Judging from the handicrafts unearthed in this area during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, no matter whether it is ornamentation or modeling, only superb casting technology can be completed. It is no exaggeration to say that wuyue was the core area of manufacturing technology during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In this regard, many people will inevitably have doubts. Why did wuyue have the most advanced casting technology at that time?
1. The ceremony broke down and the princes competed for hegemony.
Since ancient times, the art of casting swords in wuyue ranks first in the world, especially during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The weapons made in wuyue are not only exquisite, but also practical, and the casting technology of the two countries has also made a great leap at this stage. The development of casting technology at this stage is closely related to the social environment at that time.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the history of China was at a turning point. Feudal ethics tends to collapse, the patriarchal relationship between the vassal state and the Zhou royal family is weakening day by day, and the restraint and binding force of the Zhou royal family on the vassal state is gradually weakening. In this era of the collapse of rites and music, vassal States began to seize the opportunity to reduce their troops and enhance their strength in an attempt to dominate other countries, and the social situation changed dramatically in this era.
Wuyue is remote, and its behavior and folk customs are far from the Central Plains civilization. Before, due to the oppression of strength, I had to accept the constraints of the Zhou emperor, but at that time, when the vassal States were falling apart and their respective kings were sealed. Wuyue naturally followed.
2. North-South confrontation, find another way out
At that time, the Central Plains was the main gathering place for feudal lords to compete for hegemony, and the overall situation was "North-South opposition". The northern part is mainly Qi Jin, and the southern part is wuyue. At the beginning of the war, it was mainly a car war, but with the continuous expansion of the scale of the war and the constant change of the purpose of the war, the importance of infantry in the war process gradually increased.
Therefore, countries have to recruit soldiers and streamline their equipment. Especially in the late Warring States period, the battles between vassal states became more and more frequent. In this case, the quality of weapons is closely related to the outcome of the war.
Not only the neighboring vassal states of the Central Plains, but also the remote wuyue joined the hegemony. Different from other vassal states, wuyue is located in a barbarian land, and its geographical position is at a disadvantage. Therefore, if we want to win the initiative in the war, we must find another way.
So the two countries came up with the idea of improving the combat strength of the army by casting good weapons, thus winning the battle for hegemony between vassal States. In this fighting atmosphere, the sword-wielding style of princes and nobles gradually prevailed at that time, which accelerated the development of casting technology in wuyue and China to some extent.
1. took the lead in casting daggers, and then made innovations.
Tracing back to the source, wuyue's casting technology was developed under the influence of a strong casting history. The casting technology adopted in this era is mainly bronze casting technology.
By the middle of Shang Dynasty, bronze casting technology in the Central Plains began to be introduced to wuyue, and Wuyue was rich in copper, tin and other mineral resources, so it gradually developed into the most prosperous casting technology in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Most of the bronze swords that have been handed down to this day are cast by wuyue, which actually confirms the legend of Mo Xie. The legend of evil Mo Xie itself refers to casting everyone. In fact, the earliest bronze daggers were developed in wuyue. Later, due to rich resources and increasing demand, bronze casting technology was rapidly improved.
Wuyue is actually divided into two countries, which first developed in the State of Wu, while wuyue is geographically entangled and very similar in folk customs. Therefore, after the extensive development of bronze casting technology in Wu State, it was soon introduced to Yue State. Therefore, the casting technology originated from the State of Wu first became the common wealth of wuyue and China.
2. The main weapons were dropped, and the struggle was accelerated.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, casting techniques in wuyue and China were mainly used to make weapons and swords. In fact, the main reason for the continuous development of its casting technology is also based on the actual situation of the two countries in the feudal hegemony.
In order to better adapt to the skilled use of swords by different soldiers, the two countries found a new way in sword casting, which made the sword casting have the characteristics of stabbing and splitting, which accelerated the development of sword casting technology in wuyue and other places to some extent.
1. Prosperous Jiangnan, a national treasure.
In wuyue area at that time, the most developed casting technology was Jiangnan area. Compared with other areas in wuyue, Jiangnan is far ahead in casting technology, mainly because of its different social conditions. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, countries mainly practiced slavery. Under this system, slaves lack personal rights.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, slavery was replaced by feudalism, and great changes took place in society. In this case, Jiangnan area was the first area in wuyue to accept the social transformation of feudal system. Therefore, the rapid development of casting technology has helped the five mountains compete for hegemony in armaments. According to "Kaoji" records:
From this record, we can know that wuyue's rich resources provide superior conditions for the development of foundry industry, and it has its own casting technology that has been passed down to this day. So in this case, it is reasonable that the casting technology is becoming more and more exquisite. Since its own historical records, there are countless famous swords in wuyue, such as Historical Records, Wu Yue Chun Qiu and other ancient books, all of which introduce the exquisite casting skills of wuyue's famous swords.
Among the castings unearthed in wuyue and China, Jian Peijun Sword, a famous sword of the King of Yue, represents the superb casting technology of wuyue at that time. Although this piece has been buried underground for more than two thousand years when it was unearthed, it is still sharp. According to records, during the excavation, hundreds of Xuan papers were chiseled, which were later exhibited at home and abroad.
It can be said that this not only represents the casting technology in wuyue, but also represents the casting technology in ancient China. This is available. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, wuyue was indeed ahead of other countries in casting technology, and it happened that General Mo Xie was a famous casting expert at this stage.
Wuyue Gu Jian has been unearthed at present. Despite historical changes, most of them are rusty and no longer the same. But it still shines with the casting wisdom of the ancients and the history and glory of wuyue casting art in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At present, it is not only a research specimen, but also a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation for 5 thousand years.
2. The wider the iron material, the finer the casting.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, wuyue's casting techniques were mainly sword casting. Macroscopically, the development of its casting technology has promoted the social transformation of wuyue weapons to some extent. As mentioned earlier, during the Warring States period, with the continuous increase of war frequency, chariot warfare gradually declined and infantry gradually rose. In this case, the role of the sword in the war is even more played out.
It can be said that it was the standard armament of combat soldiers at that time. As far as the material of sword is concerned, wuyue and China in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were rich in mineral resources and had excellent casting technology, but the smelting technology was still limited for most vassal states at that time, so bronze swords were mainly used. With the development of casting technology in wuyue and China, iron swords quickly replaced bronze swords.
Moreover, the famous foundry artists in wuyue and China also innovated the length of the sword and improved its attack ability as a weapon. It can be said that the development of sword in wuyue has a long-term foundation. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the people of wuyue even died lightly with heavy swords. With the unification of the six countries, Jian later withdrew from the war stage, but it is still widely circulated with its superb technology and long history.
Because of its long history, the scope and depth of its culture have been expanding in the process of communication. In different fields, swords are endowed with different cultural connotations. In the political field, it is a symbol of power; In the field of art. It is a literary color. Its birthplace, wuyue, has been a place where casting technology flourished since ancient times. Even now, its position in the history of China weapon casting is unparalleled.
By studying the history of the development of casting technology in wuyue during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, we can see that a large part of the reason for the development of casting technology depends on the social environment at that time, the war in successive years, the alternating terrain between land and water, and only relying on weapons that are conducive to combat.
This actually highlights the importance of swords or weapons in wuyue, and the rich mineral resources have laid the foundation for the development of its foundry industry. It is because of the development of casting technology that wuyue and China began to use swords, leaving many handicrafts and casting skills for the world.
References:
history
Examination record