Remembering a bronze age queen

A cultural relic from the ongoing exhibition at the Capital Museum. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Intermittent wars were a common thing during the Shang Dynasty. So you cannot blame Fu Hao for her brutality, because that was the way it was in that time," he adds.

A bronze yue axe is among the exhibits, which shows her status as a top military commander.

However, a delicate monster-shaped bone hairpin shows a gentler side of this battlefield heroine. Exhibits like a jade dragon and jade parrots with connected tails also remind people of her pursuit of aesthetics.

Several jade figurines on display show the general appearance of the Shang people.

A bronze owl-shaped zun wine vessel with complex ornamentation not only epitomizes flamboyance, but reminds people of animated animals today.

Some unearthed articles are from earlier periods of history－like the late Neolithic Period－which Feng says reflect her wealth and fine taste.

Finds from recent years are also included into the exhibition.

For example, after Fu Hao's death, she was betrothed by Wu Ding to his late father. Though it may sound strange today, Feng says that it reflects the king's homage to his ancestors and his love for his wife.