Slavery system prevailed in the Shang Dynasty.

商朝时期奴隶制度占主要地位。

Slaves were forced to engage in production, meanwhile, divisions of labor in agriculture and handicraft, as well as in manual and mental labor developed on a large scale, which promoted the ancient civilization of China.

商朝在生产力仍很低的情况下，用奴隶制残酷的强制手段进行生产，并使农业和手工业、体力劳动和脑力劳动更大规模的分工，从而推动了我国古代文明的发展。

Animal husbandry had already had a long history during the period of Shang.The oracle-bone inscriptions even record the species and genders of the animals.

畜牧业在商时期就已有了较长的发展历史，甲骨文中甚至留有对牲畜种类和性别的记录。

Agriculture was the major part of production.

农业是社会生产的主导。

The findings in the ruins of Yin show that the productivity reached a relatively high standard ：farm implements had been improved with ploughs, spades and sickles made of wood or stone were widely used；the primary crops included rice, millet and wheat；cellars for storing grain were built, too, by the merchants.

殷墟的考古发现显示商代的农业已发展到相当高的水平:农具显著改善，石制或木制的犁、铲、镰刀得到广泛使用；主要的农作物有稻、粟、小麦;商人还建造了储存谷物的廪。

Many wine vessels unearthed indicate that drinking wine was common among the nobility. Wine making and drinking symbolized the advance in agriculture.

出土的大量酒器表明贵族饮酒 是司空见惯之事。酿酒、饮酒同样标志着农业生产的进步。

Handicraftsmen in the Shang Dynasty were slaves separating from the agricultural activities. As professional contingent, they boosted the development of technology rapidly.

商代的手工业劳动者为奴隶，都是从农业生产中分离出来的专业技术队伍，因此技术提高很快。

In addition to the leading industry-bronze casting, there were ceramics, bone tools making, textile, carpentry, masonry, jade work, lacquering, wine brewing etc.

代表性手工业为青铜铸造业，此外还有制陶业、制骨器业、纺织 业、木工、石工、玉工、漆工、酿酒等业。

Iron had been discovered and was already in use. The newly excavated iron-blade bronze battle-axes have proved it. However, most of handicraft tools including axe, knife, saw, chisel, drill, needle, shovel, etc were all made of bronze.

最近发掘出土的铁头铜斧表明商时人们已开始使用铁，但是大多数的手工用具，如斧头、刀、锯、凿子、钻、针、铲等，是铜制的。

It is clear that bronze metallurgy was highly developed.

显然，商代的炼铜技术已发展到相当高的水平。

Bronze culture appeared in China before 3 000 BC and reached its summit around the 13th century BC.

早在3000多年前，中国就已有了炼铜的历史。公元前13世纪，炼铜技术达到顶峰。

Bronze objects affected not only people’s daily life but the military weapons of the state. Its wide use enabled unprecedented accomplishments of the Shang Dynasty in politics, economy, culture and art.

青铜制品不仅与人们的日常生活息息相关，对军队的武器装备 也有至关重要的影响，其广泛使用使商朝在政治、经济、文化、艺术方面获得了前所未有的发展。

The bronze industry got a great expansion, which not only possessed a mass output, but a high level of technique as well.

商代的青铜业不但产量大，工艺水平也很高。

In the reign of King Wuding, the landmark was the appearance of an alloy of copper, lead and tin which had an epoch-making significance in the smelting history.

在武丁统治时期，出现了铜、铅、锡的合金，这在冶炼史上具有划时代的意义。

The bronze wares found in the ruins of Yin are as many as thousands of pieces. They fall mainly into two categories： cooking vessels and alcohol containers.

在殷墟一处出土的青铜器就多达几千件，主要分为两大类:炊具和酒器。

Among them, the most famous largest rectangular cauldron si mu wu ding can be taken as a representative of the advanced bronze metallurgy of the late Shang.

其中最著名的当数司母毋大方鼎，它是商晚期青铜冶炼技术的杰出代表。

Its height is 133 cm to the top of the handle, the opening is 110x78cm, and the weight is 875kg ,as the largest bronze ware ever found anywhere in the world.

司母戊鼎通耳高133厘米，横长110厘米，宽78厘米，重875公斤，是迄今为止发现的世界上最大的青铜器。

The chemical analysis has showed it contains 84.77% of copper, 11.64% of tin and 2.79% of lead. The percentage meets the rigidity demand of founding bronze vessel.

有关部门的化学分析显示，其含铜84.77% ,锡11.64%，铅2.79%，这个比例是符合铸造青铜容器硬度的要求的。

To finish this great work, two or three hundreds skilled craftsmen were needed to perform different tasks. The site of bronze casting excavated near Xiaotuncun in Anyang is more than 100 000m2, which was in accord with the requirement at that time.

完成如此的工程需要庞大熟练工人的分工合作，而在安阳小屯附近发现的商代铸铜遗址的面积在10000平方米以上，正好符合当时的需要。

The white pottery appeared in the Shang Dynasty, along with the common earthen crockery. It was hard, clear and pure with delicate engravings.

商代除一般泥质陶器之外，还出现了用高岭土（瓷土）制作的白陶，质地坚硬，色泽皎洁，刻镂精美,工艺水平极高。

There was also a kind of primitive porcelain made of porcelain clay. Coated with blue glaze, it was solid and did not absorb water easily, for it had been fired at a temperature of 1 200^.

还有一种原始瓷器，也是用高岭土制成，表面涂以青釉，质地坚硬，吸水性很弱，烧制的火候约在1200T左右。

The primitive porcelain was a great invention of the slaves then.

原始瓷是当时奴隶们的又一伟大创造。

The textile industry had subdivided into linen and silk.

纺织业中有麻纺织和丝织业。

Traces of silk left in the ruins of Yin are plain designed or decorative.

在殷墟发现的丝绸残片，有平纹、花纹。

The patterns indicate that there might be simple jacquard loom at that time.

从花纹组织来看,当时可能已有了简单的提花装置。

Commercial exchange had grown, and businessmen began to emerge, but rare.

商代的商业交换已有初步发展，开始出现专业商人，但很少。

Whafs worth attention is that currency had been used in the business transaction, and it was called ubei?, (or shell), mostly sea shell.

值得重视的是在当时的商业交换关系中已使用了货币，时称为“贝”,主要是海贝。

The shell produced in the South Sea, and it was really hard to get at the Yellow River valley, therefore, particularly valuable, and it was used as money.

海贝产于南洋，在黄河流域十分难得，因而珍贵，用作货币。

The oracle-bone inscriptions record the acquisition and bestowal of shells.

甲骨文中有有关贝的获取及赏赐情况的记载。