Accordingly, the ancient Chinese tradition about the Shang period was vindicated. If this is so, then perhaps there is also an element of truth in the king lists for the Hsia period. This then would correspond to the Lungshan period of the late Neolithic. This marks the introduction of the Bronze Age into China. It was originally thought that Bronze appeared very suddenly, which perhaps suggested introduction from abroad, but more recent discovery has shown that the development was a local phenomenon.
Bronze does, however, seem to have developed quickly.
In particular, there is no earlier period involving the use of pure copper as happened in the Near East. Bronze appeared in China 1000 years after it did in the NE, and developed along different lines. This quick development may have been assisted by the high temperatures achieved in the Lungshan kilns. Instead the molten metal is poured into molds. The use of bronze is quite restricted in the Shang period.