Chinese bronze work A ding, or ritual food vessel, with interlaced dragon designs from the ancient state of Jin, in modern Shanxi Province, Eastern Zhou dynasty (c. 500–450 bce); in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (more) How Were Ancient Chinese Bronzes Made? Written by Teagan Wolter Teagan Wolter is Associate Editor of Anthropology at Encyclopædia Britannica. Teagan Wolter Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 13, 2026 •History Ancient Chinese bronzes consist of vessels, tools, weapons, and ceremonial objects cast in bronze, particularly during the Shang (c. 1600–1046 bce) and Zhou (1046–256 bce) dynasties. The bronze was made by melting copper with tin and, occasionally, lead, creating an alloy. The molten bronze was then used to create objects through a process called piece-mold, or sectional-mold, casting. This complex process can be broken down in the following series of steps: Patterns on vessels were...

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