731: The Former Yan dynasty of China. He initially held the Eastern Jin -created title of Prince of Yan, but later claimed the title of emperor in 353. During his reign, the state expanded from possessing merely modern-day Liaoning and parts of Hebei to nearly all of the territory north of the Yellow River and some substantial holdings south of the Yellow River. The Book of Jin described Murong Jun as being approximately two metres tall and having an imposing look. Murong Jun

1005-593: The Northern Zhou in 577, Northern Qi quickly disintegrated within a month, with large scale defections of court and military personnel. The incoming Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou issued the "Edict to Destroy Gardens and Terraces of the State of Qi" (毀撤齊國園臺詔) on 2 March 577 in which he denounced the wasteful extravagance of the Qi, proclaimed a return to restraint and frugality, and ordered the destruction of Ye's gardens and

1072-455: The Song dynasty that locals began to make fake Bronze Bird Terrace tiles from a mold and bury them into the ground before making them into inkstones to sell for profit. One source claims that tiles from the Bronze Bird Terrace were made with clay filtered by fine linen then mixed with walnut oil , and inkstone made from these tiles "could hold water for days without drying up." Others describe that

1139-549: The Sui dynasty in 581 and go on to reunify China in 589, ending the Period of Disunity that started since the end of the Han dynasty in 220. Despite the destruction of Ye and the terrace buildings, the foundations of the Three Terraces survived into the Song and Yuan periods. A Buddhist temple named Yongning Temple (永寧寺) was erected on the foundations of the Bronze Bird Terrace, while

1206-620: The collapse of Han rule , Ye served as the military headquarters of the warlords Yuan Shao and Cao Cao . Under the latter's rule, Ye transformed into a political and economic center of China during the Three Kingdoms period , and during the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern dynasties , it served as the capital for the Later Zhao , Ran Wei , Former Yan , Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties. In 204, Cao Cao wrestled

1273-446: The 490s, Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei moved his capital from Pingcheng (平城, in modern Datong, Shanxi) to Luoyang. This move was not welcomed by all. Antagonism grew between Xiaowen and his sinicized court and those who preferred to cling to the traditional Tuoba tribal ways, and it only increased with further changes calling for the abandonment of Tuoba dress and names. Eventually, under the leadership of Gao Huan (a Chinese general who

1340-518: The Bronze Bird Terrace and the Metal Tiger Terrace at 122 m north to south and 70 m east to west. Atop the terraces were pavilions of more than a hundred rooms each: According to the Wen Xuan , the Bronze Bird had 101 rooms, Metal Tiger had 109, and Ice Well had 145. The terraces were linked to each other and the palace by raised walkways , and had ample street-level access connecting them with

1407-586: The Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties (534–577 CE). A community of merchant Sogdians resided in Northern Qi era Ye. Murong Jun Murong Jun ( Chinese : 慕容儁 ; 319 – 23 February 360 ), Xianbei name Helaiba (賀賴跋), courtesy name Xuanying (宣英), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Jingzhao of Former Yan (前燕景昭帝), was the second and penultimate ruler of

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1474-566: The Later Zhao became emperor in 334 through a coup against his cousin Shi Hong , and made Ye his capital next year. Known for his extravagance and indulgence, Shi Hong utilized up to 400,000 workers on construction projects in his new capital city along with Chang'an and Luoyang. The Three Terraces of Ye, which had fallen into disrepair up to this point, were transformed by these constructions to be "more adorned and embellished than they were at

1541-557: The Later Zhao general Lubo Zao (鹿勃早). Murong Jun resumed his campaign in winter 350, as Ran Min, who had by now established the new state of Ran Wei, was battling Later Zhao's remnants under Shi Zhi . He quickly captured a number of commanderies in Ji Province (冀州, modern central Hebei ), approaching Shi Zhi's provisional capital Xiangguo (襄國, in modern Xintai , Hebei ). Shi Zhi, under attack by Ran Min, sought Murong Jun's assistance in early 351, offering to surrender to Murong Jun

