Check out this deer antler decorated with bronze birds and a beast head dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). The antler resembles a kind of mythical tree in ancient Chinese mythology and the bird reflects the bird totem worshipped by the people of ancient East China. This antler exemplifies the integration of the Central Plains civilization and the Dongyi ethnic group.
Excavated in Zaozhuang city, Shandong province, in 1978, the antler is a representative treasure of the ancient Xue State of more than 2,000 years ago. The piece is now in the permanent collection of the local Jining Museum.