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Art, Myth and Ritual: The Path to Political Authority in Ancient China

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Art Myth and Ritual sets out an elegant yet convincing theory regarding the nature of the early Chinese state and the technological, ideological and social foundations on which it rested. By combining archaeology, classical studies and anthropology, Prof. Chang (who is regarded as the international dean of Chinese archaeology by scholars on both sides of the Taiwan strait as well as in Europe and North America) provides his readers with a dynamic view of ancient Chinese statecraft and the religious ideas that made it possible.

This book remains the single most concise statement of Chang's theoretical contribution to the archaeology of the Chinese Bronze Age. It is also simply written, well-illustrated and an excellent beginning point for the serious student of Chinese archaeology.

With Chang's magnum opus: "The Archaeology of Ancient China" sadly out of print (at time of writing), readers must make do with this volume to get a sense of his scope of vision, analytical depth and anthropological insight.

As one of K.C.s final generation of students, I must admit to a certain bias. However, it is my professional and personal opinion that this book is still one of the best works on Chinese archaeology in any language.

This is the most succinct statement of the late K.C. Chang's views of early Chinese civilization. Many of his opinions are controversial--for example, his view of shamanism in ancient China and his interpretation of the characteristic decorations on bronze vessels--but they are creative, original, and have influenced an entire generation of historians. Once you read his brief and incisive discussion of the resources necessary to produce a bronze vessel, from mining the ore to casting the piece, your appreciation of these artifacts will never be the same again. This kind of book is rare and admirable: concise, well written, and brimming with provocative ideas.

Other reviews will have discussed the content of this classic volume, so let me address the question I often find myself asking when deciding whether or not to purchase a book: Is this book a keeper? Is it enough to borrow it from a library and read it, or will I want to own it? (Confession: I am very keen on Chinese history.) Let me answer that question for you here:

If you are a serious student of Chinese history and culture, you must own, not just read, this book. Its cross-disciplinary perspective makes it a book you will find yourself returning to on a regular basis as your own knowledge and understanding of Chinese history and culture grows. Passages once oblique or of little interest to you previously, will suddenly become the glue of new associations and insights. You will also want to underline, make margin notations in, and add your own notes, even if you don't usually mark up books. I was on my way to the library to take out this book for a third time when I realized, this is a keeper.

Few are the books that contain so many insights in so few and interesting pages. One is happy to hold up this short text as an example of close and clear analysis. Of course, this is not airport literature, but whoever puts the effort into reading it, and savors the various strands of argumentation, comes away with a clearer (if not complete) view of pre-imperial China. It is a welcome prelude to Harvard UP's History of Imperial China, which begins abruptly with the Qin Empire The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China).

How did pre-imperial China emerge from the Neolithic age? The author, who focuses on the period of the Three Dynasties (2200 -256 BC), sets out to show that it emerged as "various factors enabled political power to be concentrated in the hands of a ruling elite" (pg. 107). In other words, it is once again the story of an elite getting its hands on the emerging economic surplus and creating all sorts of mostly symbolic mechanisms to hold on to it over generations. In the final chapter the author dismisses Marx's "Oriental society" deprived of property, Max Weber's "patrimonial state", and Wittvogel's "hydraulic society". The essential difference is that Chang's world is essentially changing and dynamic, rather than static and unchangeable as in Western "theories".

As agricultural surplus eventuated, villages organized themselves into clans and agnate lineages; the elites also relied on moral authority, coercive force, and exclusive access to spiritual world (shamanism, rituals, and associated paraphernalia) to establish and maintain themselves - it was a politically, rather than a technologically-driven process.

The walk through early Chinese art, the conspicuous production (and destruction by interment with the dead ruler) of bronze vessels, the emergence of Chinese writing as record of communications from the ancestors into this world, all subtly lead to the final chapter 7, where the arguments are marshaled to full effect. After the short introduction I'd suggest having a go at this chapter first and then again after reading through the book. For in this chapter we have the description of the emerging civilization for the Neolithic period (7000 - 2200 BC), and the author shows how one by one the "various factors" are put in place in an emergent fashion. One understands the line of argument better this way.

On a personal note, I'm wary of "theories" and "models", and strongly favor "small causes that have huge effects", or "emergence through a mix of necessity and contingence" - tinkering with various causally interrelated factors (and feedback loops) until by trial and error a winning combination is found. This book celebrates such a view of history, and one feels slightly comforted in noting that authorities from halfway around the world, with large field experience, seem to move in the same direction.

I must first confess that I love reading about ancient China and that I love collecting ancient Chinese artifacts. That being said, I found this short book of 140 just fascinating. Dr. K.C. Chang, Harvard University, was an acknowledged expert on ancient China and has written extensively on this topic. Although a must read for those interested in early civilizations, I believe that general readers would also find it interesting as well. Each chapter takes a different look into life in ancient China and what one can learn a great deal about the driving forces and powers in their lives. I find this book a good reference book as I translate and study ancient Chinese artifacts in my collection. The index is well worn in my copy as I refer to it often to research an item or concept in ancient China. Although published in 1983, it still stands as a classic about early Chinese society. So if your studying either ancient or modern China it is must read for you.