During the Yin (1300 B. C. 每 1046 B. C., name of the Shang Dynasty after it moved its capital to Yin [present-day Xiaotun Village, Northwest of Anyang, Henan Province]) & Shang (1600 B. C. 每 1046 B. C.) dynasties, Bronze Culture appeared in northern China, and at the same time, Impressed Pottery Culture made its appearance in Zhejiang. It was a magnificent creation, as well as an adaptation to the local resources through the hard struggling against the natural world around the ancient Yue tribe. In the Shang & Zhou dynasties (1046 B. C. 每 256 B. C.), the earliest professional impressed pottery kilns appeared in Shangyu, Zhejiang. The Xiaoshan Maowanli impressed pottery kiln relic excavated in 1956 is a well-protected site of a typical kiln in the Spring & Autumn Period (722 B. C. 每 481 B. C.) or Warring States Period (475 B. C. 每 221 B. C.). Among the excavations, there are lots of pottery fragments and deserted inferior wares with figures of the Chinese character ※Mi§ meaning ※Rice§ and pane patterns decorated on the surface. Both the outside and the inside are painted with a thin layer of cyan ceramic glaze. These excavations are hard and dense in modeling, easy to absorb the moisture, thick-bottomed, delicate and thin in body figures, plain-colored in surface and with helix veins inside. These clues show the pottery-making level then was highly developed.   
   Impressed Pottery Culture〞 geometrical patterns on the fragments of the pottery ware

In the Spring & Autumn and Warring States Period, Zhejiang belonged to two different states: the majority belonged to Yue State and a small part belonged to Wu State. Huiji was the capital of the Yue State then; and under the rule of the King Goujian, the state was very powerful compared to other states of China. The bronze and iron tools were applied in farming, the vintage and textile industry were emerging, and the metal smelting industry and ceramics were highly developed. The appearance of the original porcelains with cyan ceramic glazes marks the start of the processing of the Chinese celadon. The bronze culture represented by the well-known Longquan bronze double-edged swords is the concentrative reflection of the social economy and culture at that time. 
   
The Bronze Culture of Yue State, one of the Five Overlords of the Spring and Autumn Period, reached its peak then. The excavated bronze wares are large in quantity and with distinctive local flavors. They have a great positive impact on the surrounding areas, even abroad. There are such delicate works of art as a bronze calyx with turtle patterns (excavated in Changxing County), a bronze plate with dragon patterns (in Wenling County), and the most famous ones: ※Copper House with Instrument Players inside§ and Longquan Swords.
 
  Bronze Culture

In 1982, a tomb of late Spring & Autumn Period was excavated in Mt. Lion of Potang, Shaoxing. There were altogether 17 bronze wares. Their various shapes, delicate craftwork and beautiful veins made them the masterpieces of the burial furnishings in Zhejiang Province. Among these bronze wares, the ※Copper House with Instrument Players inside§ stood out with refined craftsmanship and pleasant colors. It provided precious material for the study of the Chinese arts of performance because it displays six genuflecting performers playing with great concentration and calmness.  
   
During the period, Wuge (daggers made in Wu State) and Yuejian (swords made in Yue) were top weapons pursued by all emperors in history. About 490 B.C., the metal smelting industry was highly developed in Yue State. The Yuewang Swords (swords of the king of Yue) were the most famous handicrafts then. The ancients in Zhejiang already grasped the techniques of steel making and heat treatment foundry. The flexible and sharp Longquan Swords (a kind of double-edged swords made in Longquan county) have enjoyed high praises along the Chinese history. From the excavations of Zhejiang and the provinces nearby, the bronze Yuejian was not only the weapon of the rulers when they were alive, but also the precious belongings to be buried alongside their dead bodies. The tale of the sword-making couple, Gan Jiang & Mo Ye, has come down till today.