The Bronze Bird Terrace () was an iconic structure in the city of Ye built in AD 210 by Cao Cao, the prominent warlord of the late Eastern Han dynasty. Despite reconstructions after Cao Cao's time that exceeded his in scale, the Bronze Bird Terrace is metonymous with Cao Cao in

Classical Chinese poetry Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dy ...

, where the terrace is a popular topic. Although its destruction in 577 and natural disasters left only ruins of the Bronze Bird Terrace, the terrace lives on in the Chinese

cultural memory Because memory is not just an individual, private experience but is also part of the collective domain, cultural memory has become a topic in both historiography ( Pierre Nora, Richard Terdiman) and cultural studies (e.g., Susan Stewart). These ...

through its connection with Cao Cao and retains its place in Chinese literature and modern media pertaining to the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period.

History

Cao Cao

The city of Ye by the

Zhang River The Zhang River is a tributary of the Wei River in China. The river commences at the confluence of the rivers Qingzhang (or Clear Zhang, 清漳河) and Zhuozhang (or Turbid Zhang, 浊漳河), where between She county of Hebei and Linzhou of ...

was the seat of the

Wei Commandery Wei Commandery ( zh, 魏郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in modern southern Hebei and northern Henan. The commandery was created during Emperor Gaozu of Han's reign, with its seat at Ye. In late Western Han, it administered 18 ...

and an important regional center in the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. When the dynasty fractured into warlord states, the city served as the headquarters of

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...

. After Yuan Shao's death, rival warlord Cao Cao took control of the city in the Battle of Ye in 204 and made the city his chief residence. As the years of war had destroyed the inner city, Cao Cao set about rebuilding the city in the mold of an imperial capital. He initiated a number of works in Ye, digging canals in and around the city to improve irrigation and drainage, and building the Hall of Civil Splendour (文昌殿) which was to become the centerpiece of Ye's palace complex. The Bronze Bird Terrace was erected in the northwest corner of the city in 210 as part of these works. It was soon joined by two shorter terraces in 213, the Metal Tiger Terrace (金虎臺) to the south and the Ice Well Terrace (冰井臺) to the north. Together, they are referred to as the Three Terraces (三臺). The Bronze Bird Terrace was recorded to be 10 ''

zhang Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...

'' high, which translates to about 23 meters, while the other two terraces were shorter at 8 ''zhang'' (~18 meters). Modern observers measure the bases of the Bronze Bird Terrace and the Metal Tiger Terrace at 122 m north to south and 70 m east to west. Atop the terraces were

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

s of more than a hundred rooms each: According to the '' Wen Xuan'', the Bronze Bird had 101 rooms, Metal Tiger had 109, and Ice Well had 145. The terraces were linked to each other and the palace by raised walkways, and had ample street-level access connecting them with the rest of the city. Underneath the terraces were storage facilities for grain, salt, water, fuel, graphite, and—in the case of the Ice Well Terrace—ice. Around the terraces sprang the Bronze Bird Garden (銅雀園), also known as the West Garden (西園) since it was immediately west of the palace. The garden took up the whole northwestern quadrant of the city. The name "Bronze Bird Terrace" evokes the Western Han capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...

since it references auspicious symbols from an old song: "To the west of Chang'an, a pair of circular watchtowers, / On top of them perches a pair of Bronze Birds. / They sing once, and five grains grow; / They sing again, and five grains ripen". The Metal Tiger Terrace was named after the tiger tally that Cao Cao received from the Han emperor as part of the

Nine Bestowments The nine bestowments () were awards given by Chinese emperors to officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. While the nature of the bestowments was probably established during the Zhou Dynasty, there was no record of anyone r ...

in 213.

Period of Disunity

After Cao Cao died in 220, his son

Cao Pi Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest ...

forced the abdication of the last emperor of Eastern Han, becoming the first emperor of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

, Ye was still considered a secondary "northern capital". Cao Wei was replaced by the Jin dynasty in 263, who were later forced out of northern China by a series of non-

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

states. Ye became the capital of several of these states: the Later Zhao (319–351), Former Yan (337–370), Ran Wei (350–352),

Eastern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Eastern Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei dynasty. One of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period, the Eastern We ...

(534–550), and

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

(550–577).

Shi Hu Shi Hu (; 295–349), courtesy name Jilong (季龍), formally Emperor Wu of (Later) Zhao ((後)趙武帝), was an emperor of the Jie-led Chinese Later Zhao dynasty. He was the founding emperor Shi Le's distant nephew, who took power in a coup ...

of the Later Zhao became emperor in 334 through a coup against his cousin

Shi Hong Shi Hong (石弘) (313–334), courtesy name Daya (大雅), was briefly an emperor of the Jie-led Later Zhao dynasty of China after the death of his father Shi Le, Later Zhao's founder. Because after his cousin Shi Hu deposed him, he was created ...

