  This Letter is to investigate the physics of a newly discovered phenomenon --
contracting flare loops in the early phase of solar flares. In classical flare
models, which were constructed based on the phenomenon of expansion of flare
loops, an energy releasing site is put above flare loops. These models can
predict that there is a vertical temperature gradient in the top of flare loops
due to heat conduction and cooling effects. Therefore, the centroid of an X-ray
looptop source at higher energy bands will be higher in altitude, for which we
can define as normal temperature distribution. With observations made by {\it
RHESSI}, we analyzed 10 M- or X-class flares (9 limb flares). For all these
flares, the movement of looptop sources shows an obvious U-shaped trajectory,
which we take as the signature of contraction-to-expansion of flare loops. We
find that, for all these flares, normal temperature distribution does exist,
but only along the path of expansion. The temperature distribution along the
path of contraction is abnormal, showing no spatial order at all. The result
suggests that magnetic reconnection processes in the contraction and expansion
phases of these solar flares are different.
