Significance
Known as the home of Chinese bronze ware, Zhouyuan has produced large quantities of ancient bronze ware. The exact location of the bronze production center, however, remained a mystery until the discovery of the Lijia Bronze Workshop Site, which has provided solid evidence about where bronze ware was produced and demonstrated the high technical standard of bronze production during the period. The discovery of the workshop filled an important gap in the history of bronze.
Zhouyuan Site
Zhouyuan has been a treasure trove of ancient bronze ware for decades. Located in the middle of Shaanxi Province, Zhouyuan has played an important role in exploring the origin of the pre-Zhou cultures, as well as the social, political, economic and cultural developments of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The Zhouyuan site, located at the border of Fufeng and Qishan counties, was listed as a site under top State protection by the State Council. In 1976, a batch of 103 Western Zhou bronze pieces was unearthed at Zhuangbai village, drawing attention from archaeologists both home and abroad.
The bronze culture has been one of the brightest chapters in ancient Chinese civilization for hundreds of thousands of years. The entire western area of the Shaanxi Central Plain is honored as the Holy Land of Bronze. The central section of this area is located in Zhouyuan.