In December 2023, A Study on the Bronze Technology and Bronze Art in Shang and Zhou China, by Professor Su Rongyu and collaborators, was published by Anhui Science and Technology Publishing House.

Shang and Zhou bronzes unearthed in Hunan are representative of the bronzes of southern China, notable for their large numbers, wide typological range, exquisite workmanship, and distinctive style. From 2015 to 2020, the Hunan Museum commissioned the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, CAS, to carry out the joint research project “Technological Research on the Shang and Zhou Bronzes in the Collection of the Hunan Museum,” which was also supported by “Studies on Traditional Manufacturing Technology,” a priority research project under the Institute’s 13th Five-Year Plan. Led by Professor Su Rongyu, more than twenty researchers from a number of institutions drew on philology, archaeology, and a wide range of scientific and technical methods to conduct a detailed and thorough study of the manufacturing technique of more than thirty of the most representative Shang and Zhou bronzes in the Museum’s collection.

The book presents the results of this project in the form of a research catalogue and was published with the support of the National Publication Foundation. It comprises three volumes, and was divided into ten chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the discovery of Shang and Zhou bronzes in Hunan and the state of relevant research. Chapters 2 through 9, organized by vessel type, present each of the more than thirty bronzes in comprehensive details, with descriptions of dimensions, form, decoration, workmanship, and style, accompanied by numerous overall and detail photographs; each chapter also includes research papers on the vessels concerned. Chapter 10 offers a synthetic study of the Hunan Shang and Zhou bronzes, with special studies of alloy composition, surface corrosion products, microwear analysis, and X-ray imaging, together with a general assessment of the craftsmanship and technology of the Hunan bronzes.

The book makes fully available the documentation and imagery of these representative bronzes in the Hunan Museum. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, and viewing bronze technology and bronze art as interrelated, it offers an integrated, science-based study of the craftsmanship of these objects. As the most comprehensive and in-depth compendium of Shang and Zhou bronze studies to date, this publication will greatly advance our understanding of the characteristics of the Hunan Shang and Zhou bronzes and of their significant roles in the development of ancient Chinese bronze civilization.