1608-585: The Metal Phoenix), mistakenly identified by the locals as the more famous Bronze Bird Terrace, is only 12 meters tall. The ruins of Ye, of which the Three Terraces is a part, were made a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1988. The site of the Three Terraces, now administratively in Santai village (三台村; "Three Terrace Village") of Linzhang County , was made into

1675-404: The Northern Qi. In 558, the old Three Terraces were renovated under the Northern Qi, which had mobilized 300,000 three hundred thousand workmen to make them "higher and grander" than ever before. The terraces were renamed again at this time, with Bronze Bird being renamed as Golden Phoenix (金鳳), Metal Tiger as Sagely Response (聖應), and Ice Well as Magnificent Light (崇光). Triggered by an invasion by

1742-686: The Ran Wei capital Ye (in modern Handan , Hebei ). Ran Wei's crown prince Ran Zhi , Empress Dong , and key officials sought assistance from Jin. At this time Murong Jun was still technically a Jin vassal, but clearly was not going to continue to submit to Jin. Even with Jin assistance, however, Ye's defenses were soon breached, and Former Yan forces captured Ran Zhi and Empress Dong, ending Ran Wei. Murong Jun created both Ran Zhi and Empress Dong honorable titles (Marquess of Haibin for Ran Zhi, Lady of Fengxi for Empress Dong) and apparently treated them with kindness, claiming that Empress Dong had surrendered

1809-556: The Terrace is woven into the narrative where Zhuge Liang goads Zhou Yu—an altered version of the poem with added verses is recited (under line 10 above), "proving" Cao Cao's lecherous intentions: 立雙臺於左右兮 有玉龍與金鳳 攬二喬於東南兮 樂朝夕之與共 俯皇都之宏麗兮 瞰雲霞之浮動 欣群才之來萃兮 協飛熊之吉夢 The two towers rise, one on either flank, This named Golden Phoenix, that Jade Dragon. He would have the two Qiaos , these beautiful ladies of Wu, That he might rejoice with them morning and evening. Look down; there

1876-472: The Three Terraces. Emperor Wu died the next year, and his son Emperor Xuan died less than a year on the throne. Emperor Xuan's father-in-law Yang Jian made a bid for the throne, which prompted the Zhou loyalist general Yuchi Jiong to rise against him in Ye. After Yuchi Jiong was defeated in 580, Yang Jian evacuated the population of Ye and razed the city to the ground. Yang Jian would declare himself emperor of

1943-531: The age of the eastern emperor . As Cao Cao laid dying in 220, he dictated his will to his sons. After reflecting on his own life and addressing the division of his belongings, he stipulated the Bronze Bird Terrace to be the place where his concubines were to be accommodated, where rituals were to be held for his spirit, and where his sons could gaze his tomb : My concubines and entertainers should all be accommodated on Bronze Bird Terrace. A couch of eight feet long enclosed with fine hemp curtains should be set up in

2010-418: The beginning of [Cao] Wei". The Bronze Bird Terrace was heightened to 12 zhang , and its top was covered by a circular pavilion with "linking ridgepoles and rafters ", five stories high, and topped with a bronze bird sculpture. Together, the Bronze Bird Terrace and its pavilion measured 27 zhang tall. The Metal Tiger Terrace was renamed to Metal Phoenix Terrace (金鳳臺) to avoid a naming taboo as "tiger" ( hu )

2077-405: The capital from Jicheng to Ye. In 358, Murong Jun started a large scale conscription—ordering that each family send its service-eligible men into the army except for one per household—preparing to attack Former Qin and Jin. After a petition by Liu Gui (劉貴), he scaled back the conscription plan, ordering that for every five service-eligible men of the household, three enter the army. Later in 358,

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2144-716: The capital of Buyeo and its king Hyeon of Buyeo (玄王). In 348, Murong Huang died. Murong Jun succeeded him as the Prince of Yan. In 349, following the death of rival Later Zhao 's emperor Shi Hu , Later Zhao fell into internecine wars with Shi Hu's sons and his adoptive grandson Shi Min (who later changed his family name back to his father's original "Ran"). Under the suggestion of Murong Ba (whom he had renamed Murong Chui by this point; see Murong Chui's article for more details), Murong Jun prepared for expansion into Later Zhao's territory. He commissioned Murong Ke, Murong Ping, Yang Wu , and Murong Chui as major generals, preparing for

