Bronze stove from 2,000 years ago displays ethnic integration

Ever wondered how people in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) prepared their meals? Take a look at this extraordinary bronze stove that resembles a ship prow.

Notice the dragon head-shaped chimney -- a testament to the owner's reverence for dragons. With three cooking hobs, it speaks to the abundant variety of food available during that era. Crafted from materials indicative of highly developed metallurgy, its size and construction reflect the technological prowess of the time.

Unearthed from a tomb in a village of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, this stove is a miniature representation of the cooking apparatus used by settled farming communities. It demonstrates that Hohhot has been a place where nomadic and settled agricultural lives were already integrated over 2,000 years ago. Collection: Inner Mongolia Museum.