Li Zehou: Fierce beauty

The legendary Xia Zhu Jiuding is probably the mark that opened the first page of the Bronze Age. Although the Xia culture is still being explored, Longshan and Erlitou in Henan are probably the same. If the Shang culture is said to come from the north, this point seems to be more established. From the south (Jiangnan, Shandong) and north (northeast), the pottery ornamentation of several Neolithic cultural sites has obvious characteristics of the transition to bronze ornamentation. Of course, there is still much debate about whether they preceded bronze or were contemporaneous with or more bronze. However, from the general trend, the aesthetic style of pottery ornamentation is lively and pleasant, moving towards heavy mystery, which is indeed an unquestionable empirical evidence of the Bronze Age. Since the Yellow Emperor, through Yao Shunyu's two-headed military chief system (military democracy) to the Xia Dynasty's "passing on the son without passing on the sage", ancient Chinese history has entered a new stage: although it is still based on the social structure of the clan community, the early patriarchal ruling order (hierarchical system) is gradually forming and establishing. The members of the commune gradually became disguised slaves of the clan nobles at all levels, and the class division between the nobles and the commoners (the chinese) began. In the superstructure and ideological field, the wushi culture with a strong religious nature began under the banner of "ritual" and ancestor sacrifice as the core. It is characterized by the fact that the primitive universal witchcraft rituals became the hierarchical laws of social rule monopolized by some rulers, and the full-time shamans at the end of primitive societies became the religious and political auxiliaries of the ruling class.

At that time, divination was carried out every day, and a large number of them were about agricultural aspects such as "Bu He", "Bu Nian", "Bu Yu", as well as wars, healing, sacrifices, etc., which were basically the same as the activities of shamans in primitive society, but this religious activity increasingly became a tool to safeguard the interests of the clan aristocratic ruling group and the ruling class. By extension, all kinds of big and small things have to ask God and ghosts to decide whether the action is auspicious or not. The oracle bones unearthed from the Yin Ruins record divination about various large and small activities. The same was true of the Zhou Dynasty, as evidenced by the Zhong Ding inscription. The I Ching is actually also the Book of Bu Zheng. The following account of Shangshu Hongfan can be seen as a typical portrayal of this kind of activity in Yin Zhou society:

Ru then has great doubts, plotting against Naixin, plotting with the secretaries, conspiring with the Shuren, plotting with The People, plotting with the Bu Zheng. ...... Ruze from. Turtle cong, zheng cong, qing shi rebellion, common people rebellion, ji. Qing Shi Cong, Gui Cong, Ru Ze Reverse, Shu Min Reverse, Ji. Shumin congruence, turtle congruence, zheng cong, Ru ze rebellion, Qing Shi rebellion, Ji. Turtle congregation, zheng rebellion, qingshi rebellion, common people rebellion, as an internal ji, as an external murderer. The turtle is used against people, and uses Shizuyoshi as a murderer.

This shows that among all the conditions, "turtle conformity" and "zhengcong" are the most important, surpassing any other aspect and factor, including the will and demands of the "emperor" and "king" themselves. If "turtles and baskets are against people", there is no way to carry out any activities at all. The status and power of the monks who mastered the turtle basket for divination can be imagined. Some of them actually became regime manipulators in charge of state affairs:

In addition to "Wu" and "Yi" (Bu Ci's so-called "Ling Duoyin"), there are also "Shi" (Bu Ci's so-called "History of His Lingqing"). "Shi", like "Wu" and "Yin", is also a big religious and political figure of "Zhitiandao". Zhang Taiyan believes that "scholars, events, history, and officials" are all the same thing. Wang Guowei said that history and events are the same, and Yin Xubu's words as "Qingshi" and the passage as "Qingshi" are actually the same. "It's The secretary's real name shiya." "Yin" and "history" are also the same thing, "Yin's name is based on the internal history". "Historical hand holding a simple form" is also the earliest figure who monopolizes writing. In addition, such as Bu, Zong, Zhu, etc., were all monks and nobles with different names and the same reality at that time.

That is to say, the separation and adaptation from material labor from spiritual labor gave rise to the emergence of the first group of thinkers, who were wizards, the spiritual leaders of primitive society. And as Marx said, "From this moment on consciousness can truly imagine itself; it is something different from existing practical consciousness, and it can realistically imagine something without imagining something real." "Within this class, a section of the people emerges as thinkers of that class (they are active and generalized thinkers of this class, who regard the fabrication of this class's fantasies about themselves as the main source of their livelihoods)..." This is exactly what the ancient Chinese "Wu", "Yin", and "Shi" did. They were a group of active and generalized "thinkers" in the Yin Zhou ruler class, who were "qualified to the emperor and heaven" and "to God", which was the original form of the monk. Dressed in religious garb, they consider the future and advise for the interests of their own class, so that it is as if this mental activity of theirs is something different from the existing practical consciousness, that is, it is not to imagine the existing things, but to be able to truly imagine something, that is, to propose "ideals" through mysterious and strange forms of witchcraft-religion, to predict the future, to fabricate illusions about themselves, to describe class rule as the will of Heaven. "Since the ancient emperor will be appointed to build a country and start a cause, why not treasure the blessings to help the good." Tang Yu above, can not remember, since the rise of the three generations, each according to ZhenXiang. This also just shows that the primitive society "above Tang Yu" is not easy to say, and the establishment and rule of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou "founding and being ordained" always rely on these "Wu", "Shi", and "Yin" to fabricate and propagate the fantasies and "Zhenxiang" of their own class.

