Bronze metallurgy in China originated in what is referred to as the Erlitou period, which some historians argue places it within the Shang.Chang, K. C.: "Studies of Shang Archaeology", pp. 6–7, 1. Yale University Press, 1982. Others believe the Erlitou sites belong to the preceding Xia dynasty.Chang, K. C.: "Studies of Shang Archaeology", p. 1. Yale University Press, 1982. The United States National Gallery of Art defines the Chinese Bronze Age as , a period that begins with the Erlitou culture and ends abruptly with the disintegration of Western Zhou rule.
Bronze metallurgy in China originated in what is referred to as the Erlitou period, which some historians argue places it within the Shang.Chang, K. C.: "Studies of Shang Archaeology", pp. 6–7, 1. Yale University Press, 1982. Others believe the Erlitou sites belong to the preceding Xia dynasty.Chang, K. C.: "Studies of Shang Archaeology", p. 1. Yale University Press, 1982. The United States National Gallery of Art defines the Chinese Bronze Age as , a period that begins with the Erlitou culture and ends abruptly with the disintegration of Western Zhou rule.