Lost wax casting of bronze ware (an extended project of Suzhou's second batch of antique bronze ware production skills), a traditional skill project in the fourth batch of Suzhou's representative projects of municipal intangible cultural heritage. Antique bronze ware refers to bronze ware that artists use special craftsmanship to combine casting, painting, carving, and inlaying to imitate ancient bronze ware and other cultural relics for people to appreciate and collect. The history of Suzhou bronze ware production can be traced back to the Wu Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period, and antique bronze ware can be traced back to the Song and Yuan Dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou's antique bronze ware was famous for "Su Zhu". During the Wanli period, Suzhou had a copper worker Hu Si who "cast Yi Ding and other utensils in imitation of the ancient, and it was indistinguishable from the old casting". During the Wanli and Tianqi periods, Cai Wenfu's antique bronze ware was called "Su Zhu". There were also many experts during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods of the Qing Dynasty. The imitation bronze ware was identical to the original in shape, inscriptions, patterns, thickness, weight, color, etc., reaching the point of being indistinguishable from the original. Since modern times, Suzhou has been one of the important bases for the production of antique bronzes, and has formed the regional characteristics of "Suzhou-made". From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, Suzhou's famous antique bronze craftsmen included Zhou Meigu and Liu Junqing. Zhou Meigu was the most skilled among all the fakes. In 1921, Zhou Meigu opened an antique bronze workshop to imitate ancient vessels such as tripods, Yi, You, and Gong using the lost wax method. Their antique bronzes are so realistic in shape, decoration, inscriptions, thickness, weight, copper composition, chiseling, and skin color that they are indistinguishable from the real thing. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the production of antique bronzes in Suzhou was interrupted for more than 20 years. In 1956, the Suzhou Institute of Arts and Crafts purchased the wooden templates of the antique bronzes from Zhou Meigu's workshop, and in 1958, they found Luo Qiyue, Li Hanting, Liu Youfu, and Jiang Shengbao, four people who had worked in Zhou's workshop, and recruited several apprentices to resume the production of antique bronzes. In the 1970s, a number of imitation bronzes such as "Four-legged Gong with Bird and Beast Pattern", "Phoenix Pattern Gui" and "Gold-Inlaid Human Face Pot" were produced, and precious unearthed bronzes were reproduced for museums in various places. After entering the 21st century, the production of imitation bronzes in the original ancient city basically stopped, but several imitation bronze production companies appeared in the surrounding areas such as Xiangcheng and Wuzhong. At the same time, Suzhou Arts and Crafts Vocational and Technical College conducted a special study on the production techniques of Suzhou imitation bronzes. The production of imitation bronzes goes through the following steps: (a) mold making, (b) sample engraving, (c) mold shaping, (d) wax application, (e) clay application, (six) dewaxing, (e) casting, (eight) finishing, (nine) coloring, and (ten) polishing. Among them, wax application and lost wax method are the main characteristics of Suzhou imitation bronze production techniques. Suzhou's imitation antique bronzes are exquisitely decorated, finely crafted, lifelike in color, and clear in layers. They are almost indistinguishable from the original in terms of shape, decoration, inscriptions, thickness, weight, homogeneous composition, fine workmanship, skin color, and rust spots. The large pieces are majestic, and the small pieces are exquisite, with great historical and cultural value and artistic appreciation value. Suzhou Huayu Precision Casting Co., Ltd. is the protection unit of this project.