Zhangjipo site excavations’ history (1955-1992)

The article examines the question of the need to study the history of excavations at archaeological sites of ancient China, in particular at the largest burial ground of the Western Zhou era (1027-771 BC) - Zhangjiapo. Archaeological materials are the closest in time source for the history of the period. They not only confirm and supplement the reports of written sources on the political and social history of the era, but also provide new materials for the analysis of the economy and everyday life of the general population, which is not the object of description in written sources. In the first part, the author reveals the features of the source base of the era and points out a number of restrictions in conducting archaeological excavations and the further publication of their results. Then she proceeds to a brief description of the Zhangjiapo monument and reveals the stages in the history of its excavations, which allows us to answer the question about the reasons for the fragmentary excavations of the monument.

Maps hiding in plain sight

Early Chinese elites were defined by their aristocratic control of land. That control came directly from the emperor and was documented on bronze ritual vessels, which were handed down from generation to generation. The land grant boundaries were defined using decorative symbols inscribed on bronze, and Western Zhou vessels containing these symbols were used to resolve land disputes. Methodical analysis comparing the inscriptions and symbols, combined with an understanding of early Chinese cartography and etymology, allows the bronze vessel land grants to be decoded.

Symbolism of decorative design of ancient Chinese bronzes

Статья является продолжением семиотического анализа декоративно - орнаментальных элементов, украшающих древнекитайские предметы искусства. Личина Тао-те (Tao-tie (饕餮) и входящие в ее состав фигуры дракона Куй до сих пор не имеет научного определения, так как ни в одном письменном источнике нет упоминания об изображенном иконостилистическом персонаже. Исследование опирается на анализ пиктографических изображений (иероглифических надписей) на бронзовых сосудах эпохи Шан, раскрывающих семантику некоторых специально подчеркнутых деталей узора. В результате исследования объясняется значение изображенных элементов: символа гуй (возвращение) и знака «уха» (эр) , подтверждающих принадлежность образа Тао-те к описанию божественного первопредка и способствующих в осмыслении религиозного мировоззрения государств Ся (2017 -1765 г. до н.э.), Шан-Инь (1554 - 1046 г. до н.э.) и Западное Чжоу (1045 - 770 г. до н.э.). The paper is a continuation of the semiotic analysis of ornamental elements decorating ancient Chinese art objects. The mask of Tao-tie (饕餮), including the figures of the dragon Kui making it up, still has no scientific definition, since there is no mention of the depicted, iconostylistic character in any written source. The study is based on the analysis of pictographic images (hieroglyphic inscriptions) on bronze vessels of the Shang Era, revealing the semantics of some specially emphasized details of the pattern. As a result of the study, the significance of the depicted elements is explained: the hui symbol (return) and the "ear" sign (er), confirming the belonging of the image of Tao-tie to the description of the divine primacy and contributing to the understanding of the religious worldview of the dynasties of Xia (2017 -1765 BC), Shang-Yin (1554 - 1046 BC) and Western Zhou (1045 - 770 BC).

https://hjournal.ru/en/journals/journal-of-economic-regulation/2021/264-no-3/2246-the-social-security-system-in-china-historical-approach.html

This article discusses the stages and characteristics of social security in China within the framework of the historical approach. Although the institutional practice of the social security system appeared in ancient China in the early 20th century, some elements of social security have already existed in ancient China in the Western Zhou period. The social security system was formed in a long historical period from Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty. This system was dif-ferent from the western countries and had a complex ideological basis. It was based on the traditional elements like country, folk, culture, religion, family, clan, and others. With the alternation of dynasties, social security still has the characte-ristics of locality, national responsibility, cultural characteristics, the role of the family, and other fundamental characteristics. This system of protection is based on social assistance and continues its importance so far. The historical approach has identified key stages and the traditional institutional practices of social securi-ty, which the Chinese system of social support for the poor relies upon.

A TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR ZHANG CHANGSHOU 張長壽 (1929–2020)

Zhang Changshou was one of the most important archaeologists of modern China, and a founder of Western Zhou archaeology. Zhang is particularly well known as the author of a series of works that established the chronology of the Western Zhou material culture and is esteemed for his excellent scholarship also on bronzes and jade objects, characterized by a strong basis in field archaeology. Among his academic appointments are Director of the Feng-Hao Archaeological Team in 1963–1988, and Associate Director of the Institute of Archaeology (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) in 1985–1988. Zhang was also a pioneer of Sino-American collaboration (with Harvard University) in field archaeology and was elected a Corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute in 1988. Zhang passed away in Beijing on January 30, 2020. This article summarizes his academic accomplishments.

THE BEGINNING OF CULTURAL MEMORY PRODUCTION IN CHINA AND THE MEMORY POLICY OF THE ZHOU ROYAL HOUSE DURING THE WESTERN ZHOU PERIOD

This article explores how the memory of the conquest of Shang and the rise of the first Zhou kings was transmitted during the early centuries of the Zhou dynasty, specifically as it was reflected in inscriptions on excavated bronze vessels and bells from the Western Zhou period (ca. mid-eleventh to early eighth century b.c.e.). Approaching these inscribed objects and their texts from the perspective of the theories of social memory and cultural memory reveals that commemorating the foundational past of the dynasty became part of an intentional policy of the Zhou royal house as early as the first half of the tenth century b.c.e. It demonstrates that by the mid-tenth century b.c.e., a stable narrative emphasizing Kings Wen 文 and Wu 武 as the founding fathers of the Zhou dynasty was established at the expense of King Cheng 成, whose role was gradually downplayed following the general logic of lineage organization, according to which the commemoration of the earliest common ancestors serves as the foundation of corporate integrity in a network of patrilineally related families. It shows that most of the men who included such commemorations in inscriptions indeed belonged to the royal patrilineal network, wherein they occupied the highest positions. It further exemplifies that the royal house cultivated the memory of the first kings using various media, including rituals, utensils, royal speeches, and inscriptions. From the analysis of such inscriptions, we can infer that that the foundational memory of the Zhou dynasty was usually reactivated in the context of political negotiations, some of which included addressing lineage outsiders. Finally, it shows that both the royal house and other metropolitan lineages modified the foundational narrative according to their current needs. This article thus contributes both to tracing the roots of the early Chinese historiographic tradition and to understanding memory production in a society as an ongoing process of negotiations and adaptations.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF CHINA ON THE FORMATION OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL TERMINOLOGY

This article examines the influence of the political system of ancient China on the formation of socio-political terminology within the framework of administrative management. The analysis is carried out on the basis of lexicographic material in the chronological order of replenishment of the terminology of administrative division from the period of the slave dynasties of Xia, Shang and Western Zhou to the modern system of government in China.