, and made Ye his capital next year. Known for his extravagance and indulgence, Shi Hong utilized up to 400,000 workers on construction projects in his new capital city along with Chang'an and Luoyang. The Three Terraces of Ye, which had fallen into disrepair up to this point, were transformed by these constructions to be "more adorned and embellished than they were at the beginning of aoWei". The Bronze Bird Terrace was heightened to 12 ''zhang'', and its top was covered by a circular pavilion with "linking ridgepoles and

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...

s", five stories high, and topped with a bronze bird sculpture. Together, the Bronze Bird Terrace and its pavilion measured 27 ''zhang'' tall. The Metal Tiger Terrace was renamed to Metal Phoenix Terrace (金鳳臺) to avoid a

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...

as "tiger" (''hu'') is Shi Hu's given name. Shi Hu died in 349, after which his sons killed one another for the throne only to be exterminated by

Ran Min Ran Min (; died 352), also known as Shi Min (石閔), posthumously honored by the Former Yan as Heavenly King Wudao of (Ran) Wei ((冉)魏武悼天王), courtesy name Yongzeng (永曾), nickname Jinu (棘奴), was a military leader during the er ...

, whose state of Ran Wei lasted two years in Ye before being conquered by

Murong Jun Murong Jun (; 319–360), courtesy name Xuanying (宣英), formally Emperor Jingzhao of (Former) Yan ((前)燕景昭帝), was an emperor of the Former Yan. He was the dynasty's second ruler, but after first using the Jin dynasty-created title o ...

of the Former Yan in 352. Murong Jun moved his capital to Ye in 357, upon which he ordered the repair of its palaces and the Bronze Bird Terrace. Former Yan fell to Former Qin in 370, and Ye only became capital again under Eastern Wei and then the Northern Qi. In 558, the old Three Terraces were renovated under the Northern Qi, which had mobilized 300,000 three hundred thousand workmen to make them "higher and grander" than ever before. The terraces were renamed again at this time, with Bronze Bird being renamed as Golden Phoenix (金鳳), Metal Tiger as Sagely Response (聖應), and Ice Well as Magnificent Light (崇光). Triggered by an invasion by the

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty a ...

in 577, Northern Qi quickly disintegrated within a month, with large scale defections of court and military personnel. The incoming

Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou ((北)周武帝) (543 – 21 June 578), personal name Yuwen Yong (宇文邕), Xianbei name Miluotu (禰羅突), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China. As was the case of the reigns of his broth ...

issued the "Edict to Destroy Gardens and Terraces of the State of Qi" (毀撤齊國園臺詔) on 2 March 577 in which he denounced the wasteful extravagance of the Qi, proclaimed a return to restraint and frugality, and ordered the destruction of Ye's gardens and the Three Terraces. Emperor Wu died the next year, and his son Emperor Xuan died less than a year on the throne. Emperor Xuan's father-in-law Yang Jian made a bid for the throne, which prompted the Zhou loyalist general

Yuchi Jiong Yuchi Jiong (尉遲迥) (died 11 September 580''gengwu'' day of the 8th month of the 2nd year of the ''Daxiang'' era, per Emperor Jing's biography in ''Book of Zhou''), courtesy name Bojuluo (薄居羅), was a general of the Xianbei-led Western ...

to rise against him in Ye. After Yuchi Jiong was defeated in 580, Yang Jian evacuated the population of Ye and razed the city to the ground. Yang Jian would declare himself emperor of the Sui dynasty in 581 and go on to reunify China in 589, ending the Period of Disunity that started since the end of the Han dynasty in 220.

Later history

Despite the destruction of Ye and the terrace buildings, the foundations of the Three Terraces survived into the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

and Yuan periods. A Buddhist temple named Yongning Temple (永寧寺) was erected on the foundations of the Bronze Bird Terrace, while a Taoist monastery named Dongxiao Monastery (洞霄觀) was built on the Metal Tiger's. The Ice Well Terrace was noted to have been washed by the Zhang River, causing one corner to erode away. Today, after centuries of flooding by the Zhang River, only the Metal Tiger Terrace remained visible, while the Bronze Bird Terrace could only be identified through archaeology. The extant Metal Tiger Terrace (now known as the Metal Phoenix), mistakenly identified by the locals as the more famous Bronze Bird Terrace, is only 12 meters tall. The ruins of Ye, of which the Three Terraces is a part, were made a

Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level A Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National LevelEnglish translation for "全国重点文物保护单位" varies, it includes Major Site (to Be) Protected for Its Historical and Cultural Value at the National Level, Major Histo ...

in 1988. The site of the Three Terraces, now administratively in Santai village (三台村; "Three Terrace Village") of Linzhang County, was made into a park of 20 square kilometers, costing 75.62 million yuan. The park includes a recreation of the Three Terraces, the original foundations of the Golden Phoenix Terrace, a museum showing various unearthed artifacts, and locales commemorating Cao Cao and

Jian'an poetry Jian'an poetry, or Chien'an poetry (), refers to the styles of Chinese poetry particularly associated with the end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Six Dynasties era of China. This poetry category is particularly important because, in ...

