Session 53: Regions and Interactions: Different Levels of Inter-Relationships amongst the Bronze Cultures of China

Organizer and Chair: Ying Wang, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Discussant: Katheryn M. Linduff, University of Pittsburgh

Keywords: region, interaction.

The studies on the cultural interactions among the Central Plain and other regions during the Shang and Zhou dynasties (17th to 3rd century BCE) have been one of the most important themes in the studies of Early China for the past two decades. This panel will reexamine the inner relationships among different regions and cultures on various levels: through analysis and comparison of material cultures, mortuary practices, and hunting expeditions, as well as intermarriages from different regions and states. The level of complexity in societies and states, bronze casting techniques, gender issues as reflected from artifacts, and geographical locations that indicate the activities that took place during state affairs, will all be discussed. This group of panelists is going to apply anthropological methods to art history. A fresh analysis of archaeological data and ancient texts will bring new insights and change many of our assumptions about the different regions and their interactions with each other.

Bronzes Zun and Lei from Sanxingdui and Their Cultural Implications

Yan Sun, Gettysburg College

Recent scholarly attention has been given to the relationships between the state-level society in the Central Plain and the regional cultures beyond during the late 2nd millennium BCE. The Shang and Zhou dynastic groups in the Central Plain are suggested to have coexisted and interacted with various neighboring groups who had a similar, or at least equally complex, level of societal development in the Yangzi River valley and the Northern Zone. The Sanxingdui culture (ca. 1500–1000 BCE) at the Chengdu Plain is one of those regional powers that participated in this interaction network.

Bronzes zun and lei from two sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui undoubtedly demonstrated the Shang style or Shang inspired design. Close parallels of those bronzes have been found predominantly in the upper reaches of the Han River valley, namely Chenggu and Yangxian, and several other locations in the middle reaches of the Yangzi River valley. Comparative studies of bronzes zun and lei from these areas and other archaeological evidence hold the key to understanding the nature and mechanism of the interactions between Sanxingdui and the Central Plain. It will also shed light on the role each regional society played in the cultural interactions during the late 2nd millennium BCE.

Geographical Significance of Royal Hunting during the Late Shang

Ying Wang, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

The royal household of the Shang dynasty treated hunting expeditions as important state affairs. Royal hunting activities can be viewed through inscriptions on the oracle bones that were used for divination. In addition, some bones of wild animals and humans are incised with words and patterns of animal motifs, some containing turquoise inlay. The animal and human bones clearly indicated that they were the results of hunting, and all inscriptions recorded the names of the places that these expeditions were conducted in. Thus, the objective of these royal hunting expeditions needs to be connected to their geographical locations. My examination of the hunting records of the late Shang period as revealed through the oracle bones and the historical and contemporary evidence from mining records in these regions appear to match. Such evidence includes those from salt, copper, and coal mines. Many of these geographical regions were not always directly under the Shang’s control. Therefore, royal hunting was not only for the purposes of enlarging farming land, training the army, or acquiring food and fur, but also for searching for and protecting other material resources that were important in maintaining and extending Shang power.

A Case Study of the Regional Interactions in North China during the Eastern Zhou Period: Early Zhongshan Tombs

Xiaolong Wu, Hanover College

This paper examines the cultural connection between the Xin-Ding basin (Shanxi Province) and the Zhongshan territory in Central Hebei from the sixth to the fourth centuries BCE through the analysis of mortuary practice and tomb artifacts. The bronze artifacts from both regions are derived from two separate traditions. One type of bronzes includes vessels that resemble those of the Central Plain area and display a sophisticated casting technology. The other, simpler type includes vessels, weapons, and tools like those used by the groups along the northern frontier. The ritual bronzes from the Zhongshan tombs display an even greater diversity in content and style, drawing upon the official bronze styles of literally all of the neighboring Central Plain states: Jin, Yan, and Qi. This paper intends to explore the social mechanisms that helped maintain the cultural connection between these regions. The historical documents concerning the movement of peoples during this period and an analysis of the metallurgical techniques of these bronzes will shed light on the impact of migration and trade on interregional interaction.

Cultural Interaction through Marriage Revealed by Jin Female Burials in the Zhou Period

Ying Yong, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

In an ancient Zhou vassal state—Jin, located in present-day Shanxi province, cultural interaction through marriage is revealed by female burials excavated in the past decades. Some newly published archaeological data such as the burials at the Marquises of Jin’s cemetery and the Qucun cemetery provide us invaluable sources to trace the cultural identity of some of the women married into the Jin state. The similarities between some bronze and pottery vessel types associated with female burials and those of the northern pastoral groups and the Shang might be the result of cross-cultural and inter-ethnic marriages. Inscriptional evidence and historical records are also helpful in the identification of the natal families of these women. In addition, these women were treated with respect and played an important role in the Jin state. We can see that marriage and statecraft were intimately connected and reflected in burial practice throughout the state of Jin.