Shanxi Bronze Museum 山西青铜博物馆

Shanxi has uncovered so many bronze wares that the original Shanxi Museum cannot hold everything. So an annex museum is created to house the bronzes.

Shanxi Bronze Museum is located in the Changfeng Business District of Taiyuan, sharing a building with the Taiyuan Museum. It boasts an exhibition area of ​​12,872 square meters and a permanent collection of over 2,200 bronze artefacts. While not as comprehensive in terms of age and style as the Shanghai Museum, Shanxi Bronze Museum offers a more systematic and in-depth display of Shanxi bronzes, showcasing a larger number of artefacts. As a branch of the Shanxi Museum, the two institutions sometimes exchange exhibits of important artefacts.

Glories of Bronze Age 吉金光年

The Bronze Age is a significant stage in human history, whose hallmark is the casting and use of bronze vessels. A culture of bronze had already matured by the Xia Dynasty (21st – 17th century BC), and reached its apex during the Shang-Zhou period (17th – 3rd century BC).

The dawn of bronze civilisation in China begins with the Taosi culture, dating back 4600-4000 years. The timeline of world bronze civilisations on the wall displays the rise of bronze civilisations around the world, which shows that Mesopotamia and Indus Valley cultures had about the same start time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include information on these bronze civilisations for a comparison.

Shanxi lies in the heartland of Chinese Civilisation. Copper products from the Taosi Site and mining and smelting sites dated to the Xia-Shang period in the Zhongtiao Mountains region reveal a major achievement in the development of carly Chinese civilization. The Shanxi bronzes have brought to life the main cultural curent of the Shang-Zhou court, reflecting the progress in the evolution and development of China’s ritual civilization, while geographic connections fused agricultural and steppe civilizations, resulting in a unique cultural appearance.

The Realms of Shang 率土内外

The geographical structure of the Shang Dynasty’s political territory consisted of three levels: the royal domain, the four regions (or four directions), and the four boundaries. The royal domain was the Shang territory centred on the Shang capital; the four regions, located outside the royal domain, comprised areas ruled by Shang Dynasty nobles and officials, as well as the areas of activity of subordinate states—an open and unstable region; the four boundaries, located outside the four regions, represented the areas influenced by the Shang Dynasty and its culture. The distribution and diverse cultural characteristics of Shang Dynasty bronzes in Shanxi Province reveal the diachronic changes in these three levels of the state’s political territory from the early to the late Shang Dynasty.¹

Beyond the capital region lay the borderlands. During the Shang Dynasty, numerous states existed along these borders, with over a hundred recorded in oracle bone inscriptions and other documents. Most of present-day Shanxi Province comprised the western and northern borderlands of the Shang Dynasty, home to states such as Xianfang, Tufang, Yuanfang, Jifang, and Guifang. These states sometimes allied with the Shang Dynasty and sometimes rebelled, coexisting and interacting, resulting in distinct regional characteristics of their bronze culture.

Numerous late Shang Dynasty bronze artefacts from these states have been discovered along the Yellow River in the Jin-Shaan Plateau, in areas such as Baode, Liulin, Shilou, Yonghe, and Jixian in Shanxi Province, and Yulin and Suide in Shaanxi Province. The bronze vessels are similar to typical Shang culture; those with bells, gongs, and dragon-shaped vessels exhibit strong local characteristics; and swords with bell-headed handles and daggers with snake-headed handles highlight the style of the northern steppes.²

Nicknamed the “selfie stick”, this ancient bronze horsewhip holder with the beast-face pattern is a physical evidence of the phrase “鞭策”, meaning “whipping something into shape.”

Clan Emblems of Shang Dynasty 商代族徽

Clan emblems, also known as clan inscriptions, are the emblems used on Shang and Zhou bronze artifacts to identify the family of the bronze’s owner. These inscriptions are often pictographic and concise, and their content is mostly related to the family’s official positions, fiefdoms, etc.; some are composite clan emblems, related to the family’s differentiation and reproduction. Clan emblems were prevalent in the late Shang Dynasty and continued to be used in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, but gradually disappeared after the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty.

Jingjie Cemetery, Lingshi County 灵石县旌介墓地

Located in Jingjie Village, Jingsheng Town, Lingshi County, three tombs were excavated in the late 1970s and 1980s, yielding over a hundred bronze artefacts, most of which exhibit typical Shang Dynasty cultural characteristics. Based on the inscriptions, this is a cemetery of the “Bing”³ tribe from the late Shang Dynasty. The “Bing” tribe was a group closely related to the Shang kings.