This "fantasy" and "Zhenxiang", this "realistic imagination", that is, the independent specialized production of ideology, is expressed in bronze in the form of realistic images. If it is said that the formulation, standardization and evolution of pottery ornaments are still mostly members of the clan leaders who have not yet separated from material production, reflecting the concept and imagination of the whole people of the clan and tribe, then the norm-makers of bronze ornaments should already be these religious and political figures. Although the forcasters of bronzes were manual laborers and even slaves, and although some of the bronze ornaments can be traced back to primitive totems and pottery motifs, they are, after all, mainly the majesty, strength, and will of the rulers of early patriarchal society. They are qualitatively different from the mysterious and strange geometric patterns on the pottery. The bronze ornaments represented by the gluttony are different from the geometric abstract ornaments of the gods, they are far more specific animal images, but they are indeed not to "imagine something real", and the legendary Xia Zhu Jiuding is probably the mark that opens the first page of the Bronze Age. Although the Xia culture is still being explored, Longshan and Erlitou in Henan are probably the same. If the Shang culture is said to come from the north, this point seems to be more established. As mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, from the south (Jiangnan, Shandong) and north (northeast), the pottery ornamentation of several Neolithic cultural sites has a direction, and the transition of bronze ornamentation is obvious. Of course, there is still much debate about whether they preceded bronze or were contemporaneous with or more bronze. However, from the general trend, the aesthetic style of pottery ornamentation is lively and pleasant, moving towards heavy mystery, which is indeed an unquestionable empirical evidence of the Bronze Age. They belong to "something" that is "truly imagined", something that is imagined and concocted for the benefits and needs of its rule. In the form of supernatural mysteriously intimidating animals, they express the affirmation and fantasy of this nascent class about its own dominance.

The side of the former summer has virtue, distant pictures, tribute gold and nine pastures, casting ding elephants, and preparing a hundred things for it, so that the people know that the gods are adulterous. The old people entered the mountains and forests of Kawazawa, and it was not bad. Enchanted, can not meet. Use energy to cooperate with the upper and lower levels, in order to inherit the heavens. ("Turn Left and Declare The Year of The Duke of Xuangong 3")

The bronze ornamentation represented by gluttony has the auspicious meaning of affirming itself, protecting society, and "cooperating with the upper and lower levels" and "inheriting the heavens and resting". So, what exactly is gluttony? This is still inconclusive. The only thing that is certain is that it is a beast face pattern, what kind of beast? Then there are various theories: cattle, sheep, tigers, deer, mountain fish... The book basically agrees that it is a bull's head print. But this cow was not a cow, but a sacred cow in the religious rituals of witchcraft at that time. Modern folklore surveys of ethnic minorities in southwest China show that the bull's head, as the main symbol of witchcraft religious rituals, is hung high in the treetops, which has extremely important sacred significance and protective functions for the clan tribe. It is actually a symbol mark of the primitive ritual sacrifice, which contains a huge primitive power in the fantasy, so it is a symbol of mystery, terror, and intimidation, and it may be the fantasy masterpiece of the above-mentioned witches, Yin, and Shi. Therefore, all kinds of gluttonous patterns and other ornaments and shapes and features of the entire bronze with it as the main body are highlighting this primitive power that points to an infinite abyss, highlighting the fear, fear, cruelty and ferocity in the face of this mysterious threat. You look at those famous Shang Ding and Zhou Chu Ding, you look at that beast (man? Look at the thunder-stained body, look at the dragon and phoenix entangled with the gluttony, look at the various mutated animal figures that do not exist in the real world, such as the mysterious messenger of the night, the Owl, you look at the terrible human face... They are no longer the vivid and pleasant and realistic images in Yangshao's faience pottery ornaments, nor are they different from the geometric patterns of abstract pottery after all, although mysterious. They are completely deformed, stylized, fantasistic, and frightening animal figures. The feeling they present to you is a mysterious power and a fierce beauty. Therefore, they have the power to intimidate and mysterious, not because of the power of these strange animal figures themselves, but in the fact that these strange images are symbolic symbols, pointing to some concept that seems to be a supernatural authority and divine power; the reason why they are beautiful is not how these images have a decorative flavor and so on (as some art history believes nowadays), but that these strange images have strong lines, deep and protruding casting carvings, which just rightly embody an infinite, primitive, original. The emotions, concepts, and ideals of primitive religions, which cannot yet be expressed in conceptual language, together with the calm, solid, and stable shape of the artifact, reflect extremely successfully the barbaric era of blood and fire that must be experienced when entering the era of civilization.

