【Date and Time】2026年2月4日（水）10:00-12:00
【Venue】
The Main Conference Room, The 3rd floor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo
or Zoom (registration from here)
【Language】Chinese and English (The lecture will be in Chinese)
【Title】Sanxingdui Bronzes and Metallurgical Network in the Shang Dynasty
【Lecturer】
Prof. Jianjun Mei
Director, The Needham Research Institute, Cambridge
The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge
【Moderator】田中有紀（東京大学東洋文化研究所）
【Abstract】
Since their discovery in 1986, scholars have carried out considerable in-depth research work on the Sanxingdui bronzes, including scientific analyses,revealing a series of characteristics of manufacturing technology and materials. With the revelation of these characteristics, the relationship between the Sanxingdui bronzes and bronze cultures in the surrounding areas has become a key issue that perplexes the academic circle. Many scholars have expressed their views on this. Some believe that the Sanxingdui bronzes are closely related to metallurgical traditions in the Central Plains or the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, while others emphasize their local or indigenous cultural characteristics. This talk will first review previous scientific research work on the Sanxingdui bronzes, especially the research results obtained in recent years, and will then discuss the regional characteristics of bronze metallurgy in the Shang Dynasty and the technical connections and cultural interactions between different regions. Finally, it will examine the position of the Sanxingdui bronzes in the metallurgical network of the Shang Dynasty, and point out that the regional metallurgical innovations based on the local religious or ideological systems could have acted as a driving force behind the emergence and prosperity of the Sanxingdui bronzes.
【Organizer】
East Asian Academy for New Liberal Arts, The University of Tokyo
Department of Chinese Thought and Culture, The University of Tokyo