China: Visions through the Ages

Description

At the entrance of The Field Museum’s Cyrus Tang Hall of China, two Chinese stone guardian lions stand tall, gazing down intently at approaching visitors. One lion’s paw rests upon a decorated ball symbolizing power, while the other lion cradles a cub. Traditionally believed to possess attributes of strength and protection, statues such as these once stood guard outside imperial buildings, temples, and wealthy homes in China. Now, centuries later, they guard this incredible permanent exhibition.   China’s long history is one of the richest and most complex in the known world, and the Cyrus Tang Hall of China offers visitors a wonderful, comprehensive survey of it through some 350 artifacts on display, spanning from the Paleolithic period to present day. Now, with China: Visions through the Ages, anyone can experience the marvels of this exhibition through the book’s beautifully designed and detailed pages. Readers will gain deeper insight into The Field Museum’s important East Asian collections, the exhibition development process, and research on key aspects of China’s fascinating history. This companion book, edited by the exhibition’s own curatorial team, takes readers even deeper into the wonders of the Cyrus Tang Hall of China and enables them to study more closely the objects and themes featured in the show. Mirroring the exhibition’s layout of five galleries, the volume is divided into five sections. The first section focuses on the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods; the second, the Bronze Age, the first dynasties, and early writing; the third, the imperial system and power; the fourth, religion and performance; and the fifth, interregional trade and the Silk Routes. Each section also includes highlights containing brief stories on objects or themes in the hall, such as the famous Lanting Xu rubbing.   With chapters from a diverse set of international authors providing greater context and historical background, China: Visions through the Ages is a richly illustrated volume that allows visitors, curious readers, and China scholars alike a chance to have an enduring exchange with the objects featured in the exhibition and with their multifaceted histories. Contents Introduction (Lisa C. Niziolek, Deborah A. Bekken, and Gary M. Feinman) Timeline 1. Building the China Collections at The Field Museum (Deborah A. Bekken) SECTION 1: Diverse Landscapes, Diverse Ways of Life 2. Domestication and the Origins of Agriculture in China (Gary W. Crawford) HIGHLIGHT 1: Zhoukoudian: Peking Man and Evidence for Human Evolution in East Asia (Chen Shen) 3. China during the Neolithic Period (Gary M. Feinman, Hui Fang, and Linda M. Nicholas) SECTION 2: Ritual and Power, War and Unification 4. The Bronze Age in China: What and When (Yung-ti Li) HIGHLIGHT 2: Sanyangzhuang: Life and Death in the Yellow River Floodplain (Tristram R. Kidder and Haiwang Liu) 5. Written on Bamboo and Silk, Inscribed in Metal and Stone: Varieties of Early Chinese Writing (Edward L. Shaughnessy) HIGHLIGHT 3: Consort Hao’s Inauspicious Delivery (Edward L. Shaughnessy) SECTION 3: Shifting Power, Enduring Traditions 6. Along the River during the Qingming Festival: A Living Painting with a Long History (Lu Zhang) HIGHLIGHT 4: Conserving a Treasure: Preparing Along the River during the Qingming Festival for Display (Rachel Freeman and Shelley R. Paine) 7. Men of Culture: Scholar-Officials and Scholar-Emperors in Late Imperial China (Fan Jeremy Zhang) HIGHLIGHT 5: Commemorating a Gathering of Friends: The Lanting Xu Rubbing (Yuan Zhou) SECTION 4: Beliefs and Practices, Symbols and Stories 8. Daoism and Buddhism in Traditional China (Paul Copp) HIGHLIGHT 6: Sealed in Time: A Manuscript from Dunhuang (Yuan Zhou) 9. Shadows between Worlds: Chinese Shadow Theater (Mia Yinxing Liu) SECTION 5: Crossing Boundaries, Building Networks 10. The Silk Road: Intercontinental Trade and the Tang Empire (Lin Meicun and Ran Zhang) 11. The Java Sea Shipwreck and China’s Maritime Trade (Lisa C. Niziolek) HIGHLIGHT 7: Herbs and Artifacts: Trade in Traditional Chinese Medicine (Amanda Respess) Conclusion: Legacies of Qin Unification: A Hinge Point of Chinese History (Gary M. Feinman) References Index