Humans start with animals. In order to get rid of the animal state, human beings initially used barbaric, almost animal-like means, which is the historical truth. History never progresses in the warm veins of humanity, but rather, it often tramples on thousands of corpses mercilessly. War is one of the most barbaric means of this kind. Since the late primitive period of society, wars have become more frequent and larger with the annexation of clan tribes. The fact that China's military books mature so early is a general reflection of long-term war experience. "Since the stripping of the trees (stripping the trees and fighting), when is there no war?" The Difficulty of Dahao, the Seventy Battles and then the Later Relief; the Yellow Emperor's Difficulty, the Fifty-second Battle and the Later Relief; the Difficulty of Shaohao, the Forty-Eight Battles and the Later Relief; the Battle of Kunwu, the Fifty Battles and the Later Relief; the Battle of Makino, the Blood Flowing Pestle. "Probably from the Yanhuang era to the Yin Zhou Dynasty, large-scale wars of incorporation between clans and tribes, and the large-scale and frequent massacres, captures, plunders, enslavement, oppression and exploitation that followed, were the basic trends of society and the regular subjects of history. Violence is the midwife of civilized society. Flaunting violence and martial arts were the glory and pride of the early patriarchal system of clan and tribal consolidation throughout history. Therefore, after the original myths and heroes, there is this praise and praise of their own clans, ancestors, and contemporary barbaric wars of annexation. Most of the Yin Zhou bronzes were also made for this purpose, and they were used as "ceremonial vessels" for sacrifice, mostly for ancestors or to remember the victory of their own military conquests. With the large number of prisoners killed at that time to perform ritual kissing contracts. "If you are not of my race, your heart will be different", killing or even eating the enemies of non-clans and tribes is a historical fact since the primitive war, and killing prisoners to sacrifice the totems and ancestors of the clan is a common ritual at that time. Therefore, the cannibalistic food can be used as the standard symbol of this era. The "Lü's Spring and Autumn Chronicles" says: "Zhou Ding is hungry, has a head and no body, eats people without swallowing, and harms his body." "Myths are lost, and meanings are hard to understand. However, the basic meaning of "cannibalism" is completely in line with the image of the monster and the horror of gluttony. It is on the one hand the embodiment of terror, and on the other hand, it is a god of protection. It is a symbol of intimidation and intimidation for foreign clans and tribes, and it has the divine power to protect the clan and tribe. This duality of religious ideas, emotions, and imaginations is condensed in this strange and fierce image. What is so barbaric today is historically justified at the time. Because of this, the barbaric myths and legends of the ancient clans, the brutal war stories and works of art, including Homer's epic poems, African masks... Despite being very rough and even terrifying, it still maintains a huge aesthetic charm. The same is true of Chinese bronze gluttony. In the mystery of what seemed to be a terrible threat, a sunken historical force accumulated. It is precisely in combination with this unstoppable and enormous historical force that its mysterious horror becomes beautiful—sublime. Man really has no place or power here, and what has a position is this mysterious animal deformation, which threatens, devours, suppresses, and tramples on man's body and mind. But society at that time had to forge ahead through the ferocity, barbarism, terror, and power of this kind of blood and fire. With a sentimental attitude, it is impossible to understand the art of the Bronze Age. This historical era of killing thousands of captives and slaves at every turn has long been in the past, but the reason why bronze art that represents and embodies the spirit of this era is that we still appreciate and admire it is not that they embody this superhuman historical force and constitute the fierce beauty essence of bronze art. This is like the sense of destiny rendered by Greek tragedy that gives people a terrible effect, and the art of beauty because it embodies a certain historical necessity and power. The combination of superhuman historical power and primitive religious mystical concepts also makes bronze art exude a serious atmosphere of destiny, which adds to its mysterious and fierce style.

At the same time, because the early patriarchal system was inseparable from primitive society after all, this kind of fierce and brutal image still maintained a certain real childishness. So that this undisguised mysterious fierceness, on the contrary, ripples out an irreproducible and unattainable childhood style of beauty. Especially today, this feature is more clear. Do you see that the beast (man) has a big face, and although it is consciously trying to exaggerate the viciousness and horror, not only does it still retain something childish or even feminine? The same is true of many of the ornaments. They still have a certain primitive, naïve, humble beauty.

Therefore, far from being any vicious mystery can become beauty. On the contrary, the various human, god-like or animal figures of later generations who have their teeth and claws, despite how much they boast of intimidation and fear, are only empty and ridiculous. They do not have the historically inevitable power of destiny of bronze art and the early childhood temperament of mankind.

The more society develops and civilization progresses, the more it can appreciate and evaluate this lofty and fierce beauty. In the patriarchal period, they were not objects of aesthetic ornamentation, but religious ceremonial vessels that were sincerely fearful of offerings; in feudal times, there were also historical facts that destroyed them for fear of such fierce images. "In the old days, it was said that Zhong Ding destroyed the instrument for the sake of the devil, and gai was caused by the horror of such images." It is precisely in a civilized society where material civilization is highly developed, religious concepts have faded, and cruelty and fierceness have become obsolete, that art that embodies the power and destiny of ancient history can become understood, appreciated and loved by people, and become a real aesthetic object.

Excerpt from The Course of Beauty