FANG-I

Pinyin Fangyi, type of Chinese bronze vessel produced during the Shang and early Chou dynasties (c. 18th century BC to c. 900 BC). The fang-i is a container in the form of a small hut or granary, square or rectangular in section, with sides that slope outward slightly from a low base to a cover in the shape of a hipped roof. A small nob, also in the form of a hipped roof, is placed at the centre of the cover. The decoration includes motifs characteristic of the Shang and early Chou, especially a series of t'ao-t'ieh, or monster masks, placed within segmented fields, defined by flanges, along the corners and through the flat sides of the vessel.