King Wu Ding and Lady Hao: Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty

Wu Ding was the 23rd king of the Shang dynasty and lived around 1200 BCE. Ruling for 59 years, he demonstrated concern for the people while respecting and recruiting virtuous and capable people for his administration, paving the way for the heyday of the Shang dynasty. Wu Ding was regarded as a model for the enlightened ruler found in later Confucian thought. In oracle bone inscriptions, Lady Hao, a favored consort of Wu Ding, appears as a mother, a priestess, and even a battle leader.
 
This exhibition, held at National Palace Museum in Taipei until February 19, 2013 (http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/exhibit_02.htm?docno=862), gathers together the essence of cultural objects excavated from the ruins of Yin along with treasured bronzes from the Henan Museum. The Royal Ontario Museum in Canada and the National Museums Scotland have also generously loaned two precious oracle bones. Led by the inscriptions on oracle bones, the exhibition presents a continuous narrative in five sections about the story of King Wu Ding and Lady Hao, the glory of the Shang dynasty, and the rich vitality of Chinese writing.