Yin (city)
| Yinxu | |
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The ruins of Yin, the capital (1350–1046 BC) of the Shang (Yin) dynasty
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| General information | |
| Country | China |
| Coordinates | 36°08′22″N 114°18′11″E / 36.13944°N 114.30306°ECoordinates: 36°08′22″N 114°18′11″E / 36.13944°N 114.30306°E |
| Official name | Yin Xu |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 2006 (30th session) |
| Reference no. | 1114 |
| State Party | China |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
| Yinxu | |||||||||||||||||||||
.svg)
"Yinxu" in Chinese characters
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| Chinese | 殷墟 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Literal meaning | "Ruins of Yin" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Yīnxū |
| Wade–Giles | Yin1-hsü1 |
| IPA | [ín.ɕý] |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Yān-hēui |
| Jyutping | Jan1-heoi1 |
| Southern Min | |
| Tâi-lô | Ûn-hi |
Yinxu (modern IPA: [ín.ɕý]; Chinese: 殷墟; literally: "Ruins of Yin") is the site of one of the ancient and major historical capitals of China. It is the source of the archeological discovery of oracle bones and oracle bone script, which resulted in the recognition of the earliest known Chinese writing. The archeological remnants (or ruins) known as Yinxu represent the ancient city of Yin, the last capital of China's Shang dynasty which existed through eight generations for 255 years, and through the reign of 12 kings. Yinxu was discovered, or rediscovered, in 1899; it is one of China's oldest and largest archeological sites, and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yinxu is located in northernmost Henan province near the modern city of Anyang, and near the Hebei and Shanxi province borders. Public access to the site is permitted.
At the beginning of the 14th century BCE, King Pangeng of the Shang dynasty moved his capital from Yān (present day Qufu, in present-day Shandong Province), to the site of an old village which had existed since 5,000 BCE, upon the banks of the Huan River. The new city was named "Yin" (), and from that point on the dynasty that founded it would also be known as the Yin dynasty. The name "Yin" is an ancient term referring to "vibrant music-making".
King Wu Ding continued to use Yin as his capital and launched numerous military campaigns from this base (many led by Fu Hao, one of his reigning wives, who was both a general and a high priestess) against surrounding tribes thus securing Shang rule and raising the dynasty to its historical zenith. In ancient times Yin was also known as Běimĕng (北蒙) or Yīnyì (殷邑) while oracle bone inscriptions record its name as Dàyìshāng (大邑商) or Shāngyì (商邑).
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