The invention of bronze metallurgy heralded a new era for the civilizations that wielded the technology, and the various applications for this amazingly versatile material spread across multiple sectors of society and became deeply ingrained into their culture and economy.

The earliest pieces in the exhibition, Along the Yangzi River: Regional Cultures of the Bronze Age from Hunan, date from the Shang Dynasty and mark the beginnings of a recognizable Chinese civilization, but also indicate the existence of a diversity of cultures in ancient China. These bronzes provide an invaluable glimpse into ancient Chinese history, both as a testament to the technological advancement of the Shang dynasty as the region emerged from the Neolithic age, and as important clues to the cultures that created these works of art.

Antiquarians have been collecting individual ancient Chinese bronze pieces for centuries, admiring the craftsmanship each piece exhibits as well as savoring the classical respect for ritualism so highly prized by the Confucian tradition.

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Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan

With every archaeological discovery of bronze age artifacts throughout China’s vast territory, we gain a more complete and complex picture of this formative period of Chinese civilization. At the heart of these important discoveries are the bronze ware artifacts that lend this age its name.