Chinese art was an extremely significant part of the Ancient Chinese culture. It originated around 2500 BC during the Neolithic age; it has existed for roughly five thousand years. The actual definition of "Chinese art" has only existed for around one-hundred years, but has been a defined art form for centuries. Being made with jade, lacquer, porcelain, stone, bronze, and wood, the common crafts included were fine calligraphy, fans, scrolls, jewelry, and silverware. This Chinese tradition or fine drawing has been studied and appreciated ever since it birth. Chinese Art was started in the Shang dynasty, and most artisans worked with bronze. Aside from the aforementioned crafts made, there were many others like bowls, axes, and other weapons. Ancient Chinese art had its beginning in the Shang Dynasty and culminates with the Quing Dynasty. While there are many differences in these nine dynasties, only four of these dynasties had a contribution to the culture of Chinese art. The changes were not random - each change was a transition from a previous dynasty.
The Shang Dynasty is officially known to be the "first dynasty in Chinese culture." Most of the Shang culture was based on inscriptions and pottery of miniature objects. Many pottery objects were found near the region of Anyang. Over three-hundred graves existed there, ten of which where royal and larger in size. These graves contained bronze bells, turquoise, jade, small ornaments, and unidentified objects of pottery called the "Chia, Ku, and Chueh." It is believed that the "Chia" was a small storage container for wine. The wine would be held there and sometimes heated before serving. The "Ku" was a pottery container similar to the "Chia" but it was used for pouring of wine as a sacrifice, and the "Chueh" was a wine glass which was made for holy occasions. This glass was made of bronze, for the Shang Dynasty existed during the Bronze Age.
