KU

Pinyin Gu, type of Chinese bronze vessel produced during the Shang and early Chou dynasties (18th11th century Bc ). It is a tall wine beaker with a trumpet-shaped top, a restricted centre section, and a slightly flared basethe whole silhouette being unusually taut and graceful. Decoration, which appears on the three sections of the vessel, includes snakes; cicadas; the t'ao-t'ieh (q.v.), or monster mask; and the k'uei, or dragonlike monster with curled tail and gaping jaw.