The Wenxi Jiuwutou Cemetery, the Fushanqiaobei Cemetery, the Jiangxian Dongwu Cemetery, and the Lingshi Jingjie Cemetery in central Shanxi are all located at the foot of mountains or on the lower side of mountains. These cemeteries (sites) connect the western foothills of the Taiyue Mountains and Zhongtiao Mountains, forming a north-south arc.⁴

This line was actually a defensive line, and also the western edge of the Shang Dynasty’s actual control during the late Shang Dynasty. During the late Shang Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty’s western and northern spheres of influence continuously shrank, partly because it faced two powerful adversaries in the west and north, which posed a significant threat to the Shang Dynasty’s northwestern border defences.⁵

The Grand Jin State 赫赫晋邦

The Grand Jin State exhibition showcases bronze artefacts from the Western Zhou Dynasty onwards, including unearthed artefacts from some vassal states annexed by Jin. A timeline is also displayed, showcasing the lineage of Jin and important bronze artefacts from various eras.

From the mid Spring and Autumn period (770 – 476 B.C.), methods of casting bronze in the State of Jin underwent continuous innovations and transformations, arriving at a technical and artistic peak that exerted a wide-reaching and profound influence on the politics, economy, society, military and culture of the Eastern Zhou period.

Cemetery of Peng State 倗国墓地

The Hengshui Cemetery, located approximately 11 km west of Jiangxian County, is a newly discovered cemetery of the Peng State, a vassal state during the Western Zhou Dynasty. The cemetery contains over 1300 tombs of varying sizes. Joint excavations by the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology and other institutions from 2004 to 2007 have been completed. The tombs date from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period.

Among them are over 80 tombs containing bronze vessels, yielding over 300 bronze containers of various types, including food vessels, wine vessels, water vessels, and musical instruments. Over 110 bronze ritual and musical instruments bear inscriptions, revealing the Peng State 倗国, a state not mentioned in extant historical records, making it a newly discovered vassal state of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

The Peng State bronzes are well-preserved, exquisitely decorated, and crafted with superb casting techniques. Many contain lengthy inscriptions. In particular, the newly discovered bronzes, including those related to intermarriage with the Jin State and the royal family, as well as important bronze artefacts from exchanges between the royal family and the Peng State, are of significant value for studying the enfeoffment system, ritual system, patriarchal clan system, and social history of the Western Zhou Dynasty.⁶

It has a trumpet-shaped mouth, square lip, deep belly, flat bottom, and a high, flared foot that folds downwards into a stepped shape. The neck, belly, and foot are all square in cross-section, with four vertical flanges on the outer wall. The upper belly is decorated with a banana leaf pattern, inside which is a beast-face pattern, and below that, a bird pattern; the lower belly is decorated with a beast-face pattern; the upper part of the foot is decorated with a bird pattern, and the lower part with a beast-face pattern, all against a background of cloud and thunder patterns. It was cast using a four-part mold. The inscription on the inner wall of the foot reads: “Made by Zi Fu for his father Ding Bao Yi.”⁷

Cemetery of Ba State 霸国墓地

The Ba State was a Western Zhou vassal state not recorded in historical documents. Founded by the Kui 媿 clan of the Di people 狄人, it maintained close ties with the Zhou royal family, the states of Jin, Peng, and Yan. It was conquered by the state of Jin around the early Spring and Autumn Period. The Dahekou Cemetery in Yicheng County, discovered in 2007, was confirmed by inscriptions on unearthed bronze artefacts to be a Ba State cemetery.

Covering an area of ​​approximately 40,000 square meters, it yielded over 2,200 tombs dating from the early Western Zhou to the early Spring and Autumn Period, and more than 25,000 artefacts, including nearly 300 ritual and musical instruments. The discovery of the Ba State cemetery provided valuable data for the study of the Western Zhou enfeoffment system, artefact systems, and ethnic integration, and was named one of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China” in 2010.⁸

Tableware. It has a flared mouth, rolled rim, square lip, and bulging belly. Two semi-circular vertical handles with dragon heads are placed on either side, each with a small hook-shaped pendant below. It has a round bottom, a sloping straight ring foot, and a square base. A semi-circular hook is located in the center of the outer bottom, from which a small, tile-shaped, concave bell is suspended. The upper part of the belly and the ring foot are each decorated with a band of kui dragon patterns. The belly and base are decorated with diamond-patterned studs and thunder patterns. The four corners of the top surface of the base are decorated with animal face patterns against a background of cloud and thunder patterns. Cast using a four-part mold.⁹

World of Rites and Music 礼乐春秋

China’s use of bronze ware as ritual objects is unique in the world. The ritual and music civilisation is an important component of ancient Chinese civilisation. Ritual and music complement each other, forming a complete and orderly socio-political and cultural system. From governing the country and ensuring its stability to personal cultivation, the ritual and music system guided and regulated all aspects of social life.

