A Study on the Cultural Integration Observed in the Ming Dynasty Chenghua Period Bell Collection at the Guizhou Shexiang Museum

Xun Luo (School of Ethnology and History, Guizhou Minzu University Guizhou Guiyang 550025)
Fei Liu (School of Ethnology and History, Guizhou Minzu University Guizhou Guiyang 550025)

Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities
Vol 6, No 3 (2026)

The Shuixi Chenghua Bell, cast in the 21st year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty (1485), is currently the earliest large-scale gold inscription artifact inscribed with Yi script discovered in China and is housed in the Shexiang Museum in Dafang County, Guizhou Province. Characterized by its dual casting of Yi and Chinese scripts alongside the integration of Han-style decorative motifs with Yi religious beliefs, this bell serves as a precious physical testament to cultural convergence in the Shuixi region during the Ming period. Using a three-dimensional analytical framework encompassing material culture, institutional culture, and ethnic culture, the study systematically examines the manifestations of cultural fusion between Yi and Han cultures in the bell, concluding that it exemplifies a model where the Shuixi Yi chieftain class actively assimilated Han culture while preserving their core ethnic cultural characteristics. As a tangible manifestation of this cultural integration, the Chenghua Bell holds significant academic value for understanding ethnic relations and cultural interaction mechanisms along the southwestern frontier during the Ming Dynasty.