In poetry

Jian'an poetry

The poetic tradition of the Bronze Bird Terrace began soon after its completion, when Cao Cao brought his sons

and

Cao Zhi Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style o ...

to the terrace in 212 and all three wrote rhapsodies ('' fu'') to mark the occasion. Cao Cao and Cao Pi's poems on this occasion only survive in fragments, but Cao Zhi's ''Ascending the Terrace'' (登臺賦) extolling Cao Cao's creation is extant in its entirety. That the "Three Caos" (as the three are collectively known), '' primus inter pares'' among the poets of the Jian'an period, all wrote about the Bronze Bird Terrace cemented its place in the poetic imagination of the Jian'an period (196-220), and the laudatory tone that Cao Pi and Cao Zhi took here contributed to the terrace being seen as a symbol of Cao Cao's success, ambitions, or desires. Also, the Bronze Bird Terrace and its associated garden were used as places of merrymaking, such that they became the subject of a subset of Jian'an poetry known as "feast poems" (公燕詩), where poets such as Cao Zhi and Liu Zhen (劉楨) write of fleeting happiness and the essence of '' carpe diem''.

Bronze Bird Performers

As Cao Cao laid dying in 220, he dictated his will to his sons. After reflecting on his own life and addressing the division of his belongings, he stipulated the Bronze Bird Terrace to be the place where his concubines were to be accommodated, where rituals were to be held for his spirit, and where his sons could gaze his tomb: Cao Cao's will survived only through its inclusion in the preface of the

Western Jin Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

poet Lu Ji's elegy for Cao Cao. In the elegy itself, written around 298, Lu Ji creates a scene where instead of Cao Cao's sons, it is the female entertainers who were to gaze at Cao Cao's tomb from the Bronze Bird Terrace. At the end of the elegy, Lu Ji asks rhetorically: "Ascending Bronze Bird Terrace, they mourned together; Their beautiful eyes were fixed in a distant gaze, but what could they see?" The pathos of this scene, where women regularly perform and pine for their dead lord, became a trope of

Six Dynasties poetry Six Dynasties poetry refers to those types or styles of poetry particularly associated with the Six Dynasties era of China (220 CE – 589 CE). This poetry reflects one of the poetry world's more important flowerings, as well as being a u ...

known as the "Bronze Bird Performers" (銅雀妓), and the terrace itself was transformed from a symbol of splendour and glory to one of loss and longing. In

Tang poetry Tang poetry () refers to poetry written in or around the time of or in the characteristic style of China's Tang dynasty, (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907, including the 690–705 reign of Wu Zetian) and/or follows a certain style, often considered ...

, the now-ruined Bronze Bird Terrace joins historical imperial harems in the tradition of "palace resentment poems" (宮怨詩), where the women within were depicted as abandoned and wasting away their youths. Cao Cao, the harem master in these works, became satirized and criticized for his sensuality and obsession with the women entertainers, who he trapped in his terrace even after his death. It is from this tradition that the late-Tang poet

Du Mu Du Mu (; 803–852) was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, and politician who lived during the late Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi (), and art name Fanchuan (). He is best known for his lyrical and romantic quatrains. Regarded as a maj ...

produced his famous quatrain "Red Cliffs" (赤壁), connecting the Battle of Red Cliffs with the Bronze Bird Terrace by textually placing the Qiao sisters, famed beauties of the southern lands, in the terrace had a fortuitous wind not blown in

Zhou Yu Zhou Yu (, ) (175–210), courtesy name Gongjin (), was a Chinese military general and strategist serving under the warlord Sun Ce in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After Sun Ce died in the year 200, he continued serving under Sun Quan, ...

's favour. The poem popularized the image of the Bronze Bird Terrace as a place of frustrated sexual desire.

Bronze Bird Inkstones

In the Tang dynasty, the literati began collecting tiles purported to be from the Bronze Bird Terrace and shaping them into

inkstone An inkstone is traditional Chinese stationery. It is a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink. In addition to stone, inkstones are also manufactured from clay, bronze, iron, and porcelain. The device evolved from a rubbing tool us ...

s. These Bronze Bird Inkstones (銅雀硯), as they came to be known, were so sought after by the time of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

that locals began to make fake Bronze Bird Terrace tiles from a mold and bury them into the ground before making them into inkstones to sell for profit. One source claims that tiles from the Bronze Bird Terrace were made with clay filtered by fine linen then mixed with

walnut oil Walnut oil is oil extracted from walnuts, '' Juglans regia''. The oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and saturated fats. Composition Walnut oil is composed largely of polyunsaturated fatty acids (72% of tota ...

