中国青铜器的奥秘 Chinese Bronzes A General Introduction

Chinese bronzes were only the daily utensils,work tools and weapons of the people of ancient times,but also exquisite works of master craftsmen which have been handed down from generation to generation.Their beautiful forms,elaborate decorations and the moving stories that were cast on them have attracted the attention and aroused the interest of lovers of bronzes at home and abroad.
This book,copiously illustrated with colour pictures and sketches,is recommended to readers who wish to explore the wonder of Chinese bronzes.In language comprehensible to the layman,it supplies a basic knowledge on Chinese bronze art:its origin,periods of development and its value as regards the study of ancient history and ancient *.The author is a specialist who has personally participated in many major archaeological excavations and researched into this subject on the latest results of the study and excavations of Chinese bronzes.

Li Xueqin,was born in March 1933 in Beijing where he studied philosophy in Tsinghua University.He began his academic career in 1952,when he took part in editing Collation of the Oracle-Bone In*ions of the Yin Ruins under the auspices of the Institute

Preface
The Origin of Chinese Bronzes
Classification of Bronzes
“The Earth Cherishes No Treasure”
A Long History of Development
Testaments of Ancient History
From Pictographs to Seal and Clerical Scripts
Myth and Reality
Technique of Bronze Casting
Characteristics of Fine Arts
Bronze Mirrors, Belt Hooks, Seals and Coins
The Spread of Culture and Cultural Exchange
Endless New Discoveries
Appendixes
Chronology of Chinese Dynasties
Reigning Periods of the Later Shang, Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou Dynasties
Index