Painted by Ren Xun, a late Qing Dynasty Shanghai School painter, this two-volume work is now in the collection of the Shanghai Museum. The painting depicts Wu Dacheng and his collection of bronze and stone artefacts, and is of significant value to the study of extant bronzes.¹⁰

Wu Dacheng (1835-1902), also known as Kezhai, was a native of Wu County, Jiangsu Province (present-day Suzhou City), and a renowned scholar, epigrapher, calligrapher, and painter of the Qing Dynasty. The bronzes included in Kezhai Jigu Tu (Illustrated Collection of Ancient Bronze Artefacts from Kezhai) were all from Wu Dacheng’s collection.¹¹

Ritual and musical instruments were used in activities such as sacrifices, banquets, court visits, weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, and funerals. These ritual and musical instruments, through differences in materials, shapes, decorations, colours, inscriptions, and combinations, displayed different social ranks and value orientations.

The Jin Gong Pan (晋公盘) is probably the most famous exhibit in this section. Made during the reign of Duke Wen of Jin, it was part of his dowry for his eldest daughter. The water birds on the pan are lifelike and can even rotate, showcasing the highest level of bronze craftsmanship during the Spring and Autumn Period. The Shanghai Museum has a similarly shaped Zi Zhong Jiang Pan (子仲姜盘), also a dowry item for a daughter of the Jin state’s royal family during the Spring and Autumn Period. Both artefacts were once lost overseas; the Jin Gong Pan was recovered by Shanxi police, while the Zi Zhong Jiang Pan was donated by a patriotic entrepreneur.

After the Han Dynasty, the relationship between bronze ware and the ritual system gradually weakened, but the cultural connotations of the ritual and music system remained deeply ingrained in the Chinese national identity.¹²

About Shanxi Bronze Museum

Shanxi Bronze Museum, the branch museum of Shanxi Museum, is the first provincial bronze museum in China. There are more than 2200 bronzes in the museum from Taosi Site (2300 B.C. – 1900 B.C.) to Qin (221 B.C. – 207 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C. – A.D. 220) Dynasties through the Bronze Age.

It consists of 3 basic exhibits themed in “Glories of Bronze Age” 吉金光年, namely “Foundations of Chinese Civilisation” 华夏印迹 (the special status of Jin culture in the inheritance and development of Chinese civilisation), “World of Rites and Music” 礼乐春秋 (the distinctive features of Chinese bronzes as ritual utensils and the spiritual connotation of rites and music civilisation), and “Achievements In Technique and Arts” 技艺模范 (the advanced technology and outstanding contribution of ancient bronze casting).

Opening hours: 9:00 – 17:00 (closed on Mondays, the Lunar New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month.)

Ticket: Free, but you must register on their WeChat account for a ticket. Foreigners need to bring your passport.

Shanxi Bronze Museum 山西青铜博物馆
No. 13, Guangjing Road, Wanbailin District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province (about 9 km, 25 minutes’ drive to the south of Shanxi Museum)

Footnotes :

