杭州铜雕的起源可追溯至远古的青铜器时代。从夏朝开始，中国人便创造了青铜文明。在浙江文化史上，春秋时期越王青铜剑、西汉会稽青铜镜都是青铜文化的代表，12世纪初，宋室南迁，定都临安（今杭州），杭州遂成为当时全国的政治、经济、文化中心，四方移民云集，大批铜匠也涌入此地，以鼓楼附近的打铜巷为中心，每年要制造大量的兵甲、提刀、手弓、弩箭等兵器及日用铜器具。
The origin of Hangzhou bronze carvings can be traced back to the ancient Bronze Age. Since the Xia Dynasty, the Chinese have created a bronze civilization. In the cultural history of Zhejiang Province, the bronze swords of Yue King in the Spring and Autumn Period and the bronze mirrors of Huiji in the Western Han Dynasty were the representatives of bronze culture. At the beginning of the 12th century, the Song Dynasty moved southward and Linan (now Hangzhou) became the political, economic and cultural center of the country at that time. With copper lanes as the center, a large number of armour, knives, bows, crossbows and other weapons and daily copper appliances are manufactured every year.