Oracle bones
The earliest Chinese writing.
Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · guan — CC BY 3.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · tak.wing — CC BY-SA 2.0 · 山海风 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chez Cåsver (Xuan Che) — CC BY 2.0
The ruins of Yin, the last capital of the Shang dynasty, from which twelve kings ruled between about 1250 and 1046 BC, and the birthplace of oracle-bone script, the earliest known Chinese writing; the city was forgotten for millennia until it was rediscovered in 1899, when inscribed oracle bones sold in the area caught scholars' attention. It is one of China's oldest and largest archaeological sites, and UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 2006. Visitors walk the palace and temple area, where the foundations of ancient buildings have been marked out in a broad park, see a pit of horse-drawn chariots and copies of inscribed oracle bones and huge bronze vessels, and can go on to the royal tombs area north-west of the site and the new Yinxu Museum, opened in February 2024, which displays the treasures of the Shang. Tickets cost about CNY 90, and the site is open from 8 am to 6.30 pm from April to September and until 5 pm the rest of the year, per visitor guides; the new museum needs advance booking.
The earliest Chinese writing.
Shang chariots.
Shang treasures.
Yindu District, north-west Anyang, Henan
It was the last Shang capital and the source of the oracle bones bearing the earliest known Chinese writing; its discovery confirmed the Shang dynasty as history, and it has been World Heritage since 2006.
The city has restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign serving noodles and lamb, while other restaurants may serve pork, so ask before ordering.