History of Art: Ancient China

1. Consider the structure and appointments of the tombs constructed for

Ancient Chinese had strong belief and credence in the spirit world. In their imagination was a conviction of perceptible connection between afterlife and life on earth (Howard 24). In effect, there was a possibility of existence of deep similarity between the needs of people when they were living and their likely needs when they begin a new life after death. Thus, they buried many people together with their valuable household items. So significant was the afterlife to ancient Chinese that the servants and families of the rich were to sacrifice were to sacrifice themselves through accompanying their master into the new life upon his death (Howard 24).

To be dead in the ancient Chinese

To be dead in the ancient China, the ancient Chinese believed that, the dead person’s life would continue after death. They also believed that the dead person would continue doing activities, which he used to do during normal life in the life after. The dead were buried in Tombs alongside various objects. The Chinese believed that the ornaments that are buried alongside the dead were beneficial for the dead since they will use after death. Some of the ornaments included, weapons personal ornaments and ritual vessels.

The ancient Chinese believed that there was an important link between the dead and the living. The dead ancestors were living in the spirit together with the gods. They also believed that the dead ancestors had the ability to make god bring bad luck or good luck to the individuals on earth. Individuals remaining on earth would make offerings and celebrate for their ancestors in order to bring luck to them.

(iii). Warring States aristocrats

The Warring States Period or the Era of Warring States is a Chinese tradition. The Warring States was a period during the ancient China after the autumn and the spring period. This period was concluding with the state of Qin victory during the 221 BC. This period was beneficial in concreting a unified Chinese Dynasty under Qin Dynasty. Analysts believe this period was between 481 BC and 403 BC. However, most learners site Sima Qian’s date as 475 BC. These periods correspond with the Eastern Zhou Dynasty’s second half period although the King of Zhou or the Chinese sovereign was a mere figurehead (Lorge 16).

1. What their tombs and their contents tell us about the difference between the dead and the living

The tombs together with their contents show the apparent similarities that existed between afterlife and the kind of life people lived on earth. The ancient Chinese believed that people were to continue living their lives once they were already dead and buried (Welch 12). The servants and families of wealthy masters in the society accorded them exceptional sendoff and even sacrificed their own belongings and lives to accompany the master into the afterlife. Since the dead were to carry on with life after passing away, the arrangement of their tombs was such that it accommodated objects they would need in the afterlife such as weapons, personal ornaments, and ritual vessels (Welch 12).

They held a strong belief for the past hundreds of years of a significant connection between the dead and the living. According to the ancient Chinese, the dead ancestors lived in the spirit world with the gods. Thus, they were able to influence the gods to bring bad or good luck to the rest of the people who lived on earth. Apart from gold, silver and other mineral valuables, they also buried the dead together with daily necessities, four treasures of study (brush, ink slab, ink stick, and paper), crafts, and tools of manufacture, paintings, scientific and technological devices (Welch 12).

1. Discuss the similarities

Tombs for King Cuo of Zhongshan and Marquis Yi of Zeng among other Warring States aristocrats shared a range of similarities. These ancient tombs featured the dead together with hundreds of valuable objects of respective owners (Howard 36). The dead had to carry on with their normal lifestyles while they were on earth as they moved in the afterlife. King Marquis Yi’s tomb had large volume totaling to 6239 pieces, which comprises 117 ritual objects alongside 17 utensils (38 varieties). Tombs of ancient nobles and emperors were quite elaborate. Towards 4th century (BCE), the Chinese began erecting small temples next to the large over the tombs and leaving offerings to the ancestors. Paths leading to the tombs of wealthy people (spirit paths) enjoyed adequate security using animals, soldiers or chimeras (imaginary creatures). The tomb of the fifth ruler of Zhongshan state (King Cuo) contained jade, pottery artifacts, and hundreds of bronze (Howard 36).

Figure 1: The Tomb of King Yi of the Zeng State

Figure 2: The Warring State

Figure 3: Chu and Zeng

Figure 4: Marquis Yi of Zeng

Figure 5: Marquis Yi of Zeng

Works Cited

Falkenhausen, Lothar . Suspended Music: Chime-bells in the Culture of Bronze Age   China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. Print.

Howard, Angela F. Chinese Sculpture. New Haven [u.a.: Yale University Press [u.a., 2006. Internet resource.

Lorge, Peter A. Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century. New    York,   NY: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print.

Shaughnessy, Edward L, and Michael Loewe. The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From    the Origins of Civilization to 221 B.c. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1999. Print.

Welch, Patricia B. Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery. North Clarendon, VT:       Tuttle Pub, 2008. Print.