The Context podcast

Bronze Witness: How the Taibao Ding Tells the Story of Yan and Early Beijing

09/10/2026

The Context

0:00

17:59

Today, we’ll talk about the Taibao Ding, a remarkable bronze vessel from the early Zhou dynasty whose story reveals the origins of the ancient state of Yan, the struggles of a frontier kingdom that survived for more than eight centuries, and the early historical roots of the city that would eventually become modern Beijing.

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