Chinese bronze inscriptions, known as jinwen or zhongdingwen, refer to writings that are cast or engraved on bronze vessels like a zhong (bell) and ding (cauldron). From the late Shang dynasty through the Western Zhou period, bronze inscriptions became more and more common and remained in use during the Han dynasty. By looking at bronze inscriptions, we can see changes in the calligraphic style and composition of characters across different eras.