Sunday, July 26, 2009 ' 3:27 AM ♥
RELIGION
Few works of art are as remote or alien to western eyes as ancient Chinese bronzes. Nevertheless these beautiful ritual vessels constituted the mainstream of Chinese art for nearly 1500 years. Spanning both the Shang (1523-1028 B.C.) and Chou dynasties (1027-256 B.C.), these ceremonial utensils, often of unsurpassed technical refinement and varied decor, define the very essence of early Chinese art.
Ancestors and ceremonial conduct have always been of great importance to the Chinese and the majority of bronzes were originally used in the offering of wine and foods to the spirits in ancestral rites, state ceremonies, and various ritual sacrifices.
Bronze is primarily an alloy of copper, tin, and lead, and it was traditionally cast by the ancient Chinese in ceramic piece molds, a difficult process which allowed for the exceptionally fine details seen in the decor of these vessels. The metal was cast in a variety of functional shapes, and most of these ornaments, animal forms, weapons and vessels, some of which bear ancient inscriptions, were excavated from tombs where they had first been interred with the deceased in elaborate funerals.
What happened c. 1150 BCE?
Shang Zhou, the last Shang king, committed suicide after his army was defeated by the Zhou people. Legends say that his army betrayed him by joining the Zhou rebels in a decisive battle that took place.
The classical novel Fengshen Yanyi is about the war between the Yin and Zhou, in which each was favored and supported by one group of gods.
After Yin's collapse, the surviving Yin ruling family collectively changed their surname from their royal Zi (子) (pinyin: zi; Wade-Giles: tzu) to the name of their fallen dynasty, Yin (殷). The family remained aristocratic and often provided needed administrative services to the succeeding Zhou Dynasty. The King Cheng of Zhou, through the Regent, his uncle the Duke Dan of Zhou, enfeoffed the former Shang King Zhou's brother Ziqi (子啟) as the ruler of Wei (微), in the former Shang capital at Shang (商), with the territory becoming the state of Song later in history. The State of Song and the royal Shang descendants maintained rites to the dead Shang kings which lasted until 286 BC. (Source: Records of the Grand Historian.)
Both Korean and Chinese legends state that a disgruntled Yin prince named Jizi (箕子), who had refused to cede power to the Zhou, left China with his garrison and founded Gija Joseon, and it would become one of the early Korean states (Go-, Gija-, and Wiman-Joseon).
Many Shang clans migrated northeast and were integrated into Yan culture during the Western Zhou period. These clans maintained an elite status, continuing their sacrificial and burial traditions.[18]
