Study On The Bronze In Hexi Corridor In The Period Before Emperor Hanwu

Hexi Corridor located in the Silk Road; it is the vital communication line between the Central Plain and the West Asia, also the important channel of spreading bronze culture to the East Asia. There are abundant bronze smelting sites in Hexi Corridor. The style of the bronzes was affected by the prairie culture in Central Asia and West Asia. Bronze smelting sites in Hexi Corridor were intactly preserved, the bronzes are numerous and rich in cultural types. So, Hexi Corridor is one of the important areas to explore the origin of the Chinese metallurgy.The typical metal culture types in Hexi Corridor are Majiayao culture, Qijia culture, Xichengyi culture, Siba culture and Shajing culture. The copper unearthed in Majiaoyao and Qijia cultural sites were both pure copper. Thus, the bronzes unearthed in Hexi Corridor are from Siba and Shajing culture. According to the classification of the bronze wares unearthed in these two culture relics, a specific number has been concluded. The total number of the bronzes in Hexi Corridor is 1,581, the bronzes in Siba relics is 343 and 1,238 in Shajing relics. Based on the analysis of the bronzes in Hexi Corridor in the period before the emperor Hanwu, it can be concluded the bronzes was introduced into central plains from Central Asia and West Asia via Hexi Corridor. The metallurgy technology of Siba culture was affected by Majiayao culture Qijia culture. In the process of west development it was not only absorb the characteristic of steppe nomads but also had effect on the metallurgy in Central Plain.Discovering of the bronze smelting sites in Hexi Corridor imitates the people in that time has already managed the metallurgy technology even a quite tall level. More attention should be paid to protect the bronze smelting sites.