li-ding

The li-ding is a type of ancient Chinese vessel, typically used for cooking or holding food. It is characterized by two handles on its rim and is supported by three or four legs. A variation of the ding, the li-ding features a slight swelling where the bowl meets each leg. These vessels were made from pottery as early as the Neolithic Period (c. 5000–2000 BCE) and later in bronze during the Shang (18th–12th century BCE) and Zhou (1111–256/255 BCE) dynasties. Ding vessels were often used in ceremonies for sacrificial offerings or buried with the deceased as spiritual utensils. The number of ding a person owned indicated their social and political rank.1