The Scientific Significance for Discovering the Phase and the Date of Calendar on the Wu Lai Tripod Cauldron

Someone had confirmed the Wu Lai tripod cauldron,which has on it king-year,phase and Chinese era records,as a kind of instrument in King Xuan's era according to a compositive consideration about the cached Western Zhou instrument group which was unearthed early this year from the Yang-family village in Mei county.But according to A Chronicled List for Twelve Dukes in Records of the Historian, the phase and Chinese era records of the 42nd and 43rd year,which is calculated from the numbering of years of King Xuan,do not agree.Besides it was approved by the king-year,phase and Chinese era records on the unearthed bronze instruments,so the numbered years of King Xuan are explicit and shouldn't be altered casually.If the years were still numbered based on King Li during the years of Gong He after King Li had gone to Zhi(NE5E9) for shelter in the 37th year of King Li's reign,the phase and Chinese era would coincide exactly.So this article confirms that the 42nd and 43rd year on the Lai tripod cauldron are the 42nd and 43rd year of King Li.The words “if the king said”in the table of Lai tripod cauldron refer that the ministerial dukes reigned in the name of King Li.Lai tripod cauldron and the table of Lai plate are not enough to ascertain the sequence of them.