1. 商王朝国家政治疆域的地理架构为王畿、四土（四方）和四至三个层次。王畿是以商邑为轴心的商地；四土（四方）位于王畿之外，由商王朝贵族、官吏统治区域和从属于商王朝的方国活动区域共同组成，这是开放且不稳定的区域；四至，位于四土（四方）之外，是商王朝和商文化势力影响地区。从山西商代青铜器的分布和不同文化特征，可以看到从早商到晚商国家政治疆域三个层次的历时性变化。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
2. 近畿之外为边域。商代边域方国林立，甲骨文等文献记载的方国有百余个。今山西大部为商代西、北边域，分布有先方、土方、垣方、吉方、鬼方等方国，这些方国与商王朝时附时叛，交融共生，青铜文化地域特色鲜明。在晋陕高原黄河沿线的山西省保德、柳林、石楼、永和、吉县和陕西省榆林、绥德等地发现了大量商代晚期方国青铜器。青铜容器与典型商文化接近；带铃豆、舞铙、龙形觥等极具地方特点；铃首剑、蛇首匕等凸显北方草原风格。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
3. Similar to Chinese character 丙 ↩︎
4. 山西酒务头商代墓地系“匿”族墓地 出土600余件（组）器物
   发布时间：2022-12-01 13:54:10 | 来源：中国新闻网 | 作者：胡健 | 责任编辑：谢荣宇
   在出土的青铜器上，考古人员发现带有“匿”字铭文。据本次考古发掘项目领队马昇介绍，“匿”作为组合铭文或复合族氏铭文从未出现过，根据酒务头墓地墓葬的排列规律，初步断定此墓地应是一处“匿”族墓地。
   据马昇介绍，晋南的闻喜酒务头墓地、浮山桥北墓地、绛县东吴墓地和晋中的灵石旌介墓地，都位于山麓或山下一侧。这几处墓地(遗址)正好将太岳山—中条山西麓串连起来，形成一条南北走向的弧线。http://cul.china.com.cn/2022-12/01/content_42191121.htm ↩︎
5. “这条线其实是一条防御线，也是商代晚期商王朝实际掌控范围的西部边缘。商代晚期，商王朝西、北部势力范围不断收缩，其中一个原因就是要面对西、北两大强劲的敌对势力，这些势力对商王朝的西北边防构成了极大的威胁。”马昇介绍说。http://cul.china.com.cn/2022-12/01/content_42191121.htm ↩︎
6. 谢尧亭 主编/山西省考古研究院[等]编著. 倗金集萃:山西绛县横水西周墓地出土青铜器
   出版发行项:上海:上海古籍出版社,2021
   横水墓地位于绛县县城以西约11千米处，是新发现的一处西周封国倗国的墓地，墓地埋藏大中小型墓葬1300余座，2004年至2007年山西省考古研究所等单位进行联合考古发掘，已经全部发掘完毕。墓葬时代为西周早期至春秋早期。其中青铜容器墓葬80余座，出土食器、酒器、水器、乐器等各类青铜容器300余件，发现110余件青铜礼乐器上铸造有铭文，铭文显示的倗国不见于传世文献，是新发现的一个西周封国。倗国青铜器保存好，纹饰精美，铸造工艺精湛，长篇铭文较多，特别是新发现了多件与晋国和王室通婚的青铜器及王室和倗国来往的青铜重器，对于研究西周时期的分封制、礼制、宗法制和社会历史等具有重要价值。https://lib.lynu.edu.cn/space/searchDetailLocal/m58b7a94589e6813fd3038049c32160df accessed 28 Feb 2026 ↩︎
7. 喇叭口，方唇，深腹，平底，高圈足外撇下折成阶。颈、腹、圈足横截面均呈方形，外壁有四条竖扉棱。上腹蕉叶纹内饰兽面纹，其下饰鸟纹；下腹饰兽面纹；圈足上部饰鸟纹，下部饰兽面纹，均以云雷纹衬地。四合范铸造。圈足内壁铸铭文：孜父作厥文父丁宝彝。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
8. 霸国是文献失载的西周封国，为媿姓狄人所建，与周王室、晋国、倗国、燕国等国均有密切关系，约在春秋早期被晋国所灭。2007年发现的翼城县大河口墓地，经出土青铜器铭文证实是一处霸国墓地，面积约4万平方米，发掘西周早期至春秋早期墓葬2200余座，出土文物2.5万余件，其中礼乐器近300件。霸国墓地的发现为西周分封制度、器用制度和族群融合等研究提供了宝贵资料，被评为2010年度“全国十大考古新发现”。Museum information card, Nov 2025  ↩︎
9. 参考文献：谢尧亭；王金平；杨及耘；李永敏；张王俊.
   山西翼城大河口西周墓地一号墓发掘［J］.考古学报，2020，（02）：177-290+309+311-368
   山西省临汾市翼城县大河口霸国墓地1号墓出土食器。侈口，卷沿，方唇，垂鼓腹，两侧置龙首半环形竖耳，耳下有勾状小珥。圜底，斜直圈足，方座。外底中部设一半环形弯钩，悬挂一合瓦形凹口小铃铛。腹上部和圈足各饰一周夔龙纹，腹部和底座均饰菱格乳钉雷纹，底座顶面四角均饰兽面纹，以云雷纹衬地。四合范铸造。 ↩︎
10. 晚清海派画家任薰绘制，分上、下两卷，现藏上海博物馆。画面展现了吴大澂和他收藏的金石文物，对传世青铜器的研究具有重要的价值。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
11. 吴大澂（1835-1902），号愙斋，江苏吴县（今苏州市）人，清代著名学者、金石学家和书画家。《愙斋集古图》中收录的青铜器均为吴大澂的收藏。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
12. 将青铜器作为礼器使用，中国在世界上是独一无二的。
    礼乐文明是中国古代文明的重要组成部分。礼和乐相辅相成，构成完整有序的社会政治文化制度。大到治国安邦，小到个人修养，礼乐制度指导和规范着社会生活的方方面面。
    在举行祭祀、宴享、朝聘、婚冠、丧葬等活动时，均使用礼乐器。这些礼乐器，通过材质、形态、装饰、色彩、铭文和组合方式的差异，显示了人们不同的身份等级和价值取向。
    汉代以后，青铜器与礼制之间的关系逐渐淡化，但礼乐制度的文
    化内涵已融入中华民族的血脉之中。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