Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 9, 2025

The Diversity and Integration of Bronze Cultures in Southwest China

(Abstract)

Shi Jinsong

The bronze cultures of Southwest China together formed a distinctive cultural unit within the Chinese Bronze Age. This unit encompassed three cultural zones: the Sichuan Basin, the Western Sichuan Plateau, and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. While these regions shared certain features, their cultural and social development processes also differed considerably. The diversity of Southwest bronze cultures was shaped by a complex interplay of factors: varied geographical and ecological environments, the coexistence of multiple ethnic groups, multi-layered channels of regional interaction, and divergent choices and techniques in bronze-making technologies. After reaching their respective peaks, the local bronze cultures gradually began to merge with the culture of the Central Plains. Several key factors propelled the integration of the region’s complex and diverse bronze cultures: the enduring centripetal pull generated by the “double-petaled flower” structure of prehistoric Chinese culture; the multiple strategies of development and governance implemented by the Qin and Han dynasties in the southwest; the spread of iron tools and smelting technologies; the growth of agricultural economies; and the introduction and use of Chinese writing.