Name：Peiquan Feng(pf2208)
For this field report, I visited the newly constructed Shanghai Museum East. The
museum is organized by themes such as bronzeware, ceramics, sculpture, and
currency, displaying items from different Chinese dynasties in chronological order.
These artifacts, some of which were independently created within Chinese civilization
while others emerged from cultural exchanges with nearby or distant civilizations, are
crucial pieces of evidence of ancient Chinese society, reflecting the unique features
and development of each period. Below, I will discuss three interesting aspects and
related artifacts and reflect on their significance to Chinese civilization.
The first aspect is bronzeware. In studying early Chinese civilization, one cannot
overlook the significance of bronze. I have seen bronzeware exhibitions in various
provincial museums across China, and Shanghai Museum East offers a rich collection
with many outstanding pieces. In early times, bronzeware was often used in ritual
contexts, such as ceremonies, particularly through vessels like the well-known bronze
ding. According to the Zhou ritual system, the king would use nine dings, while the
number decreased for nobles and officials based on social rank, indicating how
bronzeware served as a social status marker in the pre-Qin period. In this exhibition, I
saw many exquisitely crafted pre-Qin bronzes, such as the ding with interlaced
dragons and scale pattern, and the he (wine vessel) with a dragon-shaped spout and
animal mask pattern. However, after the Qin and Han dynasties, bronzeware lost
much of its ritualistic importance. I noticed several simpler bowls and pitchers with
minimal decoration, showing how bronzeware had transitioned back to functional use.
Another notable section of the exhibition was the sculpture gallery, particularly
the Buddhist sculptures, which piqued my interest. Buddhism entered China during
the Han dynasty and peaked during the Wei-Jin and Northern-Southern dynasties. An
ancient verse states, “480 temples in the Southern Dynasties,” and many of the
Buddhist statues in the museum are from this period. These statues are intricately
crafted, combining elements from this religion introduced from India with
distinctively Chinese interpretations and styles. These sculptures are powerful
testimonies to China’s historical engagement with the outside world, highlighting the
rich cultural diversity that flourished during this time. I believe this blend of cultures
also influenced the grandeur of the Tang dynasty that followed.
Finally, I’ll discuss the writing section of the exhibition. Chinese script has a long
history, first appearing on turtle shells used for divination. One particularly intriguing
exhibit in this area is the diversity of regional scripts from the pre-Qin period, all of
which are highly complex compared to modern standard Chinese script. A friend who
came with me noted, “The Qin script appears the most complex among the Seven
Kingdoms.” Yet, it was Qin that eventually unified China, and its standardized
Xiaozhuan script became the official script. Although it soon fell out of common use,
it is still widely seen in seal carving today. While the European languages derived
from Latin script, I wonder if Chinese history would have developed like that of
Europe if its scripts had not been unified.
Overall, this visit was fascinating and thought-provoking. The diverse artifacts each
bear witness to Chinese civilization, telling the stories of four thousand years of rise
and fall.
