Shang Dynasty

in the building, and the only way man can look upon the sum total of handiwork is by viewing it from outer space (Waldron, pg 2).” The Great Wall of China is more than just a wall. It is a story. It is a story that spans across centuries and dynasties of late China. Many people believe that The Great Wall of China is just a single wall that wraps around China, but in fact, it is a series of…

It is one with the Chinese New Year, and since ancient times this has been a festival that means a tremendous deal to China. This festival originated from all the way back in the Shang Dynasty, which is believed to have been around in 1600 B.C-1100 B.C. The Spring Festival is looked to be equivalent to American Christmas; the family members that moved away come back home, and families get together to celebrate. The Festival starts in…

different time periods and generations (Deng 2).” One important Chinese invention is the Compass, invented during the Qin Dynasty (221- 206 BC). Its main purpose was to tell direction; and unlike today's compasses, ancient China's compasses pointed south because it was their primary direction. Another important ancient Chinese invention is paper, invented during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC- 25 AD). Paper was and still is used to record information, and to transport documented messages. The…

The author succeeds in making a strong case for the importance of serious consideration of the religious aspects of Chinese society—at both the elite and the popular levels—which is indispensible for properly understanding virtually all aspects of China’s past and present, including the Chinese state and the local society. In essence, he argues that Chinese society is essentially a religious society. Pointing to a dominant tradition that repeatedly brought church and state together, he also…

witnessed the bronze ritual vessels of the Shang and Zhou Dynasty. Then we examined the different Hu’s of the Han Dynasty. We also watched the progression of Buddhist sculptures in the 3rd and 4th century. With the course ending we see the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in the 10th century, and the emergence of Chinese Landscape painting. The past couple weeks, we were introduced to a variety of painters and their paintings from the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Today we will focus on a painting…

through the civic examinations. The impact of Confucianism was far reaching with effects displayed in art, literature, social rank, and education. To do this I am going to first provide an insight into the Han Chinese culture as a whole during the Ming Dynasty, including a view point from Europe at the time; then I will explain the significance of the civic examinations and the influence of Confucian ideology in art at the Ming court. Next the printing industry’s role in the perpetuation of…

story of Nü Gua molding the first humans from yellow clay and mud is not the only telling of human creation involving her. For example, texts from the T’ang dynasty, written by Li Jung, present a far different tradition where Nüwa, along with her brother-husband, were the first mortals and progenerated humankind. From the myths from the T’ang dynasty where Nü Kua was a mortal, she was reduced, however, from her godly status and made “subservient to God in Heaven (T’ien).” While she was an…

itself with the power and the strength of the state, legalism enabled the Qin to gain the necessary stability and military power needed to conquer the remaining feudalistic states. Combining earlier legalist theory, most notably the Book of Lord Shang, Han Fei Tzu, perfected the theories of legalism in his collection of works known as Han FeiZi. In Han Feizi, Han Fei, outlines the ideal form of political administration, through a discourse on the roles of rulership and ministership, as well as…

Chinese noble struggled for supremacy. These Chinese nobles acted as independent warriors in their own realm and imposed their own way of ruling. Consequently, the Chinese sense of unity and central authority ceased and the Zhou dynasty ended. The fall of the Zhou dynasty led to chaos, which lasted for about two centuries. The duration of anarchy was called the “Warring States Period” (403-221 B.C.E). During this period, the chaos of political instability and constant warfare divided China. Yet…

monster who goes against her husband, like the woman did in Chaste Woman. The Story of Yingying refers to two men whose downfalls were attributed to women. “King Xin of the Shang and King Yu of the Zhou were brought low by women, in spite…