2211-622: The capital of the Eastern Wei dynasty and the Northern Qi dynasty until 580. At that time Ye was being used by a resistance force led by Yuchi Jiong , which was defeated by Yang Jian , founder of the Sui dynasty , and the city was razed to the ground. Some scholars, such as Ku Chi-kuang reported that the Hebei region continued to harbour separatist sympathies into the Tang dynasty . It

2278-702: The carnal pleasures of the popular tradition. In modern times, the Bronze Bird Terrace remains a staple in Three Kingdoms media associated with Cao Cao from historical dramas to video games. Notably, the Bronze Bird Terrace lends its name and setting to the 2012 Chinese film The Assassins (Chinese name: 铜雀台, "Bronze Bird Terrace"), which depicts fictional attempts on Cao Cao's life in the eponymous terrace. Ye (Hebei) 36°16′29″N 114°24′01″E  /  36.2748°N 114.4002°E  / 36.2748; 114.4002 Ye or Yecheng ( simplified Chinese : 邺城 ; traditional Chinese : 鄴城 ; pinyin : Yèchéng ; Wade–Giles : Yeh -ch'eng )

2345-454: The case. However, despite torture, Princess Duan and Gao refused to admit, and Murong Chui avoided becoming entangled, although Princess Duan still died in prison. Murong Chui was effectively exiled to be the governor of remote Ping Province (平州, modern eastern Liaoning ). In 359, Jin forces under Zhuge You (諸葛攸) and Xie Wan (謝萬) attacked Former Yan, but were defeated by Former Yan forces. This victory allowed Former Yan to gradually take over

2412-466: The city of Ye from Yuan Shao's son Yuan Shang . As the preceding battle of Ye had destroyed the inner city, Cao Cao set about rebuilding the city in the mold of an imperial capital. He initiated a number of works in Ye, digging canals in and around the city to improve irrigation and drainage, building the Hall of Civil Splendour (文昌殿) which was to become the centerpiece of Ye's palace complex, and erecting

2479-431: The essence of carpe diem . 從明后之嬉遊兮 聊登臺以娛情　　　　　 2 見天府之廣開兮 觀聖德之所營　　　　　 4 建高殿之嵯峨兮 浮雙闕乎太清　　　　　 6 立冲天之華觀兮 連飛閣乎西城　　　　　 8 臨漳川之長流兮 望眾果之滋榮　　　　　 10 仰春風之和穆兮 聽百鳥之悲鳴　　　　　 12 天功恒其既立兮 家願得而獲呈　　　　　 14 揚仁化於宇內兮 盡肅恭於上京　　　　　 16 雖桓文之為盛兮 豈足方乎聖明　　　　　 18 休矣美矣 惠澤遠揚　　　　　　　 20 翼佐我皇家兮 寧彼四方　　　　　　　 22 同天地之矩量兮 齊日月之輝光　　　　　 24 永貴尊而無極兮 等年壽於東王　　　　　 26 Let me follow in

2546-423: The eye can range over the cities of the west. On the banks of the rolling River Zhang he planned it, Whence abundance of fruits could be looked for in his gardens. Look up; and there is the gorgeous harmony of springtime, And the singing of many birds delighting the ear; The lofty sky stands over all. The house desires success in its double undertaking, That the humane influence may be poured out over all

2613-416: The footsteps of the enlightened ruler that I may rejoice, And ascend the storied terrace that I may gladden my heart, That I may see the wide extent of the palace, That I may gaze upon the plans of the virtuous one. He has established the exalted gates high as the hills, He has built the lofty towers piercing the blue vault, He has set up the beautiful building in the midst of the heavens, Whence

