Fangyi

Their form differed somewhat over time; those produced during the Shang typically had straight bodies, those of the early Zhou bulge at the sides and mid-Zhou ones have handles that look like an elephant's trunk.

[1] The Sinologist Carl Hentze suggested that the shape of the vessel represents an ancestral temple of the period, with sloping roofs, projecting beams and a square or rectangular base.

[2] Fangyi appear to have evolved from pottery vessels in the Neolithic period and were also carved from white marble during the Shang.

[4] During the Shang and Zhou eras, kings and aristocrats customarily sought to bring good fortune and avert evil by sacrificing to the ancestors.

[5] Many fangyi were inscribed with very early forms of Chinese writing, generally representing the names of the owners of the vessels or the ancestors to whom they were dedicated.