Chinese ritual bronzes were status symbols for rulers and aristocrats in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The amount of food or wine containers and musical instruments used in the rituals were carefully chosen to reflect the different ranks of the nobility. By the Eastern Zhou dynasty, with Confucianism rising to become a significant ethical and philosophical belief system, rituals became a means to govern the state and regulate social behaviour.

From the Song and Yuan dynasties onwards, antiquarianism became influential. This is reflected in the sizeable Song imperial collection of bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Many of these objects were also replicated in great quantities. During the Xuanhe reign, Wang Fu was ordered by Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty to compile the Xuanhe Bogu Tu (Illustrated Catalogue of Antique Objects from the Xuanhe Hall). This catalogue records the vast imperial collection of bronze vessels that date from the Shang to the Tang dynasties, exerting a great influence on the development of later vessel forms.

Throughout the history of China, the Zhou dynasty was regarded by many rulers and literati figures as the pinnacle of state rituals. The Qianlong Emperor, for instance, exhorted his court and craftsmen to produce objects in emulation of archaic bronze vessels. These come in various mediums such as jade, bamboo, and painted enamels; as well as in various shapes such as ding, zun, hu, and gu. The emperor’s allusion to concepts of “antiquity”, “rites of Zhou”, and “antiquarianism” not only harks back to the origin of traditional Han philosophy, but also allows him to create a specific ritual system that fused old and new vessels. For instance, the mention in Huangchao Liqi Tushi (Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty) of the “ritual vessels designated by imperial order in the thirteenth year of Qianlong reign” point to the symbolic function of both the rituals and the vessels employed. As a result, the message of centralised imperial power could be delivered even to those who never had a chance to meet the emperor in person. Moreover, the Qianlong Emperor also made the unprecedented decision to include Western paraphernalia and procession equipment in the category of ritual and ceremonial objects in the same illustrated regulations. Other changes include the replacement of bronze vessels with porcelains for use in ceremonies. In subsequent reigns, even colourful porcelains were used. For instance, the five offerings mentioned in Da-Qing Huidian (Collected Statutes of the Great Qing) were used exclusively for ceremonies at the Temple of Heaven during the Kangxi reign. During the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns, however, they also appeared in rituals conducted by the general public.

This section introduces the functions of early bronze vessels and traces the long history of rituals and ceremonies in China. Moreover, the antiquarian movement and the new transformations that took place during the Qianlong reign also attest to the timeless quality of Confucian ideals as well as the various innovative attempts in updating rituals throughout history.