2680-538: The grudges between Murong Jun and Murong Chui flared up again. Murong Chui's wife Princess Duan , because her clan was an honored one—being previously on equal standing as the Murongs, with the title of Duke of Liaoxi —was not respectful of Murong Jun's wife Empress Kezuhun. The eunuch Nie Hao (涅浩), believing it to be the emperor and empress' wishes, falsely accused Princess Duan and Murong Chui's assistant Gao Bi (高弼) of witchcraft , with intent to drag Murong Chui into

2747-431: The hall on the terrace. Every day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, dried meat and other kinds of food should be offered to my spirit. On the first day and fifteenth day every month, the entertainers should give a musical performance in front of the curtains. You should all go up Bronze Bird Terrace from time to time and gaze at my tomb on the western mound. Cao Cao's will survived only through its inclusion in

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2814-427: The harem master in these works, became satirized and criticized for his sensuality and obsession with the women entertainers, who he trapped in his terrace even after his death. It is from this tradition that the late-Tang poet Du Mu produced his famous quatrain "Red Cliffs" (赤壁), connecting the Battle of Red Cliffs with the Bronze Bird Terrace by textually placing in the terrace the Qiao sisters , famed beauties of

2881-400: The heir apparent, being impressed with Murong Ba's intelligence, but was dissuaded from it by his officials; those sources also attribute this as the reason why Murong Jun was jealous and apprehensive of Murong Ba. If this were true, it did not stop Murong Jun from granting his brother substantial authority during his reign. The first historical mention of his being involved in leading the army

2948-505: The imperial seals (which, however, he did not actually have). Murong Jun sent his general Yue Wan to join Shi Zhi and his general Yao Xiang , and their joint forces dealt Ran Min a major defeat, forcing Ran Min to give up on sieging Xiangguo for the time being, although soon thereafter Ran Min was able to persuade Shi Zhi's general Liu Xian (劉顯) to kill Shi Zhi, ending Later Zhao. In summer 352, Murong Jun's and Ran Min's forces engaged in

3015-829: The imperial seals to him. (In actuality, the imperial seals—which were Jin's in the first place until they were captured by Han-Zhao and subsequently passed through Later Zhao—had been given to Jin as collateral for Jin assistance.) Most of Later Zhao's eastern territories were securely in Former Yan's hands, although Former Yan, Former Qin , and Jin would fight over their borders for years to come. In winter 352, Murong Jun formally declared independence from Jin and declared himself emperor. On 6 April 353, Murong Jun created his wife Princess Kezuhun empress and his heir apparent Murong Ye (慕容瞱) crown prince . In 354, Murong Jun further created many of his uncles, brothers, and sons princes. In 355, angered that his cousin Duan Kan (段龕), who

3082-467: The inkstones' collectors as dilettantes for being concerned with owning a piece of history at the price of forgetting history, and held the inkstones in disdain for their association with Cao Cao — as one indignant Yuan dynasty poet Ai Xingfu (艾性夫) puts it: "I request you sir, spit on it, throw it out, and never use it again. If the Bronze Bird [Terrace] still stood, I would destroy it." By the Yuan dynasty,

3149-414: The inner city, Cao Cao set about rebuilding the city in the mold of an imperial capital. He initiated a number of works in Ye, digging canals in and around the city to improve irrigation and drainage, and building the Hall of Civil Splendour (文昌殿) which was to become the centerpiece of Ye's palace complex. The Bronze Bird Terrace was erected in the northwest corner of the city in 210 as part of these works. It

3216-556: The last emperor of Eastern Han, becoming the first emperor of Cao Wei . Although the main capital of Wei was relocated to Luoyang , Ye was still considered a secondary "northern capital". Cao Wei was replaced by the Jin dynasty in 263, who were later forced out of northern China by a series of non- Han states. Ye became the capital of several of these states: the Later Zhao (319–351), Former Yan (337–370), Ran Wei (350–352), Eastern Wei (534–550), and Northern Qi (550–577). Shi Hu of

