Limited by the knowledge of astronomy and geography, the ancestors of the Chinese nation once thought that they lived in the center of the world. So, we call ourselves "China". The earliest existing object that clearly records the word "China" is a bronze ware in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty-He Zun.
Zun is a kind of wine vessel and an important ritual vessel used in ancient times. When the ancients knew how to drink, they often held a wine bottle in their hands and toasted their elders or guests to show their respect. Therefore, Oracle Bone Inscriptions with the word "Zun" looks like holding a wine bottle with both hands, and we still use the word "Zun" to show our respect today.
Zhou Wenwang ruled the world by destiny, and his son Zhou Wuwang succeeded in breaking through the merchants of Dayi, offering sacrifices to heaven and vowing to establish the capital of China to govern the people here. Since then, Zhou Chengwang has fulfilled King Wu's last wish and built Zhouluoyi.
This discovery immediately caused a sensation in academic circles. The word "China" in the inscription is the earliest usage record of this phrase in the existing literature. The meaning of "China" here is not exactly the same as today, but the meaning of "central city".
In the early days of the formation of the Chinese nation, rulers always regarded their residential areas as "the world", that is, "China". The residential areas of other ethnic groups are called East, South, West and North.
It is speculated by later generations that at least from the end of Shang Dynasty and the beginning of Zhou Dynasty, people have called the area centered on the Yellow River Basin "China". Thousands of years later, the word "China" gradually evolved into a synonym for the Chinese nation.
He Zun modeling:
He Zun's solemn and heavy modeling and simple and elegant decoration represent the highest level of bronze casting technology in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Because of the content recorded in its inscription and the first appearance of the word "China", it has been endowed with unique historical and cultural value and has become the "treasure of the town hall" of Baoji Bronze Museum.