Niya Museum in Minfeng County - Brocade Arm Protector

"Five stars rise in the east to benefit China" - this brocade arm protector was unearthed from the Niya site in Minfeng County, Xinjiang, which was the ancient Kingdom of Jingjue. The relic dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty and is one of the first batch of cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad by China. It is acclaimed as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century in China. It is housed in the Xinjiang Museum and is also the treasure of the museum. During my visit to the museum, I specifically asked for a guide. While she was explaining this artifact, I also mentioned that even the Japanese excavation team was stunned when this ancient tomb was discovered. The Japanese could not believe that such ancient prophecies existed during the Han Dynasty. Being very interested in history, I have visited many historical exhibition halls and museums during my two months of travel in Xinjiang. I am especially attracted to the history of the ancient states among the Thirty-Six States of the Western Regions and the cultural relics unearthed from the tombs. 📌Discovering History In October 1995, members of the China-Japan Niya Site Academic Expedition Team were conducting routine archaeological excavations at a cemetery in the Niya site in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang. However, for several months, their excavations at the Niya site had not yielded any new discoveries. Just when they were about to give up in disappointment, the archaeologists uncovered an ancient tomb. It was a joint burial tomb for two people. The two individuals in the tomb were dressed in many garments, but the most eye-catching was a brightly colored brocade tied to the right arm of one of the corpses. The brocade was dazzling in color, vigorous in text, mysterious in pattern, and magical in meaning, immediately attracting everyone's attention. Without much identification, the archaeologists recognized the text woven on the brocade: 'Five stars rise in the east to benefit China.' 📌Coincidence or Divine Prophecy? The 'five stars,' 'east,' and 'China' mentioned in this phrase all correspond to our current situation, inevitably leading to wild speculations. But upon deeper analysis, 'five stars' actually refers to the 'alignment of five planets,' which was a very auspicious celestial event in ancient China, and 'China' refers to the Central Plains. After a piece of brocade with the words 'subdue the Southern Qiang' was unearthed, people linked the two phrases together for a more in-depth study. Considering the social context of the time, the phrase was actually saying that when the magical celestial event of the alignment of five planets appeared in the east, it was beneficial for the Central Plains dynasty to subdue the Southern Qiang. The creation of this brocade text was undoubtedly a practical testimony of the central dynasty combining the celestial divination with the military campaign 'subdue the Southern Qiang' to wish for political and military success and auspiciousness. People believe in divine prophecies hoping to bring good luck to China and to mark a good omen for the great rejuvenation of our China.