3283-446: The modern Henan region, south of the Yellow River . In early 360, Murong Jun grew ill, and he told Murong Ke that, in light of the rivalries with Former Qin and Jin, he was going to pass the throne to him instead, since he was an adult and highly capable, rather than the 10-year-old Murong Wei. Murong Ke declined—persuading Murong Jun that if his abilities were capable of ruling over the empire, then they were also capable of assisting

3350-526: The poetic imagination of the Jian'an period (196-220), and the laudatory tone that Cao Pi and Cao Zhi took here contributed to the terrace being seen as a symbol of Cao Cao's success, ambitions, or desires. Also, the Bronze Bird Terrace and its associated garden were used as places of merrymaking, such that they became the subject of a subset of Jian'an poetry known as "feast poems" (公燕詩), where poets such as Cao Zhi and Liu Zhen (劉楨) write of fleeting happiness and

3417-593: The preface of the Western Jin poet Lu Ji 's elegy for Cao Cao. In the elegy itself, written around 298, Lu Ji creates a scene where instead of Cao Cao's sons, it is the female entertainers who were to gaze at Cao Cao's tomb from the Bronze Bird Terrace. At the end of the elegy, Lu Ji asks rhetorically: "Ascending Bronze Bird Terrace, they mourned together; Their beautiful eyes were fixed in a distant gaze, but what could they see?" The pathos of this scene, where women regularly perform and pine for their dead lord, became

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3484-552: The rest of his life. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Ye was an important city for the Jie -led Later Zhao dynasty that unified most of northern China, later becoming its capital in 335 during the reign of Shi Hu . After Shi Hu's death, his adopted grandson, Ran Min , forcibly seized the city, where he founded the short-lived Ran Wei state in 350. The Xianbei -led Former Yan dynasty soon conquered Ran Wei in 352, and Ye became their capital from 357 up till its fall in 370. In

3551-743: The rest of the city. Underneath the terraces were storage facilities for grain, salt, water, fuel, graphite, and—in the case of the Ice Well Terrace—ice. Around the terraces sprang the Bronze Bird Garden (銅雀園), also known as the West Garden (西園) since it was immediately west of the palace. The garden took up the whole northwestern quadrant of the city. The name "Bronze Bird Terrace" evokes the Western Han capital Chang'an since it references auspicious symbols from an old song: "To

3618-464: The southern lands, had a fortuitous wind not blown in Zhou Yu 's favour. The poem popularized the image of the Bronze Bird Terrace as a place of frustrated sexual desire. In the Tang dynasty , the literati began collecting tiles purported to be from the Bronze Bird Terrace and shaping them into inkstones . These Bronze Bird Inkstones (銅雀硯), as they came to be known, were so sought after by the time of

3685-523: The story of the Bronze Bird Terrace and the Qiao sisters in the popular tradition aroused people's imagination for generations. Other than the reference to the Qiao sisters, the writer of the novel resists fully committing to the vernacular trope of Bronze Bird Terrace being Cao Cao's harem. In chapter 56 on the completion of the Bronze Bird Terrace, Cao Cao holds a grand feast there, but the descriptions of Cao Cao's merrymaking there were confined to more elegant displays of poetry recitals and martial feats, not

3752-436: The terrace in 212 and all three wrote rhapsodies ( fu ) to mark the occasion. Cao Cao and Cao Pi's poems on this occasion only survive in fragments, but Cao Zhi's Ascending the Terrace (登臺賦) extolling Cao Cao's creation is extant in its entirety. That the "Three Caos" (as the three are collectively known), primus inter pares among the poets of the Jian'an period, all wrote about the Bronze Bird Terrace cemented its place in

3819-504: The water dried away as soon as it was poured onto the inkstone, and declare that the Bronze Bird Inkstones were unusable and "no different from any ordinary broken tile and brick." Regardless of their authenticity or utility (or lack thereof), Bronze Bird Inkstones were traded as gifts among the literati. The receiving party would write poems expressing their gratitude and essays appraising the artifact, sometimes inscribing

