HIST 270
S. Austin
Prep-work: Assignment 1*
Topic: Oracle Bones and the Ancient Chinese Worldview.
Purpose: During the Shang dynasty kings and shamans would attempt to communicate with the unseen world by inscribing
questions onto scapula bones or tortoise shells. Known as “oracle bones” these artifacts confirm the existence of the Shang
dynasty, which had previously been thought to be legendary, and give us an excellent picture of the worldview of Shang kings.
"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." This is doubly true when we are studying the past of an actual
foreign country such as China. To properly and sympathetically study the Chinese past we must begin an understanding of the
ancient Chinese worldview, which will then lead to a proper understanding of contemporary Chinese society. This discussion
will necessarily involve some critical introspection - for how else can we appreciate differences and diversity if we have never
thought about our own worldview.
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Read:
o Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, pp. 1-16.
•
View:
o “Oracle Bones” excerpted from China: Dynasties of Power
o Lens Repair 101: A Worldview Analysis
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Do:
o
Complete the following worksheet and come to class prepared to
discuss the assigned topic.
Figure 1 Example of Chinese Oracle
Bones
1. List three of the major sources of the Classical period of Chinese history?
◦ ________________________________
◦ ______________________________
◦ ________________________________
2. What was the process of communicating with the spiritual forces during the late Shang? __________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the name of the high god of the Shang? ______ Was he the one to whom the oracle bones were
primarily addressed? _____ If no, to whom were the oracle bones addressed primarily. _____________________
4. T/F The oracle bone inscriptions were not concerned with mundane things such as toothaches and childbirth.
5. Who primarily “read” (or interpreted) the cracks on the oracle bones? _________________________________
6. When King Wu took ill, to whom did the Duke of Zhou pray for his recovery? _________________________
*
Note: This page is your “ticket” into the discussion portion of the assignment. If you are not prepared you will not understand the
topic and you will have nothing to contribute to the discussion. Obviously this would be unfair to the others in your group. If you are not
prepared, you may be sent to the library to complete the prep work and written assignment.
HIST 270
S. Austin
7. What did the Duke of Zhou offer in sacrifice that the king might get better? ___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What happened to the Duke of Zhou immediately after King Wu died? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
9. If human nature is fundamentally the same and universal, what themes of young love written almost 3,000 years
ago in China might resonate with American teenagers today? ________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
10. What might a Chinese Thanksgiving look like 3,000 years ago? In other words, how did Chinese farmers
celebrate the harvest? _______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
11. During a particularly fierce battle, what could be picked up by the handfuls from the bottoms of the boats?
_____________________________________________________________________
12. In the battle between Jin and Chu, who won? ______________________________________
13. List seven important questions worldview attempts to answer.
● ______________________________________●_____________________________________
● ______________________________________●_____________________________________
● ______________________________________●_____________________________________
● ___________________________________________________________________________
14. How does Dr. Kenneth Funk define worldview? ____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
15. If there is only one objective reality, what two possibilities account for the multiple wordviews found in our
society and world?
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___________________________________________________________________________
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C:\Users\Dad\Documents\My Dropbox\RCC\East Asia History\Chinese Civilization - A Sourcebook\(HIST270) Assignment 1 -
Oracle Bones.docx