Introduction 2
The Discovery of Shang Dynasty Bronze Vessels 3
The Shang Dynasty 4
The Bronze Age 6
Conclusion 7
Works Cited 9
The Beauty of Shang Bronze Vessels
Introduction
The Chinese culture has been identified as one of the oldest and most complex of its kind to have ever existed on planet Earth. The fact that the Chinese, despite intermingling with other cultures throughout history, have maintained a unique writing style provides an insight into this complexity. However, the Chinese are also famed for their culture, which is unique in many ways. One of the cultural practices that the Chinese have maintained over the years is their preoccupation with bronze vessels. Bronze is a vital element in Chinese culture and symbolizes the ancient civilizations dating back almost 4,000 years. The importance of the element is evidenced by how various dynasties in the Chinese ancient civilization used it to make various instruments, including weapons and musical instruments among others. This paper discusses the impact that bronze vessels have had on the Chinese culture, particularly for the ancient Shang Dynasty.
Understanding Chinese Civilization
As already mentioned, in spite of migrating for centuries and intermingling with other mores, the Chinese have maintained a distinctive cultural system of art, philosophy, and writing. Indeed, the reverence for their ancestry is suggested as one of the factors that have made them maintain a cultural tradition amidst modern cultural forces. In this regard, China is characterized by cultural and dramatic geographic diversity, which has impacted the development and expansion of the Chinese way of life. The ancestry of the natives of the country dates back to almost 8000BC, during the Neolithic cultures, when the Hongshan and the Yangshao cultures arrived around 4000BC, including several dynasties, such as the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin, which coexisted in the period referred to as the Bronze Age (Bavarian 2).
Before the major discoveries that were made in the late 20th century, central opinion was that the Chinese civilization had developed in the Central Plains area- Zhongyuan- of the Yellow River (Huang He) (Bavarian 2). It was in the 1950s that the Yellow River Valley was heavily excavated to provide space for the construction of national infrastructural projects, including the Sanmenxia Yellow River Reservoir (Bavarian 2). It was during this excavation that ancient sites of the Yangshao were uncovered. Today in China, the beauty of traditional bronze art is still noticeable, particularly in the sacrificial vessels and incense burners, which are found in Buddhist temples and alongside many Chinese statues. This art has been greatly influenced by the ancient Chinese bronze.
The Discovery of Shang Dynasty Bronze Vessels
In 1979, after the excavation exercises conducted by certain Chinese archaeologists, a fang lei vessel that had been unearthed was sent for testing and carbon dating to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Laboratory (Bavarian 4). After undergoing the necessary tests, it was ascertained that the object was a bronze vessel used in ritual sacrifices from the ancient Shang Dynasty, dating back to around 1200 BC. Consequently, in the course of numerous archeological excavations, 11 major tombs of the Shang royalty as well as foundations of palaces and ritual sites were uncovered (Bavarian 5). In these exercises, thousands of jade, bone, stone and bronze vessels, as well as ceramic artifacts of high-quality workmanship were uncovered.
Other discoveries of bronze related to the ancient Shang Dynasty included a bronze shield and instrument that the archaeologists had never seen before, especially in the discoveries of the famous Ruins of Yin. Judging from the inscriptions that were on the bronze instruments, as well as the large quantity of instruments and weaponry excavated in one of the tombs, the archaeologists determined that the crypt must have belonged to one of the military officers serving an emperor of the Shang Dynasty.
Consequently, excavations made in Anyang, in 1928, unearthed large quantities of ancient artifacts and other valuable ornaments, including palatial objects, a royal cemetery, musical instruments, tombs, workshops, and bronze vessels (Bavarian 5). Moreover, several burial sites were also uncovered in the same region of Anyang, including the famed vault of Fu Hao, a feminine general of the commanding King Wu Ding, who died around 1200 BC. The tomb revealed approximately 200 ceremonial bronze vessels, most of which bore inscriptions in memory of Fu Hao (Bavarian 5). Indeed, this major discovery was marked as a major milestone in understanding the lives and aristocracy of kings and royals of the Shang Dynasty.
In modern history, early bronzes belonging to the Shang Dynasty are represented by the Erligagng phase vessels, which were excavated from Erligang in Cheng-chou, in the province of Hunan.
The Shang Dynasty
The roots of the Shang Dynasty go back to the south of the Yellow River in Erlitou, close to Luoyang. According to modern history, the Shang society was stratified into slave labor groups, where most of them were former war prisoners (Bavarian 7). Those living far from the capital were considered barbarians and enemies of the Shang. Due to the obvious stratification of the society, the Shang needed laborers and slaves, and conscripts filled this role. Most of the archaeological evidence about the Shang Dynasty has been found at Zhengzhou and Anyang regions in China.
History suggests that it was during the Shang Dynasty that bronze casting was perfected. It was during this period that the evolution of bronze artifacts produced artistic elaboration in decorations, form, inscriptions, and technologically. Most of the common bronze vessels unearthed relating to the Shang Dynasty included ritual objects, wine vessels, and food containers; however, instruments of music, as well as weaponry, have also been discovered. Bronze vessels regarded to have been used for ritual purposes have been found with inscriptions recording war victories, and these discoveries have been significant to research about the Chinese military of the ancient civilizations. Thus, historians suggest that the Shang Dynasty was a time of great inventions and beginnings. For example, it was during this period that collective agriculture, organized military operations, and towns first appeared in the Chinese culture. Most importantly, the modern Chinese written language is said to have emerged with the Shang civilization; thus, the epoch provides a fundamental historical context for the volumes of bronze artifacts excavated from tombs and other archeological sites relating to the Shang Dynasty.
