To the left is a drawing showing the decoration of the ding.  In the center of the frieze or band running around the top rim is a design of a taotie mask.   This part-human, part-animal face with bulging eyes is a recurring image on Shang bronzes.  It may have carried some symbolic significance, but we can no longer be certain of its meaning.  Some hypotheses include a monster, a dragon, a ritual mask, or simply a popular formal design.