A complex interaction of social and economic factors defined the development of iron and steel technology in ancient China; these factors are briefly reviewed. The iron aftifacts of meteoric origin discovered in China are discussed, and the two paths followed during the subsequent development of iron technology, bloomery iron and cast iron, are studied in detail. The latter study includes the following topics: blast furnace, slag, fuels and ores, blast and bellows, and the structure of ancient Chinese cast irons. Several methods of steelmaking in ancient China are then analyzed in 4 sections: 1) cementation of bloomery iron; 2) decarburization of cast iron; 3) puddling; and 4) iron-immersed steel or cofusion. The conclusion offers comments on the early achievements of the Chinese in this field. -- AATA