Just like many other world cultures, bronze was first used in the Shang Dynasty for making weapons. The Shang people were able to defend themselves against their neighbors based solely on the strength and superiority of their swords, spears, and daggers that were made of bronze. In fact, the Shang rulers held a tight grip on industries that dealt in the casting of molten bronze and the mining of metals (Bavarian and Reiner 7). Huge bronze yue axes that have been excavated from various archaeological sites are regarded to have been used for ritual sacrifices. Consequently, the residents offered human sacrifices during cultic ceremonies, burials of the royals, and the construction of new buildings (Keightley 151). Most of those sacrificed during these occasions were prisoners of war that the Shang had captured in their many battles with their neighbors. With regard to musical instruments, bronze bells in the Shang Dynasty were supported on a pole and then struck with a wooden mallet to produce sound. Notably, chime bells in ancient Chinese civilizations were of great political significance besides being affirmations of the technical skills of the Chinese people (Bavarian and Reiner 7).
The Bronze Age
It is important to note that the shapes of the ancient bronze vessels were very similar to those made from clay. Even though the purpose of the objects remained the same, the material used for making them had now changed (from clay to bronze). Initially, bronze artifacts began as imitations of ancient pottery, but sooner than later evolved into shapes and forms that adapted to bronze characteristics (Bavarian and Reiner 9). As regards design, the unbalanced and uneven nature of bronze vessels changed such that their components ultimately became more harmonious. In addition, the variety and number of forms of bronze vessels expanded through time, and this included the complexity of manufacturing and decorating. The increasing sophistication happened concurrently with the improvement of the molten bronze casting technology. Some of the advances in bronze technology during this time included extraction, process planning, refining, casting, and final experimentation with forms and decorations. For example, in the Shang Dynasty, the popular animal image was the monster mask of the taotie (Chang 532). This was a beast of insatiable gluttony that combined many characteristics into a single ferocious creature that had bulging piercing eyes protruding from the Shang ritual vessels. Indeed, the taotie image communicated the ritual spirits of ancient Chinese bronze vessels famous for their use in ritualistic ceremonies.
Shang Dynasty’s capital, Anyang, was suitably sited in proximity to abundant deposits of copper, lead, and tin in China (Bavarian and Reiner 9). Indeed, the spread of bronze to the rest of the Chinese regions is thought to have begun from this same location. Ahead of the Bronze Age’s arrival, the Shang could cultivate their own food to feed the potters, bronze smiths, miners, weavers, and builders. In the Shang Dynasty, bronze was produced in massive quantities, particularly for making ritual vessels and objects and weapons of war, which were commonly used by the ruling minority.
The ancient Chinese believed that kings received their right to rule on the basis of the relationships they had with the ancestral spirits (Keightley 149). In fact, most believed that the fate of the kings and their kingdoms were decided by these ancestral spirits. During these civilizations, the kings were also responsible for pleasing the great forces of nature, especially the rain and sun gods, who apparently determined the harvests. Therefore, for these gods and spirits to look favorably on the kings and their kingdoms, they had to please them by way of sacrifices with grains and wines being placed in the bronze vessels in the altars of the temples before being burned (Keightley 149). During these ancient civilizations, bronze signified power and divinity, and vessels made of the element were symbolic of royalty and played a central role in ancestral worship and state rituals. Therefore, during the Shang Dynasty, the development of bronze casting had much to do with religious rituals than war and military activities.
Conclusion
The Chinese culture is, undoubtedly, one of the most oldest and complex among the cultures of the world. The Chinese maintain the pride of their culture via a unique written language as well as through art and philosophy. Throughout civilization, bronze has been a significant element in the Chinese way of life. Recent archaeological discoveries render credence to this fact judging by the volumes and forms of bronze instruments dating back to ancient Chinese society. In particular, bronze vessels and artifacts relating to the Shang Dynasty have been excavated in regions of Anyang, which is considered to be where the capital of the Shang was placed. Tombs, ritual sites, royal cemeteries, and burial pits have been discovered in recent archeological discoveries, most of which have produced bronze instruments of war, bronze ritual vessels, vessels of royalty, and musical instruments dating back to the Shang Dynasty. Indeed, the significance of bronze vessels in Chinese culture is evident by the mere volume and forms of instruments and vessels made of the element, particularly from the Shang civilization. The recent discoveries of bronze vessels, ornaments, instruments, and artifacts in the regions of Anyang and others throughout China, are proof that bronze has been an integral part of the Chinese culture and civilization.
Works Cited
Bavarian, Behzad. “Unearthing Technology’s Influence on the Ancient Chinese Dynasties Through Metallurgical Investigations.” Csun.edu. California State University Northridge, 2005. Web. 30 May 2016. <http://library.csun.edu/docs/bavarian.pdf>
Bavarian, Behzad, and Lisa Reiner. “Piece Mold, Lost Wax and Composite Casting Techniques of the Chinese Bronze Age.” Csun.edu. California State University Northridge, 2006. Web. 30 May 2016. <http://www.csun.edu/~bavarian/Badynasty/Chinese_Bronze_Casting%202006.pdf>.
Chang, K. Ci. “The Animal in Shang and Chou Bronze Art.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 41.2 (1981): 527-554. Print.
Keightley, David N. “The “Science” of the Ancestors: Divination and Bronze-Casting in Late Shang China.” Asia Major 14.2 (2001): 143-187. Print.
