In 1939, a bronze ding which is an ancient cooking vessel with two loop handles and four legs was unearthed in Anyang, Henan Province. This four-legged ding known as the Simuwu Rectangle Ding was so big and heavy that it could not be moved after it was unearthed. The Japanese invaders tried several times to plunder it. To protect this rare cultural relic, the local people reburied it and then unearthed it again after China won the Anti-Japanese War in 1945. The Simuwu Rectangle Ding is now collected in the National Museum of Chinese History. The opening of the Simuwu Rectangle Ding is 110cm long and 78cm wide,its sides are 6cm thick and the loop handles are 133cm high. The whole ding weighs 875 kilograms and is the heaviest bronze ware in the world. The casting of this huge bronze vessel used over l ,000 kilograms of metal and needed 70 t0 80 crafts-men to work on it. It is the biggest bronze ware unearthed in China and also a treasure in the world's bronze ware collection. Though the ding is big and heavy,its workmanship is exquisite.Relief of Kui (a one legged mythical animal) was carved on the four sides of the body of the ding. The animal figures are portrayed with artistic exaggeration and create a ferocious, mysterious and dignified atmosphere. Dings were used in the primitive society in China as cooking utensils. At first they were made of pottery clay. Then, as metallurgy emerged and developed, the material was changed to bronze at the end of the Shang Dynasty some 3, 000 years ago. By that time, dings had changed function to become sacrificial vessels and the symbol of their owners' power and wealth. The Simuwu Rectangle Ding reveals a high level of casting technique and artistry. It represents the highest casting achievement of the Shang Dynasty. According to the archeologists, the King of the Shang Dynasty had the Simuwu Rectangle Ding made to commemorate his mother.