▌Introduction
The Bronze Age in China started in the late Hsia dynasty (ca. early 17th century B.C.E.) and lasted through the Shang (1600-1046 B.C.E.), Western Chou (1046-771 B.C.E.) and into the Eastern Chou (770-221 B.C.E.) period, persisting for about 1,500 years in all.
In this age, only the nobility were allowed to use precious bronze to cast vessels. As the staying went, "Ritual and warfare are the most important affairs of a state." Therefore, apart from being used for weaponry, bronze was mainly used for making ritual objects for sacrifices to ancestors in hopes of preserving the family lifeline. From the arrangement of ritual wares and the quantity of accompanying jade objects in a ceremony, one could discern the specific social status and position of a particular aristocrat. Thus, bronze and jade together became the most important media for ritual wares in the aristocratic society of the Shang and Chou.
The Shang and Chou dynasties (1600-221 B.C.E.) were periods crucial to the formation of Chinese civilization. The argument can be presented from the following perspectives:
-- within the political realm, the preconceived theocracy combined with political ideology to yield an awareness of humanism and propriety;
-- with respect to material culture, the rise of bronze casting initiated a new era of ritual weaponry; and breakthroughs in craftsmanship gave rise to the industries of jade, ivory, bone, pottery;
-- in terms of the spiritual, the two important affairs of state at the time (ritual and warfare) mandated that awe and reverence be conveyed for the gods and ancestors, a necessity achieved through the production of bronzes, jades, and pottery in various shapes and patterns. The casting of inscriptions on bronzes also provided a record of ritual banquets, military conquests, rewards, and the conferring of nobility.
Chinese civilization was eulogized in "ritual and music" via the forms of ritual bells and vessels, extolled in "rituals and warfare" and iterated in the "eternal mandate" and "richness of Chou culture". It endured the Eastern Chou, a time when "warlords and hegemons" competed with each other, and still managed to have a lavish "golden glitter" in all its glory. Chinese culture, its beauty manifested in each of these wares and objects, thus appears exquisitely throughout and profound yet in moderation.