Li Hongfei
On the Western-Zhou Burials at the Liangwangcheng Site and the Date of the Sacrificial Relics at Qiuwan, Tongshan.............................................................77

Abstract：The Western Zhou tombs excavated at the Liangwangcheng site can be divided into three phases, each phase of which should correspond to early, middle and late phases of the Western Zhou dynasty respectively. The burials made the preliminary chronological standards for Western Zhou tombs in the border area of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces. Evident features of the Yinxu culture can be observed in pottery wares unearthed from those tombs. Joint tombs of a couple, a Shang tradition, have come to light for the first time in the Lingwangcheng tombs. According to the latest data and research, the sacrificial relics at Qiuwan, Tongshan, should date to the Western Zhou period. The correction of its date is of great significance in understanding the archaeological feature of yinshe in the Western Zhou period.

Li Shuicheng
On the Maces/Mace Heads of the Three Dynasties in the Central Plains.................................................................................................................86

Abstract：Previous studies argued that maces/mace heads only appeared in the Chinese borderlands in the initial stage of their introduction into China. According to this opinion, early dynasties in the Central Plains of China did not accept the usage of maces or mace heads, which were of foreign origins. This article has systematically studied maces/mace heads found in the archaeological sites of Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi provinces. It is clear that these artifacts all came from high-level tombs in the capital areas of sandai, “Three Dynasties.” Occupants of these burials include vassal state rulers, their spouses, senior officials, military leaders or other high elites. It shows that some high-level social groups of sandai adopted maces and juxtaposed them with bronze axes, as well as traditional ceremonial utensils in China (e.g., ritual bronzes). These objects, all together, constituted symbols for kingship, royal power and status. This new view is of great significance in broading our understanding of the early cultural exchanges between the East and the West.

Han Jinqiu Yang Bingjun
On the Origin and Development of the Ball-Shapped Bells during the Shang and Zhou Periods..............................................................................................96

Abstract：This article focuses on the origin and development of the ball-shaped bronze bells in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The author analyzes the origin of ball-shaped bronze bells in three aspects, including motivation, background and prototype. At the beginning of the Spring and Autumn period, the ball-shaped bronze bells declined, which became decorative ornaments on clothes.

Yang Yong and Bai Yunxiang
On Mirror Molds from the Linzi City Site of the Qi State and the Mirror-Casting Technique of the Han Period..............................................................102

Abstract： Ceramic molds were crucial in casting bronze mirrors in ancient China, the making process of which was the key in mirror-casting technique. Ceramic mirror molds unearthed at the Linzi City Site of the Qi state show significant developments in comparison with those of the pre-Qin period. A lot of rice-husk ashes was added during the making of the mirror molds. They were also baked at a comparatively high temperature. The Linzi molds were of low-density texture and with a lot of pores, which were ideal for casting mirrors and could be utilized for multiple times. In addition, the development of mirror-mold techniques, especially the common application of motif-carving technique, contributed greatly to the mold quality and artistic value. The developed technique also greatly improved mirror-casting efficiency.

Chen Haowen
A Retrospect into the Evil-Sprits Guards in the Mortuary Context of the Eastern-Han Period..........................................................................................116

Abstract：The protruding-tongue evil-sprits mortuary guards were popular in the Xiajiang region of the Eastern Han dynasty, as well as Xiangyang, Nanyang. The location advantage of Xiangyang was an important reason for the distribution of evil-sprits guards. They were very common among large and medium size burials, which reflects possible intensive interactions between Xiajiang and the Central Plains.

Feng Mian
On the Origin and Development of the Turquoise Blue Glaze Technique........................................................................................................124

Abstract：Turquoise blue glaze is essential in the low-temperature glaze system of Chinese ceramics. Based on the preparation of turquoise blue glaze, potassium oxide could be used as a flux in the low-temperature glaze of China and paved the technical foundation for the Jingdezhen glaze technique. No systematic study of the turquoise-blue-glaze origin was carried out. Most scholars argued that turquoise-blue-glaze technique in China was influenced by the related technique on Islamic pottery. However, analyses of turquoise blue glaze of the Jin and Yuan dynasties show that various recipes coexisted, rather than a uniform technique. The author has conducted an investigation of dates, regional traditions and the technological developments of the turquoise blue glazed artifacts. He argues that the turquoise-blue-glaze technique in China came into being by adding nitrate into Huangdan, a material related to low-temperature lead-glaze production. The technique was eventually stabalized after the middle Yuan dynasty.

Han Jiangsu
On Hu, Piao and You in the Oracle Bone Inscriptions......................................................................................................131

Abstract： The three characters  、  、 in oracle-bone inscriptions were argued to be simplified and complicated versions of the same character You in previous research. However, their contexts and usages in the oracle-bone inscriptions were completely different, which suggests that they should be three entirely different characters.  should be refering to a gourd. And  is a gourd ladle.  depicts a gourd ladle floating in a water vessle.  refers to a vessle you of the Shang dynasty, a chang beverage container, which was originally made from wood and became cast by bronze in the end. This study shows the importance in recognizing the subtle differences of different oracle-bone inscriptions.

Ding Zhongming and Li Bohua
An Analysis of the Casting Techniques of the Gold-Decorated Bronze Buddha Statue of the Sui and Tang Dynasties...........................................................................................................140

Abstract：The authors employed the X-CT technique and analyzed the structure of the gold-decorated bronze Buddha statue of the Sui and Tang dynasties in an intact way. The results show that the statue was made by three casting methods, which are ceramic-mold casting, lost-wax casting and concrete casting. This research is significant for future work on the structures of ancient metal Buddha statues.