Many of the bronze wares from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties are carved or embossed in the shape of animals, some of which are real animals such as rhinoceros, elephant, tiger, horse, sheep, etc; some of which combine the features of different animals into one and are endowed with the mythical power in the imagination of ancient Chinese. The latter type of animals is found popular in ancient Chinese mythology.

Those bronze wares reflect various cultures of different ages. For example, the works from the Shang Dynasty are mysterious, those from Western Zhou realistic, and those from Eastern Zhou vivid and splendid. There are exceptions, however. Among the works from the Shang Dynasty, there are also those which are simple, primitive and unpretentious with few decorations. For example, the Rhino Wine Vessel (Xiaochen Yuxi Zun), which was made in the Shang Dynasty and is now preserved in the American Museum, is simple and unadorned, but it still portrays the image of a huge animal jogging forward vividly.