BULLETIN OF THE INDO-PACIFIC PREHISTORY ASSOCIATION, 2008 vol. 28
Abstract: The stylistic variation in Dian bronze art delineates the
society of the Dian culture (4th century BC-1st century
AD) as a hierarchical one that also had affinities to a
wide range of alien cultures. Further studies of archaeological
materials uncovered in Yunnan sites reveal that
population movements, continual cultural assimilation,
and frequent technological exchanges in and around
Yunnan resulted in the creation of a hybrid bronze art,
which was eventually transplanted on to the indigenous
cultural stratum in east-central Yunnan.