Language: English
ISBN/ISSN: 9787802282841
2007; Paperback;210×285mm;164 pages with numerous color photos
This is a series of books about the contents and grace of the world Heritage Sites in China. It is also a splendid chapter that records the remarkable achievements made by China in cooperation with the rest of the world in advocating world peace, seeking long-term benefit for mankind and protecting the common homeland of human beings around the world.
The archaeological site of Yin Xu, close to Anyang City, some 500 km south of Beijing, is an ancient capital city of the late Shang Dynasty. It testifies to the golden age of early Chinese culture, crafts and sciences, a time of great prosperity of the Chinese Bronze Age. A number of royal tombs and palaces, prototypes of later Chinese architecture, have been unearthed on the site. The site includes the Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area, with more than 80 houses foundations, and the only tomb of a member of the royal family of the Shang Dynast to have remained intact, the Tomb of Fu Hao. The large number and superb craftsmanship of the burial accessories found there bear testimony to the advanced level of Shang handicraft industry, and from now one of the national treasures of China. Numerous pits containing bovine shoulder blades and turtle plastrons have been found in Yin Xu. Inscriptions on these oracle bones bear invaluable testimony to the development of one of the world’s oldest writing systems, ancient beliefs and social systems.
Table of Contents
Contents
002 The Testimony to the Splendor of the Age of Bronze in China—Yin Xu
016 The Once Prosperous Capital City of the Sang Dynasty in China—The Ruins of Palace and Ancestral Shrines
036 China’s Best-preserved Royal Tomb Complex—The Ruins of Royal Tombs
050 The Earliest Form of Chinese Characters —Inscription on Oracle Bones
068 The Outstanding Examples of Ancient Oriental Bronze Culture and Art —Bronze Wares
132 The Quintessence of Ancient Art and Science—Jade and Stone Wares
