The white pig iron axe was excavated at Lu-da City in 1930; it is believed to date to the first century A.D. Investigation on the artifact was carried out by means of chemical analysis, optical microscopy, electron microscopy, scanning microscopy, microanalysis, and micro-Vickers hardness testing. The results of this research have revealed that the iron casting technology in China in that time period was far ahead of the bronze casting technology employed in European countries. It appears that parts of the axe were forged and that metal molds were used in casting to produce the white pig iron. -- AATA