, and inkstone made from these tiles "could hold water for days without drying up." Others describe that the water dried away as soon as it was poured onto the inkstone, and declare that the Bronze Bird Inkstones were unusable and "no different from any ordinary broken tile and brick." Regardless of their authenticity or utility (or lack thereof), Bronze Bird Inkstones were traded as gifts among the literati. The receiving party would write poems expressing their gratitude and essays appraising the artifact, sometimes inscribing the words onto the inkstone itself. This led to a large body of Song dynasty poetry on the topic of Bronze Bird Inkstones, treating the tiles as synecdoches through which the poet could recall the lost city of Ye and its lord Cao Cao. As the sympathies of the time laid with Cao Wei's enemy Shu Han, Cao Cao was portrayed negatively and criticized harshly in these writings. Some of these writings criticize the inkstones' collectors as dilettantes for being concerned with owning a piece of history at the price of forgetting history, and held the inkstones in disdain for their association with Cao Cao — as one indignant

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...

poet Ai Xingfu (艾性夫) puts it: "I request you sir, spit on it, throw it out, and never use it again. If the Bronze Bird erracestill stood, I would destroy it."

In fiction

By the Yuan dynasty, a popular tradition took hold viewing Cao Cao as a lustful tyrant and his Bronze Bird Terrace a pleasure palace. The ''

huaben A ''huaben'' () is a Chinese short- or medium-length story or novella written mostly in Vernacular Chinese, vernacular language, sometimes including simple wenyan, classical language. In contrast to the full-length Chinese novel, it is generally not ...

'' ''Sanguozhi Pinghua'' ("Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language") elaborates on the connection Du Mu made between Cao Cao and the Qiao sisters: In the prelude to the Battle of Red Cliffs,

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is ...

goads

into war against Cao Cao by stating that Cao Cao is specifically campaigning throughout China in search of beautiful women to fill his Bronze Bird Terrace, and if Zhou Yu fails to act, his own wife—the younger of the Qiao sisters—would be made captive there. Also of note is that the Bronze Bird Terrace was described to be in Chang'an instead of Ye in this story. The

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...

'' attributed to 14th century writer Luo Guanzhong blends historical, literary, and popular traditions into a single narrative. In chapter 34 of the novel, a glowing bronze bird was dug out of the ground after Cao Cao's conquest of north China, which Cao Cao's advisor

Xun You Xun You (157–214), courtesy name Gongda, was a statesman who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China and served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao. Born in the influential Xun family of Yingchuan Commandery (around present- ...

interprets as an auspicious portent harking back to the ancient sage kings. Pleased by the sign, Cao Cao charges Cao Zhi with the construction of the Bronze Bird Terrace in Ye, flanked by two shorter ones called Jade Dragon and Gold Phoenix. In chapter 44, Cao Zhi's poem ''Ascending the Terrace'' is woven into the narrative where Zhuge Liang goads Zhou Yu—an altered version of the poem with added verses is recited (under line 10 above), "proving" Cao Cao's lecherous intentions: As a result, an enraged Zhou Yu vows to go to war with Cao Cao and defeats him in the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208. Historically, the battle predates the terrace by two years, and Cao Zhi's poem was written two years after Zhou Yu's death. Nonetheless, the story of the Bronze Bird Terrace and the Qiao sisters in the popular tradition aroused people's imagination for generations. Other than the reference to the Qiao sisters, the writer of the novel resists fully committing to the vernacular trope of Bronze Bird Terrace being Cao Cao's harem. In chapter 56 on the completion of the Bronze Bird Terrace, Cao Cao holds a grand feast there, but the descriptions of Cao Cao's merrymaking there were confined to more elegant displays of poetry recitals and martial feats, not the carnal pleasures of the popular tradition. In modern times, the Bronze Bird Terrace remains a staple in Three Kingdoms media associated with Cao Cao from historical dramas to video games. Notably, the Bronze Bird Terrace lends its name and setting to the 2012 Chinese film '' The Assassins'' (Chinese name: 铜雀台, "Bronze Bird Terrace"), which depicts fictional attempts on Cao Cao's life in the eponymous terrace.

References

Notes

Works cited

* * * * * * * {{coord missing, Hebei 210 establishments 577 disestablishments Han dynasty architecture Chinese poetry allusions Former buildings and structures in China Buildings and structures in Hebei Handan Cao Cao