Bronze Workshops 青铜作坊

Geographical Location: Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province

Period: Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-771BC)

Excavation period: April 2003

A joint team of researchers from Peking University , Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Shaanxi Archaeology Research Institute, led by Xu Tianjin

Findings

Nearly ten years ago, the ruins of bronze workshops(青铜作坊Qīngtóng zuōfang) from the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-711BC) were unearthed in the Zhouyuan area of Baoji City, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Spreading across Zhuangbai and Lijia villages, the site was named the Lijia (Li Family) Bronze Workshops, with an area of 875 square meters. Here, archeologists found the ruins of 120 ash pits, eight house foundations, two wells, three ash ditches, 35 tombs and one horse-and-chariot pit.

The site harvested thousands of pottery and bronze artifacts. The most interesting relics include a number of pottery moulds with intricate engravings found in six ash pits. Other artifacts include ding s, pots, bronze bells, bronze buttons and other instruments. These rare and valuable items bear fascinating inscriptions and splendid decorations.

Handicrafts progressed during this period and the bronze industry was especially important. Bronze works greatly increased in quality, quantity and variety so that their usage encompassed nearly every aspect of daily life.

Significance

Known as the home of Chinese bronze ware , Zhouyuan has produced large quantities of ancient bronze ware. The exact location of the bronze production center, however, remained a mystery until the discovery of the Lijia Bronze Workshop Site, which has provided solid evidence about wher bronze ware was produced and demonstrated the high technical standard of bronze production during the period. The discovery of the workshop filled an important gap in the history of bronze.

The Zhouyuan Site

Zhouyuan has been a treasure trove of ancient bronze ware for decades. Located in the middle of Shaanxi Province, Zhouyuan has played an important role in exploring the origin of the pre-Zhou cultures, as well as the social, political, economic and cultural developments of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

The Zhouyuan site, located at the border of Fufeng and Qishan counties, was listed as a site under top State protection by the State Council . In 1976, a batch of 103 Western Zhou bronze pieces was unearthed at Zhuangbai village, drawing attention from archaeologists both home and abroad.

The bronze culture has been one of the brightest chapters in ancient Chinese civilization for hundreds of thousands of years. The entire western area of the Shaanxi Central Plain is honored as the Holy Land of Bronze.