Early Chinese Art 中国

艺术品汤姆

Shang 商朝• c. 1600 BC–c. 1046 BC• Valued bronze as the highest of all metals • Had a system of writing (oracle script) utilizing carving of letters into

various things: bronze, jade, pottery, bone• Used bronze for war, religion, and decoration• Created first chariots• Early martial arts developed • Advances in astronomy• Created musical instruments

Houmuwu ding, 后母戊鼎

• The largest work of bronze of all ancient times• Religious purpose• Used for ritual human sacrifice • (Hòumǔwù), means Queen Mother Wu, Likely the dedicatee• It is 133 centimeters high, 110 centimeters wide, and 79 centimeters

deep and weighs 832.84 kilograms• Each side has a blank space in the middle, surrounded by a band of

decoration featuring taotie (animal faced creatures) and kuilong (one-legged dragons).

• Two handles each decorated with two tigers facing each other, their jaws closing around a human head in between them

Shang art

Zhou 周朝

• 1027-256 B.C.• Bronze lost religious value only symbol of power now• Clay became more commonplace• Mandate of heaven created• Intellectual boom with philosophy i.e. Xun Zi • Hydraulic engineering and irrigation projects were started

Bi with dragons

• A bi is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the middle• Unknown use in neolithic times• Often made from jade or pottery• Signified moral quality• Often times found in burial sites

Zhou art

Qin 秦

• 221 BC–206 BC• The first true unification of China happened• Qin Shi Huang conquered the 5 kingdoms • Was a period of fighting• Many advances in warfare• The beginning of construction of the great wall• Sadly many books and scrolls were burned due to their views• Art and architecture was based around conflict death and war

Terracotta Army

• The main room’s contents are unknown due to the mercury level

• More than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses

• Non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.

• Buried near mount Li due to the precious metals found there• Most likely they were created in assembly line style• Originally painted and armed

Qin art of war

Han Dynasty 汉朝 / 漢朝

• 221 B.C. to 206 A.D.• Economic growth • Scientific breakthroughs like paper and paper money• Silks became a staple for the wealthy• Legal systems came into place• Creation of belief in yin and yang• Establishment of silk road• Emphasis on funerary art • Much of the art was focused on animals• Built upon The Great Wall

Han art

Philosophy• Confucianism founded by Confucius: • Taoism founded by Laozi:• Mohism founded by Mozi:• Legalism founded by Shang Yang and

Han Fei:

Caligraphy

• Considered the highest of chinese arts by citizens • Many forms and interpetations• Many variations due to the numerous dialects

The great wall

• Not visible from space• Filled with corpses of workers• 21,196 km• Started in Qin dynasty reached the state it is now after the

Ming dynasty• Made of bricks stone and stamped earth• To protect against invaders• Numerous watchtowers