Liangzhu Culture: Society, Belief, and Art in Neolithic China

Description

The Liangzhu Culture (3,300-2,300 BC) represented the peak of prehistoric cultural and social development in the Yangtze Delta. With a wide sphere of influence centred near present-day Hangzhou City, Liangzhu City is considered one of the earliest urban centres in prehistoric China. Although it remains a mystery for many in the West, Liangzhu is well known in China for its fine jade-crafting industry; its enormous, well-structured earthen palatial compound and recently discovered hydraulic system; and its far-flung impact on contemporary and succeeding cultures. The archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in July 2019. Liangzhu Culture contextualises Liangzhu in broad socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and provides new, first-hand data to help explain the development and structure of this early urban centre. Among its many insights, the volume reveals how elites used jade as a means of acquiring social power, and how Liangzhu and its centre stand in comparison to other prehistoric urban centres in the world. This book, the first of its kind published in the English language, will be a useful guide to students at all levels interested in the material culture and social structures of prehistoric China and beyond. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of contents List of illustrations Contributors Acknowledgements Preface 1 Situating the Liangzhu Culture in late Neolithic China: An introduction 1.1 What is the Liangzhu Culture? 1.1.1 Short research history of Liangzhu 1.1.2 Distribution of the Liangzhu Culture 1.1.3 Landscape of the Liangzhu City 1.2 Acquisition of social power in late Neolithic China 1.2.1 Some historical tendencies of the late Neolithic China 1.2.2 Debates on the origins of Chinese civilisations 1.2.3 Multiple paths to social power 1.3 Liangzhu in comparison 1.3.1 Economic patterns 1.3.2 Labour organisations 1.3.3 Interactive spheres 2 The Liangzhu City: New discoveries and research 2.1 Liangzhu Culture and world civilisations 2.2 Location of the Liangzhu site cluster 2.3 Layout of the Liangzhu City 2.3.1 City walls and layout of the city 2.3.2 Mojiaoshan platform 2.3.3 The outer circle 2.3.4 Hydraulic system 2.3.5 Altar and elite cemetery 2.3.5.1 The surrounding area of the Liangzhu City 2.4 Characteristics of the Liangzhu City and Liangzhu Culture 2.5 Concluding thoughts 3 Power and belief: Reading the Liangzhu jade and society 3.1 Funeral of the ‘king’: The Fanshan tomb no. M20 3.2 Signs of power: The structure and order in the Liangzhu City 3.2.1 Power and space 3.2.2 Power and hierarchy 3.2.3 Power and gender 3.2.4 Power and jade resource 3.3 Spirit of jade: Unified belief system in Liangzhu society 3.3.1 Carving the meaning: Liangzhu’s motif 3.3.2 Cong and ritual 3.4 Conclusion Note 4 A controlled fine craft: Jade production techniques in the Liangzhu Culture 4.1 Jade source 4.2 Cutting, tubular drilling, and boring 4.2.1 Cutting 4.2.1.1 String cutting 4.2.1.2 Blade cutting 4.2.2 Tubular drilling 4.2.3 Boring 4.3 Types, shapes, and carved motifs 4.4 Discussion and summary Notes 5 From the ‘Songze Style’ to the ‘Liangzhu Mode’ 5.1 Problems and methods 5.2 The Songze style 5.3 Liangzhu mode 5.4 Conclusions Notes 6 Shamanistic, historic, and virtuous jade: Continuity and change in early Chinese jade traditions 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Prehistoric period: The rise of the wu (shamanistic) jade tradition 6.3 Longshan period: Transition from wu (shamanistic) jade to historic jade 6.4 Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties: Establishment of the virtuous jade tradition 6.4.1 Editors’ notes Notes Glossary List of historical records Bibliography Index