Bronze Ware in the Shang Dynasty in China

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The Shang Dynasty, the second slavery dynasty in China’s history, was established in 1600 BC under the leadership of eastern tribes chief Tang after ending the Xia Dynasty and lasted about 600 years. After frequent relocations of the capital in the early period, Emperor Pangeng moved it to Yin (today’s Anyang, Henan) in 1300 BC and settled there for 273 years. Emperor Wuding succeeded the throne in 1250 BC, marking the heyday of the Shang Dynasty. Historians regard the period before Emperor Wuding’s reign as the early Shang Dynasty and the period during and after Emperor Wuding as the late Shang Dynasty.

Unearthed bronze ware in Zhengzhou, Henan, the capital of the early Shang Dynasty, indicates one-meter-high and 82kg large squares that were made at that time. The varieties of bronze ware are generally complete pieces.

The late Shang Dynasty witnessed the first culmination of China’s bronze art. Thousands of bronze ware excavated from the Yin Ruins(Yinxu) were found to be complete in varieties, diversified shapes, beautiful patterns and sophisticated casting, showcasing the high maturity of the Shang Dynasty’s bronze ware art. In addition,a lot of bronze ware cast in the late Shang Dynasty was also unearthed in Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, An’ hui and Liaoning provinces. South of the Yangtze River Valley, the bronze culture close to the Shang Culture with intense local color were also discovered at Sanxingdui site, Guanghan, Sichuan, Dayangzhou Site, Xingan, Jiangxi and some other sites in Hunan.

Shang. Ding 95cm high. Unearthed in Dayangzhou, Xingan, Jiangxi in 1989. Kept in Jiangxi Museum.

During the world’s early civilized period, bronze was mostly used in casting tools of production and living.

However, China’s bronze ware had unique features. After the development of a class society, utensils, wine and water vessels and other daily ware were exclusively owned by slave owners and nobles, resulting in the functions evolving into ritual and divine ware for sacrifices, banquets, funerals and so forth.

Anyang Yin

Ruins Yin Ruins is located on both banks of Huanhe River, northwest suburb of Anyang. Henan province. It was developed into a grand capital of about 30 sq km in total with 273 years of development from Emperor Pangeng who moved the capital to Yin to Shang’s last Emperor Xin. In the 1890s, oracle bone inscriptions were found in Yin Ruins.

Since 1928, all-round and continuous archeological efforts have been made in Yin Ruins. Palace, workshop and tombs were found and a great deal of oracle bones, bronze ware and jade ware were unearthed.

As a dynasty worshipping immortals and spirits, wealth and violence, the nobles and rulers of Shang always prayed for a better future, for the enlightenment and blessing of deities and ancestors. In the frequent and grand sacrifices, bronze ware played a crucial role: various bronze wine vessels, such as different-sized Jue, Zun and You filled with wine were displayed on the altar; cooked meals were served in bronze Ding and putinto small bronze meal vessels like small Ding and Gui to entertain deities and ancestors. Emperors, grand nobles and other similarly privileged classes were the only ones to perform auguries and sacrifices.

Shang. Chixiao You 19.7cm high in total. Unearthed from Erlangpo, Shilou county, Shanxi Province in 1957. Kept in Shanxi Museum.

The Shang Dynasty’s people believed the soul remains upon death. The deceased emperors and nobles were buried together with a great number of persons and livestock as well as many bronze and jade ware.A surprising discovery of a well-preserved large tomb of a nobleman at the Yin ruins in Anyang in 1976 offers a complete display of the deluxe underground palace of the nobles from the Shang Dynasty. The occupant of the tomb was a spouse of Emperor Wuding. Among the unearthed 1,928 pieces of funerary objects from the tomb,468 pieces were bronze ware including 210 were ritual bronze ware. Extant bronze ware made in the Shang Dynasty are mostly found in similar tombs and tombs of nobles.

The then social characteristic of “ghosts superior than rituals”added a rigid, authoritarian and mysterious personality to bronze ware of the Shang Dynasty. Bronze ware’s enormous volume, unsophisticated shape and pervasive mysterious pattern emanated a silent psychological deterrence. In terms of aesthetics, bronze ware in the Shang Dynasty had a kind of “ferocious beauty.”A great number of well-known heavy bronze ware of the period, such as Simuwu Ding, Oufang Yi, Dragon and Tiger Zun, Four-goat Square Zun, reflect the spirit and culture of that period.

Shang. Bronze Double-face Figure 52cm high. Unearthed from Dayangzhou, Xingan county, Jiangxi Province in 1989. The figure is hollow, and has two identical faces.