Where bronze ware was first unearthed
from the Shang-dynasty tomb of Fuhao in Henan Province, scholars
conducted studies and discovered that ores used to produce
part of the bronze ware were not from the Central Plains of
China but from Yunnan.
A Local "History Book"
The Yunnan bronzes are unique because the ancient Yunnan people
did not have any written language then. Therefor, they used
sculpture and carved patterns to show their life and religious
beliefs. In some ways, the bronze objects, including these
articles daily use, can be considered a "history book"
The ancient kingdom of Dian had a territory centred around
the Dianchi Lake and stretching out to the central and eastern
parts of today's Yunnan. It existed from the 5th century B.C.
to early 1st century.
In 1955 and 1960, scholars from the Yunnan provincial Museum
made excavations on four occasions at Shizhaishan near Jinning.
From 50 ancient tombs, they obtained more than 4,800 cultural
relics, the overwhelming majority of which were bronzes. In
1972 and 1991, the Yunnan provincial Museum and the Yunnan
provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology twice
made excavations at Lijiashan in Jiangchuan County. Here,
85 ancient tombs were found and 4,000 bronze objects unearthed.
Over 1,000 pieces of bronze ware have been discovered from
over 20 burial grounds of the Dian State. The people had mastered
such complicated bronze processing techniques as gilding and
inlay with gold or silver.For instance, the Escorting Captives
Gilded Decorative Buckle depicts two armed soldiers escorting
two captives and three animals.In the Bronze Board of Bull
and Tiger, the blood vessels on the bull's head are clearly
portrayed to produce a sence of strength, while the tiger,
biting at its tail, is also shown in great detail.
On the lid of the Battle Scene Shell Utensil used for storing
shell money, unearthed at Shizhaishan, is cast a scene of
battle with 13 human figures, each vividly depicted. On each
side of the Cavelryman Herding Oxen Shell Utensil is a tiger-shaped
handle. On the lid is a gilded barefoot cavalryman armed with
a sword to protect the four oxen. Another masterpiece is the
Umbrella-holding Bronze Figurine whose facial expression,
haiestyle and costumes are all clearly portrayed.