Shang Dynasty (1766 – 1122 B.C.) 3/3

August 31, 2010

Archeologists discovered China’s first chariots while excavating the Shang capital of Xin Xu.

The archeological evidence shows the development of the war chariot from two horses to four for more horsepower.

The narrator of the video takes us for a ride in a replicate of the Shang war chariot.

The Shang Dynasty also had women warriors.  Fu Hao, queen consort of King Wuding (Shang Dynasty’s 22nd king), was not only the mother to some of the king’s children but also a fighting general.

Fu Hao’s tomb was one of two discovered that had not been looted. Oracle bones revealed that she led thirteen thousand troops into combat. Fu Hao was more than a military leader. She was also high priestess and oracle caster.

The video’s narrator talks about jade having the same status in China that diamonds have elsewhere.  Jade is not only a symbol of luxury and wealth since ancient times but also represents refinement and purity.

During the Shang Dynasty,  The I Ching, The Book of Changes was written, which is based on the principle of a broken line representing yin and an unbroken line representing yang. This is the first book that attempted to explain the secrets of the universe.

See The Life of Confucius

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

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1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Chinese women, history | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Shang Dynasty (1766 – 1122 B.C.) 2/3

August 31, 2010

The excavations of several rammed earth palace foundations at Xin Xu revealed the Shang Dynasty was a highly developed slave society.

The most valuable discovery was oracle bones, the evidence of China’s earliest writing system.

Tortoise shells, due to their hardness and longevity, were used for the oracle inscriptions.   However, tortoise shells were not the only material.  Animal bones were also inscribed.

The inscriptions carved into bones and tortoise shells were questions to the high God Shang Di, lesser gods and ancestors. 

These questions were on issues that concerned the dynasty such as harvests, childbirth, and from everyday advice to military campaigns.

Oracle bones, also known as dragon bones, were often ground into powder and used in Chinese medicines, which explains why oracle bones were also a myth at one time.

What makes the oracle bones important today is the script carved into the shells or bones—the roots of the Chinese writing system.

The Chinese writing system is the only language that still uses the same methods used more than three thousand years ago. The narrator of the video explains briefly how Chinese characters evolved.

See The Han Dynasty

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

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6 Comments | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, cultural differences, history | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Shang Dynasty (1766 – 1122 B.C.) 1/3

August 31, 2010

It is commonly believed that ancient Chinese civilization started with the Hsia Dynasty 5,000 years ago.

However, in archeological terms. Hsia is a myth because no evidence has been found that this dynasty existed.

The Shang Dynasty was also a myth until about a hundred years ago with the discovery of the dynasty’s last capital, Xin Xu.

Xin Xu was the capital for about three hundred years.

Tomb robbers discovered the Shang tombs first.  Although most of the tombs excavated by archeologists had already been looted, the site still provided evidence of Shang culture and rituals.

The narrator of the video takes you on a tour of a Shang tomb. She says it is like a pyramid upside down.

Sacrifice to the gods and ancestors were a major part of Shang social and domestic life.

Bronze artifacts have been unearthed that represent the highest level of technology for the dynasty.

The Shang people used elaborate and dramatic rituals and music was one of the most important elements of ceremony.

Three thousand years ago, the Shang people cooked food in ceramic steamers.

Archeologists have also discovered that the Shang capital had a complex walled city structure.  It even had an underground, piped water supply in some areas.

See Measuring Earthquakes During the Han Dynasty

___________________

Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

His latest novel is the multiple-award winning Running with the Enemy.

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2 Comments | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, history | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Discrimination Against the Chinese in America

August 30, 2010

The first major wave of Chinese immigrants came to the US after the California gold rush of 1849.

Then in 1882, The Chinese Exclusion Act formalized an ugly American prejudice.  In fact, there are still Americans who feel this way evidenced by a few comments left on this Blog. However, we are fortunate that more Americans appear open minded and accepting than those who do not feel that way.

This act stayed in effect de facto until 1965, when racist provisions of U.S. immigration law were removed during the Civil Rights era, liberalizing immigration by all non-European groups.

Most of these Chinese immigrants worked hard in industries like railroads, mines and canneries.  The Chinese were willing to work for lower wages than European immigrants were demanding.

When there were labor strikes, companies often used Chinese workers as strikebreakers.  This led to hate among European immigrants and demands that led to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese laborers from entering the US.

This was the first time the US passed a law to bar a specific race or ethnicity from entering the country. Source: Tenement Museum

See Cultural Differences and the Ignorant American

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

His latest novel is the multiple-award winning Running with the Enemy.

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China’s Holistic Historical Timeline

4 Comments | America, American culture, China, Chinese Culture, cultural differences, history, politics | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

ShangDi – China’s God of Creation

August 30, 2010

China is the oldest, continuous civilization on the earth. Ancient records date back to about  2500 B.C. and coincides with the Biblical timeline, which shows that the great flood took place around 2344 B.C. Source: Bible Study – Flood

Ancient Chinese myth has their first king, Fu-hi or Fohi (Chinese Noah) making his appearance on the Mountain of Chin surrounded by a rainbow after the world had been covered with water.  Myth says this Chinese Noah also sacrificed animals to God.

The Miao tribe of Southwest China has a similar myth. According to the Miao, God destroyed the world by flood because of the wickedness of man. The myth also says Nuah (Noah) had three sons: Lo Han (Ham), Lo Shen (Shem), and Jah-hu (Japheth). Source: Silvia Videler

“ShangDi, the Creator-God of the Chinese, surely appears to be one and the same as the Creator-God of the Hebrews.” Source: Answer in Genesis

“One of the earliest accounts of the Border Sacrifice is found in the Shu Jing (Book of History), compiled by Confucius (551 to 479 B.C.), where it is recorded that Emperor Shun (2256 to 2205 B.C.) sacrificed to ShangDi.” Source: Answer in Genesis

ShangDi is the High God of the ancient Chinese.  He was worshiped as the Creator God for thousands of years. ShangDi was known as the Heavenly Ruler and the Chinese emperors were known as the Sons of Heaven.  No other god was higher or more powerful.

Evidence says that the ancient Chinese understood the nature of God as the ancient Hebrews did after Abraham (1812 B.C. to 1637 B.C.), who is considered the father of the Jews (about 3,000 years old), Christians (about 2,000 years old) and Muslims (about 1,400 years old).

While the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans worshiped many gods, the Chinese worshiped one God above all others, ShangDi. If true, that would mean the Chinese might have believed in God longer than the Jews, Christians or Muslims.

In fact, it appears that the Chinese believed in God (ShangDi) without an organized religion for more than four thousand years.

Discover The Question of Religion

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of My Splendid Concubine [3rd edition]. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.

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29 Comments | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Chinese minorities, Christianity, Islam, religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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