Ritual wine vessel (pou)

Regional Bronze Styles

Shang culture and political power were strongly rooted during the middle years of the dynasty (1300-1050 BCE). However, in a cycle that was to be repeated over and over later in Chinese history, late in the dynasty its central authority weakened while a number of increasingly independent regional cultures developed. Although these cultures used the same techniques to cast their bronzes, and in some cases the same scripts for inscriptions, their artistic styles were quite varied.