Bronze ware refers to utensils of copper-tin alloy or copper-tin-lead alloy made from the Shang Dynasty to the Warring States Period (16th century-221 BC). As to the origination of bronze ware, there was vestige of bronze ware even before the Shang Dynasty. Along with the production and development of pottery, bronze ware emerged. When baking pottery, people found that metal melt under high temperature. Therefore they put copper, tin, lead and other metal together with pottery, bronze ware came out.
Chinese ancient bronze ware is of eternal historical and artistic value. Numerous unearthed bronze wares show that the culture of bronze ware experienced an integrated development system. The period including the Xia Dynasty (2,100-1,600BC), Shang Dynasty (1,600-1,100BC), Western Zhou Dynasty (1,100-771BC), Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), Warring States Period (475-221BC) and Han Dynasty (206BC-206AD) is the later period of the development of bronze ware. In order to stabilize their dominating status, the monarchs would flack fantasy of their own class, representing it with designs on the bronze wares. In the later period of the primitive society, wars between clans frequently broke out. Showing of force was the character of that period. As the utensil of sacrificing, many bronze wares had the design of fierce beasts' face, symbolizing the divine power. On the one hand, the designs mean they are the incarnation of threat to other clans; on the other hand, they have the divine power to protect their own clan.
The emergence of bronze ware rewrote Chinese history. The reformation of production tools stimulated another revolution of economy. Therefore, the Shang and Zhou became the two strong dynasties in Chinese history thanks to the coming of bronze ware period.
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