Abstract
Recent archaeological discoveries in the Laizhou Bay coastal region, spanning the Late Shang period (13th century–ca. 1050 BCE) to the Western Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1050–771 BCE), reveal the advanced salt-production technologies of Bronze Age northern China. The Shuangwangcheng complex demonstrates highly organized workshops featuring brine wells, processing ponds, brine-boiling stoves, storage pits, clay leaching holes, and ash layers with salt residues. Analytical evidence indicates that clay holes facilitated leaching, while ash layers served as salt-collection fields. A technological shift occurred between the Late Shang and Early Western Zhou periods (ca. 1050–ca. 950 BCE). The Late Shang method relied on brine pools and round-bottom kuixingqi vessels for evaporation. By the Early Western Zhou, ash-spreading fields and flat-bottom kuixingqi were introduced, allowing brine to concentrate over ash layers before being leached, stored, and boiled. This study interprets these innovations through the lens of Human-Centered AI Transformations, emphasizing adaptive problem-solving and resource optimization. It underscores how early technological ingenuity addressed societal needs, offering parallels to modern AI-driven solutions. These findings illuminate the role of human-centered innovation in shaping Bronze Age industry and socio-economic resilience during a transformative period in early Chinese history.
Presenters
Peng PengAssociate Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Bronze Age Salt Production Technological Innovation Human-Centered Transformation Shuangwangcheng
