Exquisite bronze artifacts, ranging from tall, slender wine vessels to large, ornate wine containers, along with their elaborate production illustrations, give visitors a chance to appreciate the intricate patterns and technical mastery of ancient Chinese artisans.

About 20 of those ancient relics highlight the Marvel of Bronze section of the ongoing Technological Archaeology and Heritage Protection Exhibition that will last through to June 2 at the Chinese Archaeological Museum in Beijing. The section vividly showcases how those works of art were made, beginning with ore processing to metal and then casting with piecemolds.

"Modern tools like X-ray imaging and metallographic analysis have helped us study bronze artifacts in detail," says Liu Yu, a researcher of the technological archaeology and cultural heritage protection lab, of the Chinese Academy of History.

Traditional and modern methods were then applied to restore the bronzes, ensuring they retain their historical integrity, she adds.

This unit provides a comprehensive look at the entire life cycle of ancient Chinese bronze production, from mining and alloying to casting, as well as modern restoration, Liu says.

Visitors can appreciate the sophistication of ancient Chinese metallurgy, such as intricate patterns and artisans' precision.

"One of the most distinctive features of Chinese bronze craftsmanship is the use of piece-mold casting. Unlike Western traditions, which relied on forging and lost-wax casting, ancient Chinese artisans used clay molds to create intricate ritual vessels," Liu explains.

Piece-mold casting allowed for the creation of highly detailed and complex ritual vessels, which played a central role in Chinese ceremonial and political life, she adds.

A model of the vessel was made, and clay molds were pressed around it. These molds were assembled into a whole before molten bronze was poured in. Once cooled, the mold was broken away, and the vessel was cleaned and polished.

"The ancient craft was so extraordinary that you can barely find the traces of assembly, such as pouring gates and risers (a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities), or mold lines on the surface," Liu adds.

The domination of the complex bronze production in ancient China, especially during the Shang (c.16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (c.11th century-256 BC) dynasties, was due to the fact that bronze vessels weren't just functional but came to symbolize political power and were used in rituals, she explains.

Bronze is among the five thematic sections, along with ancient pottery, jade artifacts, textile and modern lab restoration, at the exhibition hosted by the Chinese Academy of History with inputs from archaeological facilities in Gansu, Jiangxi and Henan provinces, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

A small but extraordinary piece of pottery, unearthed from the Xianren Cave site in Wannian county, Jiangxi province, took center stage at the exhibition. Dating back 20,000 to 19,000 years, this fragment is not only the oldest known pottery in China but also the earliest evidence of pottery used for cooking food in the world.

According to Liu Guoxiang, director of the Chinese Archaeological Museum, the age of the pottery was determined through stratigraphic analysis and carbon-14 dating. "In recent years, the integration of technology into archaeology — from excavation and preservation to interpretation and display — has become increasingly vital," he says.

The Xianren Cave pottery fragment reveals that ancient Chinese communities were already crafting and using pottery. Over the following millennia, Chinese ceramics evolved through remarkable technological advancements, artistic diversity, and continuous production, becoming a unique phenomenon in ceramic history worldwide.

Painted pottery includes double-handled pots and jars that were rooted in the Majiayao culture, which boasts more than 5,000 years of history and is based in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and its tributaries.

Despite the passage of thousands of years, the intricate and unique patterns on these artifacts remain strikingly vivid.

Painted pottery fragments dating back around 9,000 years have been unearthed at the Shangshan site in Pujiang county, Zhejiang province. It suggests prehistoric potters had mastered the technique of painting mineral pigments onto pottery surfaces before firing, experts say.

This innovation gave rise to painted pottery, where vibrant designs contrasted beautifully with the unadorned clay, creating a distinct aesthetic, they add.

Another treasure showcased at the exhibition is a remarkable painted pottery jar unearthed from the Dadianzi site in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia. This artifact is a stunning example of the Lower Xiajiadian culture, which dates back between 4,000 and 3,400 years.

"Painted pottery is one of the most representative inventions of the Lower Xiajiadian culture," Liu Guoxiang says.

At the Dadianzi cemetery, a total of 420 painted pottery pieces have been discovered, accounting for about 25 percent of the burial pottery. Analysis shows that these painted pottery pieces used carbon-infused black or dark gray surfaces as the base, adorned with patterns in white, red, and orange-yellow, Liu notes.

The clay surface was polished to a smooth finish, which, after firing, proved ideal for painting, while the dark base enhanced the visibility and aesthetic appeal of the bright-colored designs, he explains.

Experts highlight that the invention of painted pottery marked a groundbreaking innovation that spread from the East to the West, serving as a primary channel for early cultural exchanges between East and West and is considered a precursor to the Silk Road.

The jade unit features 70 artifacts, tracing nearly 10,000 years of craftsmanship in China. Highlights include a set of three hooks from different eras, including the late Neolithic Hongshan culture, around 6,500 to 4,900 years ago, marked by its use of delicate jade ware.

They illustrate the evolution and cultural exchange of jade artifacts across millennia.

The Splendor of Textiles section presents five artifacts, focusing on ancient textile craftsmanship, featuring advanced braiding, twisting, and weaving skills of textile artisans.

Toward the end of the exhibition is the laboratory archaeology display area, where a glass-enclosed workspace offers visitors a rare opportunity to witness the meticulous process of artifact restoration up close.

Inside, Fan Rongnan is focusing on the virtual 3D reconstruction of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) dragon head, unearthed from the ancient city of Xiongzhou, located in what is today's Xiong'an New Area, Hebei province. Fragments of the dragon head are carefully arranged on the table, showcasing the painstaking effort required to piece together history.

"The dragon head artifact we're showcasing is a classic example of laboratory archaeology," says Fan, a second-year graduate student under the researcher Liu Yong from the archaeological science and cultural heritage protection lab, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Based on stratigraphic and typological analysis, we've determined that it dates back to the Tang Dynasty. This artifact is a ceramic architectural component, originally placed on a roof," Fan explains.

The dragon head isn't just a dull gray — it retains traces of colorful paint. For example, the left eye is black, surrounded by a faint green eyeliner, Fan adds.

Archaeologists have employed a variety of advanced techniques to study the dragon head, including 3D laser scanning, multi-angle 3D imaging, and surface fluorescence analysis, which captured detailed information about the fragments' morphology and painted components.

The data collected provided a scientific foundation for the preservation and restoration of the dragon head, Fan says.

She has been demonstrating the piecing together of fragments at the exhibition. "The numbered fragments in the tray show the initial condition of the artifact. These pieces have already been cleaned and desalinated, and now the task is to assemble them," Fan explains.

Liu Yu says the exhibition not only celebrates "the ingenuity of our ancestors" but also highlights the transformative role of technology in "preserving and understanding our shared heritage".

"Through the power of technological archaeology and cultural heritage preservation, we can decode the fragments of the past, unlocking the secrets of the past and bringing their brilliance back to life," Liu says.

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