Deer Terrace Pavilion
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The Deer Terrace Pavilion (traditional Chinese: 鹿臺; simplified Chinese: 鹿台; pinyin: Lùtái) was a structure believed to have been built during the Shang dynasty. Its location was believed to be in Zhaoge (near the present-day Jinniuling mountain ridge in Qi County, Hebi).
According to the Chinese classics, particularly Shuo Yuan, the Deer Terrace Pavilion was the site of a luxurious pool, nicknamed the "Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat" (Chinese: 酒池肉林; pinyin: Jiǔchí Ròulín; lit. 'pond of wine', 'forest of meat').[1] Meat would be hung alongside the pool, which would be filled with wine for the personal pleasure of Di Xin. The phrase 酒池肉林 (Jiǔchí Ròulín) is now a Chinese idiom for excessive extravagance and debauchery.[2]
The story of the "Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat" is a disputed one; Eastern Han scholar Wang Chong questioned the feasibility of the matter,[3] and Southern Song scholar Luo Mi noted that the story is associated not just with Di Xin, but Jie of Xia as well, implying overlapping narratives.[4]
Around 20 January 1046 BC, King Wu of Predynastic Zhou launched a violent attack on the Shang capital, Zhaoge, as part of the Battle of Muye.[5] Zhou quickly defeated Shang, and the last king of Shang, Di Xin, retreated to the pavilion and set it on fire, burning it and himself along with his jewels as the result of the defeat.[6] This event marked the end of the Shang dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty. The charred remains of the pavilion have yet to be identified.[7]
Archaeology
In 1999, the pool was uncovered in an archaeological survey and was found to be 130 metres (430 ft) long, 20 metres (66 ft) wide, and 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) deep. Contemporary water wells were also found close to the pool, leading archaeologists to conclude that its primary function was not to supply groundwater to the pavilion.[8]
References
- ↑ Liu, Xiang. "反質". 說苑 [Shuo Yuan] (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
夫奢安可窮哉？紂為鹿臺糟丘，酒池肉林，宮牆文畫，彫琢刻鏤，錦繡被堂，金玉珍瑋，婦女優倡，鐘鼓管絃，流漫不禁，而天下愈竭，故卒身死國亡，為天下戮，非惟錦繡絺紵之用耶？
- ↑ "酒池肉林 meaning in English - Chinese English translation dictionary". translation-dictionary.net. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ↑ 王充《论衡·语增》: 令池在深室之中，则三千人宜临池坐，前俛饮池酒，仰食肴膳，倡乐在前，乃为乐耳。如审临池而坐，则前饮害于肴膳，倡乐之作不得在前。夫饮食既不以礼，临池牛饮，则其啖肴不复用杯，亦宜就鱼肉而虎食。则知夫酒池牛饮非其实也。
- ↑ Luo 罗, Mi 泌. "《卷三十七》". In Sturgeon, Donald (ed.). 路史 [Grand History] (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
大抵书传所记桀纣之事，多出模仿。如世纪等璇台三里，金柱三千，车行酒，骑行炙，酒池糟丘，脯林肉圃，宫中九市，牛饮三千……纣为如是，而谓桀亦如是，是岂其俱然哉？凡桀的罪，就是纣的罪，桀纣不分，这些都是出于模仿。
- ↑ Pankenier, David W. (1981). "Astronomical Dates in Shang and Western Zhou" (pdf). Early China. 7: 16–24. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ↑ Loewe, Michael; Shaughnessy, Edward L. (1999). The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC. Cambridge University Press. p. 310. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ↑ Lee, Yun Kuen (2002). "Building the Chronology of Early Chinese History" (pdf). Asian Perspectives. 41 (1). University of Hawaii Press: 32. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ↑ "商紂王の「酒池肉林」の存在確認、偃師で大型人工池発見" [Existence of King Shang Zhou's "pool of wine and forest of meat" confirmed with discovery of large artificial pool at Yanshi] (in Japanese). China News Service. 19 July 2004. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
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