(Question from East and West) Ma Jinhong: Why did bronzes become an important symbol of ancient Chinese civilization?
China News Service, Shanghai, December 3, title: Why did bronzes become an important symbol of ancient Chinese civilization?
——Interview with Ma Jinhong, Deputy Director and Research Librarian of the Bronze Research Department of Shanghai Museum
Author Wang Ji
Ancient bronzes are one of the most important historical and cultural heritages in China.
The "Xia Zhu Jiuding" recorded in ancient history is a sign to open the "home page" of Chinese bronze civilization; the old saying goes, "The emperor's Jiuding" means supreme power.
Bronze ware used as a "ritual vessel" has become a unique and valuable heritage in the world.
National Treasures in the National Museum: The Shang Dynasty "Step-Mother Wu" bronze square tripod is the largest and heaviest ancient bronze ritual unearthed in the world.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu
Why did bronzes become an important symbol of ancient Chinese civilization?
What similar totems have appeared in the bronze civilizations of the East and the West?
Ma Jinhong, deputy director of the Shanghai Museum’s Bronze Research Department and research librarian, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service, “Questions about East and West”, to give an in-depth interpretation of this.
The summary of the interview record is as follows:
China News Agency reporter: Why are bronzes regarded as symbols of ancient Chinese civilization?
Ma Jinhong:
The role of ancient Chinese bronzes is mainly to sacrifice to heaven and ancestors. Only the royal family and aristocrats can have this kind of power.
For example, the highest specification "ding" among Chinese bronzes was said to be "the emperor's nine dinging and the princes' seven dinging" in ancient times.
Bronze ware is a reflection of ancient Chinese political system.
China entered the Bronze Age, around the 21st century BC.
The Erlitou culture in the late Xia Dynasty is the earliest Chinese bronze culture found in archaeological discoveries. The unearthed bronze ritual shapes have begun to take shape, and the pottery block casting technology has reached the level of proficiency.
Unearthed from the Erlitou site, a bronze knight with a nail pattern known as the "No. 1 Chinese Noble".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Guigang
The early and middle Shang Dynasty was an important period for the development of bronze wares, laying the foundation for the prosperity and prosperity of bronze art.
From the late Shang Dynasty to the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Chinese bronze culture ushered in its first artistic peak.
The heavy wine system of ritual vessels in the Shang Dynasty is perfected. The decorations on the whole body are made of a combination of relief and flat carving, which is exquisite. The animal face with the theme of animal gods and monsters is unprecedentedly developed, which is both solemn and mysterious and full of life; Chronicle inscriptions began to appear.
The "Four Sheep Fangzun" in the Shang Dynasty was called "the perfect bronze model" by historians.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Dongming
From the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou people gradually formed their own ideology and economic culture after the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty. Great changes can be seen in the style of bronze ware.
New types of utensils appear, with dignified and heavy shapes; the decorations may be smooth, or simple and simple; heavy utensils with long inscriptions are more common.
In June 2021, Shanghai Museum staff will carry the Western Zhou Dynasty "Da Ke Ding" to set up the exhibition.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Hengwei
From the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, the development of Chinese bronze art once again climaxed.
The bronze wares of the princes and nations tended to mature. The bronze art of the Jin and Qin in the north, Qilu in the east, and Jingchu in the south were complemented by each other. Many wonderful and magnificent artifacts appeared, and the inscriptions also paid attention to beautification.
Until the late Warring States period, the "ritual collapse and music degeneration", as the ancient Chinese ritual system declined, bronze ware also declined step by step.
Therefore, ancient Chinese bronzes are actually an important symbol of ancient Chinese civilization, which fully embodies the "ritual system" in the ancient Chinese political system.
The development process of Chinese bronze culture is completely different from that of Western bronze civilization, so these bronze vessels that are unique in the world and have extremely rich varieties have been formed.
China News Agency reporter: What are the differences between Western bronzes and China?
Ma Jinhong:
The development of bronze civilization across the world is uneven.
The Anitolian Peninsula was the first area where bronzes were smelted. At present, bronzes dating from 6000 BC have been discovered; Mesopotamia in the Mesopotamia region entered the Bronze Age in 3000 BC, and the ancient Egyptian civilization followed closely. Later; the Bronze Age in Europe began in 2300 BC and lasted for nearly 1,000 years.
In early bronzes, civilizations such as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia lacked resources such as copper ore, so the production and use of bronzes were mostly small tools and weapons.
For example, from the 1920s to the 1930s, an archaeological team led by the famous British archaeologist Leonard Wuli conducted archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Ur in Sumer. The bronze unearthed in the cemetery included a small number of small weapons and Utensils.
There are two main differences between Western bronzes and ancient Chinese bronzes.
First, the functions are different.
For example, ancient Greek sculptures modeled the image of gods by referring to the image of people, and gave them a more ideal and perfect art form, because people at that time believed that gods and people had the same shape and character.
In the Bronze Age of China, bronze ware was a symbol of social hierarchy. The type and quantity of bronze ware used by the ruling class must be consistent with the status of the owner and used as a tool of ritual system, so it was called "ritual vessel."
Second, the casting technology is different.
In ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and subsequent Greek and Roman civilizations, the main techniques for making bronzes were forging and lost-wax methods; while in China, the bronzes were cast in the form of pottery blocks with complex shapes. The decoration is complex and exquisite, forming a unique situation.
In August 2016, Nanjing Museum exhibited the "Ancient Egyptian Bronze Statue".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo
China News Agency reporter: What similar totems have appeared in the bronze civilizations of the East and the West, which prove the exchange and influence between the bronze cultures of the East and the West in ancient times?
Ma Jinhong: The development of
Chinese bronze civilization was later than that of foreign bronze civilization.
The shape of some Chinese bronzes has indeed been affected by foreign influences.
For example, the bronze jue in the late Xia Dynasty, some scholars believe that it has the style of "jue" from outside the region.
In the bronze display room of the Shanghai Museum, there is a bronze guo from the early Warring States period that is quite eye-catching.
This is a water vessel in the shape of a "盉", but it has a bird's head and 4 beast claws. Some scholars (including me) believe that it is influenced by Griffin's winged beast.
In the collection of Shanghai Museum, the "wrong gold and silver bird and beast-shaped beast" in the early Warring States period.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Kang Yuzhan
Winged beast-shaped bronzes have not been discovered in China during the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties, and they are not traditional Chinese bronze motifs.
In recent years, based on literature and unearthed cultural relics, scholars have made in-depth research on this issue, and have set their sights on Griffin, an artistic theme that appeared in the Euphrates and Tigris river basins in 3000 BC. The image is a eagle-headed lion and a winged lion. Wait.
China may have different channels to accept Griffin. It may accept the influence of West Asia and Central Asia from Xinjiang, or it may accept the influence of Eurasian grasslands from Inner Mongolia and Northeast China.
From the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, that was roughly the same time as Griffin's popular period in Persia, Central Asia and Eurasian steppes, Griffin's themes appeared in bronzes and their decorations.
The winged beast-shaped bronze beast in the collection of the Shanghai Museum is a typical example of this kind of cultural exchange.
Chinese bronzes also have an influence on bronze culture outside the region.
For example, fragments of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors from the Warring States Period were unearthed in Central Asia in the Soviet Union.
It can be seen that the eastern and western bronze civilizations had mutual exchanges on the early grassland Silk Road, earlier than Zhang Qian’s mission to the Western Regions.
China News Agency reporter: What are the cultural connotations of ancient Chinese bronze civilization? What is the impact on modern life?
Ma Jinhong:
Although the Xia, Shang and Zhou eras ended more than 2,000 years ago, the "ritual system" behind the bronzes has a huge impact on China, and it can even be said that it has always affected modern times.
After the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, there are antique bronzes in all dynasties, and this kind of bronze is not a simple copy.
For example, Song Huizong ordered people to cast many antique bronzes in an attempt to incorporate many concepts of bronzes in the Xia, Shang and Wednesday dynasties. After the Song Dynasty, many bronzes used in Confucian temple sacrifices can also be said to be antique bronzes, and their functions are the same as in ancient times. of.
There is also the sacrificial culture related to bronze wares.
Some families still have the tradition of putting fish and meat in a bowl when offering sacrifices to ancestors, just like using bronze vessels for fish and meat more than 2,000 years ago. This can also be said to be an inheritance of ancient culture.
The "incense burners" that people can generally see today are actually the influence of ancient Chinese bronzes that have been passed down to the present day and have had an impact on modern life.
In October 2021, people from all walks of life on both sides of the strait jointly worshipped Confucianism in Xungu ceremony in Fuzhou.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Bin
China News Agency reporter: In today's world, what status and significance does bronze have in the cultural exchanges between the East and the West?
Ma Jinhong:
Overseas audiences are still very interested in Chinese bronzes themselves. Although they don't know enough about them, they also know that Chinese bronzes are a symbol of ancient Chinese civilization.
The Shanghai Museum organizes cultural relic exhibitions overseas, and there are often bronze wares, even individual exhibitions of bronze wares.
For example, under the epidemic this year, the Shanghai Museum went to the National Museum of Korea to hold a special exhibition of ancient Chinese bronzes. More than 60 fine bronze artifacts appeared in Seoul, and the response was great. Before that, we had also held bronze exhibitions in Europe, America, and Japan. The local audience was very enthusiastic.
In the perception of foreign audiences, Chinese bronzes are mysterious and magnificent, which are different from the Western bronze statues they are familiar with, so they have a keen interest.
Such cultural exchanges are of great significance to promoting foreign audiences' understanding of China from ancient to contemporary times and China itself.
(over)
About the Author:
Photo courtesy of Ma Jinhong, deputy director and research librarian of the Bronze Research Department of Shanghai Museum
Ma Jinhong is currently the deputy director and research librarian of the Bronze Research Department of Shanghai Museum.
Since 1985, he has worked in the Bronze Research Department of Shanghai Museum. His main research direction is ancient Chinese bronzes and bronze mirrors.
He is the author of monographs and dozens of papers such as "Practicing the Shape, Shen Ye Ying, and Quality Workmanship-The Excellent Bronze Mirror Collection in Shanghai Museum".