xiaotu的部落格

China Bronze in a Shang Tomb at Dayangzhou, Xingan

In recent years, with the vigorous development of China’s archaeological career, outside the central area of the Shang Dynasty, especially in the Yangtze River, there have been constant major new archaeological discoveries. Jiangxi Xingan Dayangzhou Shang Dynasty tombs are one of the prominent examples, which not only greatly increase our understanding of the Shang culture, but also put forward a severe challenge to the “Theory of Core Position of Central Plains Civilization”. The facts tell us that as to the study on the history of the Shang civilization, in addition to continue the in-depth longitudinal research of the Shang culture itself, currently need to strengthen the horizontal consideration to the China bronze figure culture of the surrounding areas of the Shang dynasty. Wu should attach enough emphasis to the ancient civilization in the Yangtze Rive, another cradle of Chinese civilization.

The unearthed China musical instruments at the Dayangzhou, Xingan have raised many academic problems, consisting of the shapes, characteristics, age, nature, ethnicity of the bronzes, and the relationship with the Shang Dynasty in the Central Plains. With this, many problems are caused, like the Shang civilization of the south of the Yangtze River, the origin of the China bronze culture of the South, the transportation relationship between the South and Central Plains of Shang, the boundaries of the Shang Dynasty, bronze mining and smelting of the Shang Dynasty and so on.

480 pieces of China nude statues sculptures found there are focused on the number, multifarious in categories, excellent in craftsmanship and distinctive in features. They can be rated as the typical bronzes in the southern China, particularly with academic value in shedding new light on the history of the south of pre-Qin days. These facts both prove that the highly developed Yellow River civilization once greatly impacted on the south area and the aboriginal in the southern region had not totally applied mechanically the culture of the Central Plains but with some transformation and innovation; some may explore its origins in the local late Neolithic cultures. This cultural characteristic with strong local flavor in varying degrees manifest their psychological concepts, social awareness, beliefs, worship and the aesthetic taste.

This batch of bronze wildlife sculptures falls into three categories on the whole in light of the features of the shape and decoration. The first category is the type of Central Plains in that the decorations, shapes and styles are exactly the same as the devices in the Central plains, such as the column foot tripod, square you, flat kui-form feet ding; the second is the type of combination. The basic shape, structure is similar to the ones of the Central Plains, but more or less with indigenous features, such as the large square tripod, flat-tiger-form-foot ding, etc.; the third is indigenous type that is definitely the sacrificial China bronze sculptures produced in the locality, like the folded shoulder li, bell, nao and so on. Among these three types, the type of combination occupies the great part and the least is the third type. Moreover, these two types are both decorated with ornaments of a strong local flavor, including of the swallowtail patterns, knitting patterns, variant Animal Mask, incised thunders, three-dimensional tiger sculpture in the round image and other animals. Thus, it is far from that any mystery and ferociousness can become pretty. In contrast, those all sorts of people showing their teeth and the images of gods or animals in later ages, no matter how to boast, intimidate or fear, but only to be funny and empty in vain. They do not have the strength of the necessary destiny and the early childhood temperament of humankind.

The more the society becomes developed, the more civilization advanced. Only in this way can appreciate and evaluate this noble ferocious beauty of bronze angel. In the slavery era, they actually were not the subjects of the aesthetic appreciation but the religious ritual vessel for the sacrifice with reverence and awe. To the feudal age, there were also the historical facts that they were destroyed due to the ferocious figure. Precisely only during the highly developed material civilization, they represent the primeval progressive power of the history and the fate of art in the civilized society that the cruelty and fierceness has long become the past. Only today, they are capable to be understood and appreciated and being the true aesthetic object.
related bronze sculpture:
bronze sculptures