3886-465: The west of Chang'an, a pair of circular watchtowers, / On top of them perches a pair of Bronze Birds. / They sing once, and five grains grow; / They sing again, and five grains ripen". The Metal Tiger Terrace was named after the tiger tally that Cao Cao received from the Han emperor as part of the Nine Bestowments in 213. After Cao Cao died in 220, his son Cao Pi forced the abdication of

3953-413: The words onto the inkstone itself. This led to a large body of Song dynasty poetry on the topic of Bronze Bird Inkstones, treating the tiles as synecdoches through which the poet could recall the lost city of Ye and its lord Cao Cao. As the sympathies of the time laid with Cao Wei's enemy Shu Han , Cao Cao was portrayed negatively and criticized harshly in these writings. Some of these writings criticize

4020-517: The world, That the perfection of reverence may be offered to the Ruler. Only the richly prosperous rule of dukes Huan and Wen Could compare with that of the sacred understanding. That fortune! What beauty! The gracious kindness spreads afar, The imperial family is supported, Peace reigns over all the empire, Bounded only by the universe. Bright as the glory of the sun and moon, Ever honorable and ever enduring, The Ruler shall live to

4087-430: Was Tuoba in his ways and "outlook" ), the sinicization -dissenting 'northern garrisons' mutinied and captured Luoyang in 534. "At three days' notice its inhabitants were required to accompany Gao Huan to his own base, the city of Ye...where he declared himself the first Eastern Wei emperor." "During most of the sixth century Ho-pei (Hebei) was the heart of an independent state with its capital at Yeh [Ye]...." It remained

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4154-527: Was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Handan , Hebei province and neighbouring Anyang , Henan province. Ye was first built in the Spring and Autumn period by Duke Huan of Qi , and by the time of the Warring States period the city belonged to the state of Wei . During the Han dynasty , Ye was the seat of Wei Commandery and an important regional center. Following

4221-576: Was born in 319, while his father Murong Huang was still the heir apparent to his grandfather Murong Hui , the Jin -created Duke of Liaodong. In his youth, he was considered to be learned in both literary and military matters. Sometime after his father succeeded his grandfather in 333, he was made the heir apparent, a status that he retained after his father claimed the title Prince of Yan in 337 and after Jin retroactively acknowledged that title in 341. Historical accounts indicate that Murong Huang also considered Murong Jun's younger brother Murong Ba as

4288-468: Was in 344, when he, along with his uncle Murong Ping , was commissioned to lead an army against Dai , but as the Dai prince Tuoba Shiyiqian refused to engage his army, no significant battle occurred. In 346, Murong Huang commissioned him to command an army against Buyeo (Fuyu (夫餘) in Chinese ), although the actual command appeared to be held by his brother Murong Ke . The army was successful in capturing

4355-651: Was in control of modern Shandong and nominally a Jin vassal (as Duke of Qi), wrote a letter to him denouncing him for claiming imperial title, Murong Jun sent Murong Ke and Yang Wu against him. In 356, despite the heavy fortifications that Duan's capital Guanggu (廣固, in modern Qingzhou , Shandong ) had, Murong Ke sieged it, and after Duan's food supplies ran out, he was forced to surrender. Murong Jun initially spared Duan, but for reasons unknown, he executed Duan in 357. Also in 356, Murong Jun's crown prince Murong Ye died, and in 357, Murong Jun created his younger son Murong Wei as crown prince. Later in 357, Murong Jun moved

4422-469: Was soon joined by two shorter terraces in 213, the Metal Tiger Terrace (金虎臺) to the south and the Ice Well Terrace (冰井臺) to the north. Together, they are referred to as the Three Terraces (三臺). The Bronze Bird Terrace was recorded to be 10 zhang high, which translates to about 23 meters, while the other two terraces were shorter at 8 zhang (~18 meters). Modern observers measure the bases of

4489-536: Was the region from which An Lushan launched his rebellion during the reign of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong . The city was razed after the rebellion's failure. Extensive excavations of the city have been made in recent years, allowing Chinese historians to make detailed plans of the site. In 2012, archaeologists unearthed nearly 3,000 Buddha statues during a dig outside Ye. Most of the statues are made of white marble and limestone, and could date back to

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