Divergence from the research of a piece of Warring States fine brand ornamentation
Seconds
Long in the king
Continuing with the research notes from the previous article, we will come to this one
[2] From the Yi nationality to the "country of art", the splendid Zhongshan culture of the Warring States Period.
"The customs and performance of social life are the accumulation of people's long-term production and life, and as one of the important connotations of history and culture, it also reproduces all aspects of the past society to a certain extent. In the 70s of the 20th century, the tomb of King Zhongshan in Pingshan, Hebei Province unearthed many exquisite artifacts with great characteristics, which attracted the general attention of Chinese and foreign academic circles. ”
At the beginning of the Spring and Autumn period, Xianyu recorded in the "Chinese Zheng Yu)" was only one of the Zhurongdi tribes located in the northern part of the Zhou Dynasty. In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhurong Di tribe, which had been powerful for a while, was torn apart due to a serious blow, and rose as the Xianyu of the Bai Di species, becoming the powerful Rongdi country in the late Spring and Autumn Period. However, on the historical stage of the Central Plains at that time, Xianyu was still a small country with a very backward economy and culture. Under the annexation and squeeze of the Jin state, Xianyu founded the country as Zhongshan in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and established a multi-ethnic state headed by the Xianyu nobles, annexing and ruling the Xianyu and other Rongdi peoples, as well as the Chinese people in the ruling region. After more than 100 years of continuous development and integration of Zhongshan, especially after nearly 30 years of Wei's Zhongshan's rule, the politics and economy have developed by leaps and bounds, and the degree of Chineseization has deepened day by day. In the middle of the Warring States Period, the Zhongshan Kingdom gradually strengthened, built the Great Wall, circled between the Chinese countries, participated in the alliance of the five kings, and claimed the king together with other Central Plains countries, becoming the only Rongdi country that could compete with the Central Plains Zhuxia at that time.
Hebei Pingshan Zhongshan King Mausoleum Site Museum
The art and culture of Zhongshan Kingdom and the social environment of Zhongshan Kingdom at that time have a close connection, the early Xianyu Zhongshan Kingdom was not strong, in the continuous war with the Jin State, Zhongshan State was faced with the collapse of the political structure, the state of social misery, the crisis of internal and external attacks, once disappeared in the ancient documents. Subsequently, after decades of dormancy, the remnants of the Zhongshan people rebuilt their homes with the support of external conditions, but after the restoration of the country, the Zhongshan Kingdom was destroyed again soon after. In 408 BC, Marquis Wen of Wei launched a large-scale war to destroy the Zhongshan Kingdom. After the Wei general Le Yang conquered Zhongshan, this state founded by northern nomads became a vassal state of Wei. During the Wei Zhongshan period, the agricultural economic system, production technology, political system and cultural customs of the Central Plains were gradually integrated into the Xianyu settlement, so that this generation of nomadic Zhongshan people slowly became skilled farmers and craftsmen, and promoted the mutual integration of ethnic groups.
Let's start with the "important instrument of the country" that most reflects the level of productivity - bronze products
"Zhongshan Three Instruments", Wang Cuo Tomb unearthed
Zhongshan King square pot, 63 cm high, weighs 28.72 kg
Zhongshan King round pot, 44.9 cm high, weighs 13.65 kg
By the way, looking at the inscription font of the famous "the most beautiful Zhongshan seal", interested friends can understand the beauty of this unique glyph from Zhongshan country
Zhongshan Wang Ding, 51.5 cm high and 60 kg in weight, is forbidden to be exhibited abroad
In the tomb of the king of Zhongshan, a bronze vessel [wrong gold and silver, four dragons and four phoenixes], 78 components, after 22 casting, 48 times of welding
Wrong Silver Winged Divine Beast
Wrong gold and silver tiger devouring deer screen base, length 51 cm, height 21.9 cm
Wrong gold, silver, bronze bull screen base
Bronze lamp with silver head figurine, 66.4 cm high
Fifteen copper lamps, 82.9 cm high
After reading "gold", let's look at the most important luxury "jade" of that period.
In terms of jade products, the jade of Zhongshan Kingdom has the same commonality of the Warring States Period, but its own style of artifacts can be easily classified as the exclusive bloodline of "Zhongshan Jade" through the comparative study of cultural relics unearthed in various places during the same period.
"Research on Jade Artifacts Unearthed from the Tombs of Zhongshan Kingdom in Pingshan" Yang Jianfang
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the royal family declined, the princely powers rose, and at the same time, regional cultures emerged. However, the Central Plains culture adhered to the traditional civilization of the Zongzhou Dynasty and was still the mainstream of the culture at that time, and influenced other regional cultures to varying degrees. Jade culture is no exception. Some regional jade cultures, such as Qin-style jade and Chu-style jade, were produced under the influence of Central Plains-style jade. Their main types and patterns are the same as those of the Central Plains jade culture. Of course, these regional jade cultures also have their own special types and shapes. It is precisely because there are jade artifacts unearthed from the cemetery of Zhongshan in Pingshan that can be classified and compared, and can be divided into Central Plains style, Chu style, Yue style and Zhongshan style in terms of region or country affiliation, and there are also jade tools made by Zhongshan jade workers imitating the Central Plains style and Chu style.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, commerce and transportation were developed, and the governments and people frequently exchanged questions, and the envoys of King Di once went to the capital of Chu to meet the King of Chu. I also visited the famous Janghwatai. In this highly dynamic historical environment, it is only natural that Chu-style jade flows into Zhongshan (and vice versa).
Refer to the previous article with relevant views: Jiu Zaijun's column: "One of the research divergences from a piece of Warring States fine brand decoration"
This fully shows that under the background of the times, social productive forces and art are intermingling with each other, and artifacts can be circulated in a peaceful way, or may involve conquest and plunder, and it is precisely because of this that the artistic expression with the DNA of "Zhongshan Kingdom" should not be buried and confused, and will eventually shine with its own light.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that according to research, in the northwest of the Jin Kingdom and the northern Shaanxi Plateau in the Spring and Autumn Period, there was one of the Di people scattered - Bai Di, the grassland relics are strong, and the clan of Zhongshan is Bai Di, so its various kinds of utensils, including jade, also have the characteristics of grassland art style. This legacy is still traced in the Wei and Jin dynasties until the Han Dynasty, and its shadow can even be glimpsed in overseas cultural relics of the same period, and the continuation of the motif is not a coincidence, such as the theme of "gods and men and double dragons" (there will be an article dedicated to this in the future)
Ring line diagram of the bronze gilt shop head unearthed from the Northern Wei Dynasty tomb in Shenjing Village, Yanggao (from "Cultural Relics", 2004, No. 6, page 31, Figure 3-9)
固原雷祖庙村北魏墓出土青铜铺首
(From plate 51 of Helan Mountain: Ningxia Silk Road)
The title ring of the bronze shop head unearthed from the Northern Wei Dynasty tomb in Guyuan Leizumiao Village
(From plate 53 of Helan Mountain: Ningxia Silk Road)
The god and the dragon pendant Tomb No. 2 in the Tila Mound
This pendant of the dragon is about 25-50 A.D., which is equivalent to the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China
The attached picture collects the micro-traces of Zhongshan national brand ornaments, and the size of the ruler can facilitate everyone to feel its exquisite processing level, and can also compare the micro-traces of Chu-style jade in the same period to compare the differences between the two.
This article has been published with permission from the author
Xie will never copy pictures and texts to his public WeChat account without permission