Death in Ancient China: The Tale Of One Man's Journey (China Studies) [Hardcover]

Constance A. Cook (Author)

Book Description

Series: China Studies | Publication Date: June 30, 2006

This richly illustrated book provides a glimpse into the belief system and the material wealth of the social elite in pre-Imperial China through a close analysis of tomb contents and excavated bamboo texts. Point of departure is the textual and material evidence found in one tomb of an elite man buried in 316 BCE near a once wealthy middle Yangzi River valley metropolis. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of cosmological symbolism and the nature of the spirit world. The author shows how illness and death were perceived as steps in a spiritual journey from one realm into another. Transmitted textual records are compared with excavated texts. The layout and contents of this multi-chambered tomb are analyzed as are the contents of two texts, a record of divination and sacrifices performed during the last three years of the occupant's life and a tomb inventory record of mortuary gifts. The texts are fully translated and annotated in the appendices. A first-time close-up view of a set of local beliefs which not only reflect the larger ancient Chinese religious system but also underlay the rich intellectual and artistic life of pre-Imperial China. It is provided with first full translations of texts previously unknown to all except a small handful of sinologists.

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About the Author

Constance A Cook, Ph.D. (1990) in Oriental Languages, University of California, Berkeley, is Associate Professor of Chinese at Lehigh University. Her publications, including her edited volume Defining Chu: Image and Reality in Ancient China (Univ. of Hawaii, 1999), focus on the cultural analysis of excavated texts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004153128
• ISBN-13: 978-9004153127
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,248,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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