I
N
T
R
1 ORACLE BONE
Shang dynasty, i3th-iith
century B.C. An-yang,
Honan Province.
2 I/8 x II/v in. (5.4 x 3.8 cm).
Purchase, Rogers Fund,
1917 (I8.56.71)
The inscription records a
divination on the meaning
of a dream.
O
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
M
any elementsof Chinesecivilization
had their origins far back in the earlieststages
of its development.Social customs and
institutions establishedduringthe BronzeAge
have survivedintact or are reflectedin
thought and artisticexpressionin all periods
of Chinese history.Most of the Chinesewords
now in use can be traced,in meaningand
form, to the oracle-bonescriptof the Bronze
Age (fig. i). The same principlesof graphic
design that underliedecorativepatternson
Neolithic pottery (see figs. z, 3) apply to the
art of calligraphyas practicedto this day,and
the polished, lustrousartifactscut from jade
duringthe Neolithic period remainfascinating to the Chinese mind.
While one should be wary of simple explanations of culturalphenomena,it is tempting
to view the extraordinarycontinuityof Chinese civilizationlargelyas a consequenceof
the regenerativepower based on a dynamic
balance of opposing and complementing
forces. Analyticalstudies of the art and social
institutions of the Shangdynasty,one of the
most creativein Chinesecivilization,have
revealeddualisticphenomenain these key
aspects of culture.And if one appliesthe same
analysis to the art of laterperiods, it is not
difficultto arriveat similarconclusions. This
dualism has internaland externalaspects: the
formeris manifestedin a single object, as in
the case of the mask (see fig. II, p. 15); and
the latter by the dialecticbetween opposing philosophical and political systems,
exemplifiedby the progressiveand conservative factions of the rulinghouses of the Shang
dynasty as postulated by scholarsof oraclebone inscriptionsfrom An-yang.Lifesustainingchanges and innovationswere also
brought about by the continuingrevivalof
culturaltraditionsand by the introductionof
foreign influences.
No civilizationeverexisted in total isolation, and it is often difficult,especiallyduring
the early periods, to definegeographical
boundariesof a civilizationat any particular
time. In China, from the beginningof its
recordedhistory,therewere contacts with
foreignersbeyond the areasthat shared
culturalcharacteristicsemanatingfrom the
centerof Chinesecivilizationin northern
China, along the lower course of the Yellow
River.The most importantand stimulating
connection was that with centralAsia, which
servedas the conduit for the flow of ideas
between East and West.
This Bulletin text presentsa commentary
on objects on permanentdisplayin the
CharlotteC. and John C. WeberGalleriesfor
the Arts of Ancient China. The exhibits span
thousands of years,from Neolithic times to
the end of the T'ang dynastyin the tenth
centuryA.D. This discussion is divided into
historical periods, each of which is represented by a section in the WeberGalleries.An
attemptwill be made to highlightparticular
traits in each phase of the developmentof
Chinese culture,especiallythose traitsthat
contributemost to the characterof Chinese
civilization and artisticexpression.Fromthe
Han period onward, greaterattention will be
paid to influencescoming from outside the
boundariesof the Chineseempire.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
®
www.jstor.org