The Chinese Bronze Age began in 1700 B.C along the banks of the Yellow River in China. Throughout time this region emerged as a center of advanced and literate cultures of the time. During the Neolithic age, people used tools made of stone. For the Bronze Age, this was a beginning of flourishing metals and developing techniques.
It’s not clear where the producing and crafting of metals began in China. The idea of early bronze working developed freely out of outside influences. The era of the Shang and the Zhou dynasties was known as the Bronze Age of China, for bronze was used to craft weapon, parts of chariots, and ritual vessels, each played a role in the material culture. After the use of bronze, Iron came toward the end of the period, during the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Along with the many culture uses of bronze, there were also …show more content…
In-mold casting a model is made of the object to be cast. The molding method was likely the only one used in China until end of the Shang dynasty. One benefit of this way of casting bronze was that the patterns could be carved or stamped directly on the mold before it was made. This allowed the bronze worker to get a degree of sharpness in most designs. Wax casting is a duplicate metal sculpture cast from the original sculpture. The most used decoration in the Shang period was an animal mask. During the Zhou period, animal style forms became abstract using shapes to achieve its effect. The patterns were based on serpentine shapes that evolved during the Zhou era and these, along with geometric patterns. At the same time, handles become were depicting tigers, dragons, and other animals. Along with all of the different patterns, animals were used often throughout. Animals were a decorative element of Chinese bronzes. One of the more continued styles was the tao-tie, an ogre most often seen on axes meant to scare away evil spirits and bring fear