Review and prospect of metallurgical history research in China

Metallurgical technology has played an important role in the origin and development of Chinese civilization, and the source and flow of Chinese metallurgical technology has always been a hot issue of academic concern. Through the systematic analysis of early copper and copper smelting industry in Northwest China, Central China, Central Asia and West Asia, it is concluded that the early development of copper smelting industry in Northwest China is the premise of maintaining cultural interaction with Central Asia. The Northwest of China did not accept the metallurgy from Central Asia and beyond passively, but took the initiative to transform and utilize it, and constantly formed its own characteristics. The true rise of metallurgy in the Central Plains and the formation of an independent Chinese style was finally realized in the late Erlitou culture." Recently, Chinese scholars have demonstrated in real objects that the cultural exchanges between China and the West took place in the Eurasian steppe, and that the development of Chinese civilization is a history of continuous exchanges between Chinese culture and the excellent cultures of other countries or nations in the world. Archaeological evidence also shows that there are several core areas of bronze civilization in China, and the archaeological culture in the Central Plains also has an influence from east to west. Although many research results have been achieved, the understanding of the origin, transmission process and transmission mechanism of metallurgical technology in China is still unclear, and the research on the similarities and differences of metallurgical handicraft industry between Central Plains and frontier areas in the pre-Qin period, and the relationship between metallurgy and regional civilization development are still not in-depth. Therefore, the research methods of metallurgical archaeology should be further developed and the metallurgical sites in the pre-Qin period should be investigated. It is of great academic significance to systematically sort out and analyze the existing and newly discovered archaeological data, clarify the development of metallurgical handicraft industry in Central Plains and border areas and their mutual relations, and put forward the regular understanding of the relationship between metallurgical technology and civilization development in early China.

(2) The formation of iron and steel technical system in ancient China and its economic and social impact

Through the comprehensive study of metallography and chronology, it can be inferred that the earliest use of artificial iron smelting products in China can be advanced to the 14th century BC, and the earliest use of iron ware in Xinjiang is earlier than the 10th century BC. After the technology of block iron smelting spread to the Central Plains in the late Western Zhou Dynasty and the early Spring and Autumn period, it rapidly developed into a technical system of pig iron. The spread of pig iron technology to the northwest, southwest and northeast of China, especially to Vietnam, the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese islands, has been deeply studied. These research results build a more detailed development process of ancient Chinese iron and steel technology, indicating that pig iron smelting and raw iron steel technology system is another major creation of ancient Chinese metallurgical technology, although starting from the iron smelting and raw iron steel technology in China has been relatively sufficient research. However, the time and mechanism of the origin of iron smelting technology in China, the significance of large-scale use of pig iron, the invention of stir-frying steel technology and its judgment criteria, the formation and mechanism of steel pouring technology system, the formation time and source of crucible iron making technology still need to be further studied. The question of the formation of the technical system of iron and steel in ancient China should also be discussed in a broader archaeological context, and archaeological evidence should be selected from various aspects, such as ore raw materials, blast technology, refractory materials, furnace structure, and operation process. In addition, the research on the effect of pig iron and raw iron steel technology on social progress is also worthy of attention. On the basis of the full investigation of domestic and foreign documents, the investigation of iron-smelting sites, the analysis of smelting relics and the arrangement of archaeological data are combined for comprehensive research, and the issue of the technical exchange of iron and iron-smelting is placed in the framework of the entire history of material and cultural exchange, so as to make a breakthrough in the overall analysis of the exchange and dissemination between the East and the West as well as between China and neighboring countries.