Datong bronzes have a long history and exquisite craftsmanship. As early as the Northern Wei Dynasty, they enjoyed a high reputation. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, Datong's bronzes have sold well all over the country. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, handicrafts such as copper casting and copper making in Datong were quite prosperous. At that time, there were dozens of copper workshops in Yuanxiang Street in Paris, which were all inherited from their parents and passed down from generation to generation, so it was called Bronze Maker Street. As the Great Comrades Draft of the Republic of China said: Datong is not a copper area, but copper products are quite famous, inexpensive and mostly shipped to outer Mongolia. Its bulk products are copper pots, copper pots and other things, especially hot pot. Since Pingsui Road was opened to traffic, Chinese and foreign tourists have bought it as a gift. The more markets there are, the more products there are, so copper workers are the most unique in handicraft industry. "
Among all the bronzes in Datong, copper chafing dish is the most famous. Copper chafing dish is a kind of tableware which skillfully combines the functions of taking fire and using pot and can be moved to the dining table. Its appearance is related to the natural environment of Datong. Datong is located outside the Great Wall of Yanbei, with a cold climate. Hot pot can be used as food and also for heating. In addition, in ancient times, this area was the grazing land of nomadic people, and tribes migrated constantly, making bronzes convenient and durable. Over time, copper hot pot has become a necessity for families and has gradually become a famous local handicraft. Copper chafing dish began in the early Ming Dynasty. It was originally invented by Han people to keep out the cold, and then it flowed into the capital and was selected as a royal item by the palace. There is another saying: According to legend, Zhu Gui (1374- 1446), the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang (1398), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, likes to feast, but he is troubled by cold wine and cold dishes at the long banquet in winter. A clever courtier summoned craftsmen to develop a kind of tableware-copper hot pot, which combined the hot charcoal under the tripod with the broth in the tripod. Because of his contribution to the hot pot, the courtier was promoted to the third grade on the spot, so the locals still called the copper hot pot a fast-rising pot. "
Datong copper hot pot consists of six parts: chassis, fire seat, pot body, pot cover, fire tube and tube cover. It is shaped like a tower, and its height is about 100 feet. All bronzes in Datong are used, and copper chafing dish is the most famous. Copper chafing dish is a kind of tableware which skillfully combines the functions of taking fire and using pot and can be moved to the dining table. Its appearance is related to the natural environment of Datong. Datong is located outside the Great Wall of Yanbei, with a cold climate. Hot pot can be used as food and also for heating. In addition, in ancient times, this area was the grazing land of nomadic people, and tribes moved constantly, making bronzes convenient and durable. Over time, copper hot pot has become a necessity for families and has gradually become a famous local handicraft. Tin plating inside hot pot can not only prevent rust and disinfection, but also maintain the original flavor of food. Datong Hotpot is best for instant-boiled mutton, making jambalaya. Diners can sit around the hot pot, take food and throw it in, and enjoy cooking and eating by themselves.
The production process of copper chafing dish is divided into six processes: component forming, welding, tin plating in the pot, carving, polishing and assembly. Among them, there are not only precision casting technology, but also art design and carving technology. Datong copper hot pot is mainly famous for its hand forging skills, and the exquisite image pattern on the pot body has become a must for Datong copper hot pot. Craftsmen carefully carved the bottom, body and lid of the pot, carving out patterns such as playing with dragons and phoenixes, swallows wearing willows, fish accompanying lotus, magpies climbing plums, eight immortals crossing the sea, and lions rolling hydrangeas. In addition, there are more than 200 kinds of decorative patterns in copper chafing dish, all of which are chiseled with small hammers and steel. The copper chafing dish named "Eight Immortals" is a masterpiece of excavating the theme of traditional copperplate prints. The tray, pot holder and pot body are all octagonal, and the eight sides of the pot body are engraved with eight immortals. They are happy or angry, and their expressions are different. The whole pot is simple and vigorous, dignified and elegant. At first glance, it looks like a magnificent fairy pavilion. Copper hot pot not only has practical value at home, but also has high artistic appreciation value because of its bright appearance, magnificent colors, rich national traditional style and unique local artistic characteristics.
Although Datong copper process was formed very early, the recorded history is only 100 years. Because Datong is located in the northern part of Saibei, wars have been frequent since ancient times, and the technology of copper hot pot is mainly passed down by the Han people. Up to now, there is no conclusive historical data to record the style, technology and practice of hot pot. However, this does not seem to affect people's enjoyment of cooking food in copper hot pot. In large and small restaurants in Datong, the fire on the dining table is shining and the fresh soup in the copper pot is boiling. Watching Huanglong leap on the pot wall and listening to the north wind whistling outside the window, a feeling of tracing back to the source, remembering ancestors, cherishing tradition and loving home arises spontaneously.