China has succeeded in copying the famous ancient bronze swords of Wu and Yue kingdoms in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.).

The technique of making bronze swords in China reached its peak in the two kingdoms more than 2,000 years ago.

China has excavated swords of Fu Chai, king of Wu Kingdom; Gou Jian, king of Yue Kingdom; and many other kings at that time. All the discoveries are regarded as invaluable treasures for their advanced techniques like founding, grinding and jewelry inlaying, which present artisans cannot master.

An artwork company based in Fuzhou, a port city in Fujian Province in southeast China, has successfully produced replicas of Fu Chai and Gou Jian's swords, and they were confirmed to have the similar art value as the real samples, according to experts and scholars specializing in the research of bronzes and ancient weapons.

The success in copying the ancient swords will contribute to the reviving of the traditional Chinese culture, experts said.

(People's Daily 11/27/2000)