This sword is composed of an iron blade and a hilt with a bronze core and iade shell. There is a piece of turquoise inlaid where the hilt meets the blade. It has been confirmed by close examination that this is China's oldest manually smelted iron artefact, formed by smelting the pieces of iron and forging them together. 

Its discovery is of great scientific importance as it clarifies that Chinese iron smelting began at least 200 years earlier than previously believed.