We continue with our special series on China's most valuable treasures. In this installment of "If Treasures Could Talk," we present to you "Li's Gui". It was a gift bestowed three thousand years ago in the Western Zhou dynasty, by a king to his loyal official. It is made of bronze, and later the official had the bronze made into a bowl-shaped vessel, called a gui, which was used in sacrifices and at banquets.

You have a new message from an ancient treasure. Li's Gui Marking the transition from Shang to Zhou.

Three thousand years ago, King Wu of Zhou bestowed a gift on a loyal official named Li. The gift was a precious one: Bronze.

Li had the bronze made into a bowl-shaped vessel, called a gui. Li held the position of yousi, or minister. In itself, his gui isn't particularly impressive. Yet historians consider it very important.

YUAN SHUO, Guide National Museum of China "This is the National Museum of China's “Ancient China" exhibit. I'm Yuan Shuo, a guide here. Chinese scholars have long debated that part of our history. For example, Sima Qian wrote that at the Battle of Muye, King Wu of Zhou defeated King Zhou of Shang's army of 700,000 men."

Considering the population of the time, 700,000 seems a very exaggerated figure. As for when the battle was fought, more than 40 different dates have been suggested.

YUAN SHUO, Guide National Museum of China "When was the Zhou Dynasty founded? Before, we actually didn't know, which was a pity. Luckily, we found Li's gui."

In ancient times, people kept cereal in a gui. In the strict hierarchy of Western Zhou, vessels used in sacrifices and at banquets were imbued with specific significance. So they became symbols of the state's system of rituals.

King Feudal Princes Senior Officials.

The number of vessels you were permitted to own was determined by your rank. The king owned nine ding and eight gui; the feudal princes, seven ding and six gui; and officials, five ding and four gui.

For three millennia, ritual dictated the standards of thought and behaviour in China. In fact, gui were quite common in Western Zhou. What makes Li's gui special is the thirty-character inscription on its bottom, describing Zhou's victory over Shang: "When King Wu defeated Shang, it was the early morning of jiazi, and the sui was at its zenith". Sui is an ancient name for Jupiter. So, on a day called jiazi, Jupiter was at its highest point in the sky. Experts used carbon-14 dating to analyze ash samples from the Western Zhou period. They established that the conquest of Shang occurred between 1050 and 1020 BC.

Astronomers then used the ancient historical text "Discourses of the States" to determine when Jupiter reached its highest point during the day of jiazi. They arrived at the 20th of January in 1046 BC. A famous historical mystery was finally solved. 

Li's gui dates from the transition between the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

"Naturally, not all scholars agree with this interpretation. But at least for the moment, we have a theory that most agree on. As for a definite answer we'll have to wait for further discoveries."

To most people, establishing the exact date of the transition of power from Shang to Zhou is not all that important. Far more interesting is the fact that these thirty characters are communicating a message from an ancestor, three thousand years ago.

You have more new messages waiting.