China is among the first countries in the world to make iron pans and pots. Back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD25), bronze and pottery cooking utensils began to be replaced by iron ones with the development of iron smelting.

　　In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the technique of iron pan manufacturing was further developed, notably in Foshan and Zijin of Guangdong Province in South China and in Fanchang of Anhui Province in East China.

　　Most of the foreign vessels coming to Guangdong in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) would ship back hundreds of Chinese iron pans and pots.

　　As aluminum and stainless steel cooking utensils appeared in markets in the early 1960s, Chinese housewives--long users of iron pans and pots--began to equip their kitchens with more modern inventions, regarding the iron pans and pots as rough, cumbersome, and something out of date.

　　But now, their concepts have changed due to the development of modern medicine which proved that excessive intake of aluminum is harmful to the human body. It may harm the nervous system, or result in abnormal mental development in babies or age human organs.

　　Canadian and American scientists found that patients with dementia and Parkinson's disease contain in their nervous cells much higher amounts of aluminum than normal people.

　　Also harmful are chromium, nickel and titanium contained in stainless steel.Iron human body requires comes from tow major sources: organic iron contained in foods and inorganic iron that may be taken in by people from filings coming off the iron cooking utensils.

　　Chinese iron pans and pots, largely neglected in the past few decades, have not only made a comeback in the vast domestic markets, but have also been found in some markets in America, Europe and some Southeast Asian countries.

　　According to Xinhua News Agency reports, iron cooking pots have been reformed since the early 1990s due to the traditional iron pots?shortcomings in strength, easy oxidation and corrosion. The multi-trace elements iron pots have well been received in markets because the new products provide with manganese, zinc, selenium, copper, magnesium and other trace elements needed for health.

　　Now, iron pans and pots still remain as my favorites in my kitchen though some stainless steel utensils have been added there in recent years.