Yuxi (Chinese: 玉溪) is a prefecture-level city in the Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China. The administrative center of Yuxi is Hongta District. Yuxi is approximately 90 kilometres south of Kunming.Yuxi is located in the center of Yunnan province, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) south of Kunming, the provincial capital. Like much of the central and eastern parts of the province, it is part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.The area is 15,285 km2 (5,902 sq mi) and the population is approximately 2.5 million. Near Yuxi city is Fuxian Lake, the second-deepest freshwater lake in China, where there have been discovered ancient fossils that are now in the possession of the Yuxi museum.

The Highlights of Bronze Culture

In 1972, the state authority on cultural relics carried out an excavation to Lijiashan.

At Lijiashan Mountain by the Xingyun Lake, some 87 ancient tombs dated back to Spring and Autumn Period or the Western Han Dynasty were excavated. Over 4,000 pieces of bronze, jade, and stone relics of rich content, fine craftsmanship and striking ethnic feature were unearthed, from which the developing phases of the culture of Central Yunnan can be induced and deduced. Such a large number of relics show a striking ethnic feature and the close relationship between Yunnan and Central China. The world famous “Cattle-Tiger Bronze Table” is the representative masterpiece of Lijiashan Bronze Culture, which displays a relatively high level in form, design and cast skill, being one of the national treasures of bronze relics.

The Cradle of Ancient Yunnan Civilization

Located in Jiangchuan County of Yunnan, Lijiashan Bronze Wares Museum is the first bronze wares museum in China. It mainly collects the bronze wares over 10,000 pieces between the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty unearthed in the Lijiashan Ancient Graveyard in Jiangchuan. There are tools of agricultural production, utensils for daily life tools, weapons and musical instruments, etc. Among them thousands of historical and cultural exquisite articles including Bronze Ox and Tiger Altar and Cowries Vessel can be rated as “the cultural flower in the south of Yunnan, the rare treasure in the world”.