Vessel. China, Shang Dynasty, 1,600 BC-1,100 BCDecorated pottery.Measurements: 39 x 18 cm.Chinese vessel of the Shang dynasty. It has a square base on which stands the vessel, wider at the bottom and stylized towards the neck, also square. It is decorated on all sides with geometric and vegetal motifs and even the effigy of a dragon. In general, in Chinese culture, the dragon means good omen and good luck, it plays an important role with the use of avoiding evil, dispelling scourges and blessing.During its seven hundred years of existence, the Shang culture was also responsible for important developments in Chinese ceramics and jade carving, as well as Chinese lacquer and ivory carving - see for example the Shang ivory and turquoise cups at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing. All this is clear from archaeological discoveries at Anyang (formerly Yin), the Shang capital (1350-1046 BC), which have unearthed eleven royal tombs, the remains of numerous palaces and sacred sites of animal and human sacrifice, along with thousands of artifacts in bronze, jade, stone, ivory and bone, and ceramic clay. In addition, other discoveries at Anyang, dating to the later period 1200-1000 B.C., indicate that the Shang culture had developed its own highly sophisticated writing system.