New Interpretations Organizer: Feng Li, University of Chicago
Chair: Edward L. Shaughnessy, University of Chicago
Discussant: Gilbert Mattos, Seton Hall University; Lothar von Falkenhausen,
University of California, Los Angeles
The importance of bronze inscriptions to the study of Zhou dynasty history can hardly be overestimated. These inscriptions not only constitute the most reliable historical sources for the dynasty, but, in many aspects for which transmitted records are absent, serve as the only source.
In the last two decades, many inscribed bronze vessels have been archaeologically excavated, including many from states that have previously not been represented in the archaeological record. Particularly remarkable have been the recent discoveries from the states of Yan, Jin and Zhongshan, all of which were located on the periphery of the central Zhou realm. The inscriptions on the bronze vessels from these states provide evidence both for the local development of these states and also for the interaction between center and periphery.
The present panel includes three presentations. Feng Li from the University of Chicago proposes to study the Western Zhou government administration, using inscriptional sources. Jae-hoon Shim, again from the University of Chicago, will study the new findings from the state of Jin cemetery and the historical development of the state of Jin from the Western Zhou through the Chunqiu period. Professor Ken-ichi Takashima from the University of British Columbia will discuss linguistic problems in the Zhongshan bronze inscriptions of the Warring States period; these inscriptions display interesting relations with the Chinese classics.
These studies will contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the political and cultural interactions between the center and periphery as well as the operation of the central government in that respect.
"Offices" in Bronze Inscriptions and Western Zhou Government
Administration
Feng Li, University of Chicago
Western Zhou government administration has long been left untouched in studies of the Western Zhou. How did the Western Zhou government operate? The present paper proposes to study this question by focusing on the "place" (recorded as gong in bronze inscriptions), where the action of governing was conducted.
In Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, especially in the so-called "Appointment" bronze inscriptions, over 40 names of gong are mentioned. As against the traditional view that these gong represented temples of various kinds, the present paper suggests that many of these gong were in fact offices or official residences. This can be discerned by investigating the activities that took place in these gong. The coincidence between the names of the gong and the people appearing in them, is particularly suggestive.
This identification leads to the question of Western Zhou administration since the Zhou kings always visited these offices to announce appointments of people to government posts. The Zhou kings' visits to the various offices reflect a very important political institution. The present paper demonstrates that not only did the monthly distribution of the kings' activities in these offices follow a general tendency, but his appearance in a single office was also likely to follow a certain routine. In addition, the present paper suggests that the relationship between the nominees and the supervisors in the "Appointment" inscriptions was stable, and not fortuitous as many have advocated.
The Early Development of the State of Jin
Jae-hoon Shim, University of Chicago
Most textual materials at our disposal are silent about the early history of Jin after its enfeoffment at the beginning of the Western Zhou period. Thus, the development of Jin during the Western Zhou period has, until recently, remained obscure, restricting our understanding of how and why the state of Jin became one of the most powerful states in the Spring and Autumn period. However, remarkable recent archaeological discoveries at the Tianma-Qucun site, represented by the Beizhao burial ground of eight lords (hou) of Jin in the late Western Zhou period, provide invaluable materials to trace the history of Jin as far back as to the middle Western Zhou period.
In this paper, I propose to study the archaeological materials (including bronze inscriptions) from the Beizhao burial ground, in an attempt to investigate the background by which the state of Jin came to prominence. In this regard, I think that many scholars may have exaggerated the relationship between the Jin and the non-Chinese people (Rong and Di) as the main impetus of Jin's development. Instead, I assume that the relationship between Jin and Zhou, and, if any, its transition, will be the most important clue to understanding the nature of the state of Jin as well as the impetus for its development into the acknowledged hegemony. The material culture represented by the Beizhao burial ground will provide clear evidence on this issue, showing Jin culture to be very closely bound to Zhou culture.
The Language of the Zhongshan Bronze Inscriptions
Ken-ichi Takashima, University of British Columbia
This paper examines the language of the inscriptions on the three bronze vessels excavated in the 1970s at an archaeological site in Pingshan county, Hebei province, dating to the Warring States period. Commonly referred to as the Zhongshan bronzes, the linguistic importance of the inscriptions appearing on them is at the minimum level threefold: the composition date of the inscriptions is firmly established as 310 BCE (+/- 2-3 years), the geographical area of the language is known, and the existence of quotations from classical Chinese texts of the canons and the philosophers is apparent. These facts will make it possible to conduct a comparative study dealing with the paleographical, lexical, phonological, morphological, and syntactic issues. I shall also provide an English translation of the three Zhongshan bronze inscriptions on the basis of philological investigations and critical examinations incorporating Chinese and Japanese scholarship available to date.