Ancient Sichuan: Treasures from a Lost Civilization 0691088519, 9780691088518

Table of contents :
Cover
Contents
Director’s preface
Curatorʻs acknowledgements
Editor’s preface
Map of China
Map of Sichuan
Map of Chengdu Region
Introduction, Part 1. Sichuan before the Warring States period
The geographic setting
The Neolithic context
Discoveries at Sanxingdui
The character of the Sanxingdui culture
Pottery, periodization, and the city wall
The sacrificial pits
Contacts suggested by the bronzes and jade
The Chengdu settlement and Sichuan after Sanxingdui
Introduction, Part 2. Sichuan in the Warring States and Han periods
Eastern Sichuan in the Warring States period (5th to 3rd c. BC)
What traditional history tells us
What archaeology tells us
Cultural elements specific to Ba and Shu
A society only partly assimilated
The far western regions (c. 5th to 1st c. BC)
Eastern Sichuan in the Han period (206 BC – AD 220)
Images of a land of plenty: the Eastern Han period (AD 25-220)
1. Bronze at Sanxingdui
Locally cast bronzes: fabrication
Soldering/Brazing
Running on
Locally cast bronzes: character and function
Vessels
Appendix: elemental analysis and lead-isotope ratios
Catalog
1. Sheath
2. Figure on pedestal
3. Figure with headdress
4. Head
5. Head
6. Head
7. Head
8. Head
9. Head
10. Head
11. Head
12. Head
13. Head
14. Head
15. Head
16. Head
17. Head
18. Mask
19. Mask
20. Mask
21. Mask
22. Mask with protruding pupils
23. Mask with protruding pupils and trunk
24a. Plaque of taotie face
24b. Plaque of taotie face
25. Seated human figure
26. Plaque in the form of a kneeling figure
27. Tree
28 Tree (fragment)
29. Bird with human head
30. Bird on a post
31. Bird from a tree
32. Rooster
33. Bird’s head
34. Clapper bell
35. Clapper bell in the shape of a bird
36. Hybrid figure standing on birds (fragment)
37. Tube with dragon
38. Snake
39. Tiger appliqué
40. Tiger
41. Circular appliqué
42a. Pair of diamond-shaped appliqués
42b. Set of four triangular appliqués
42c. Set of eight triangular appliqués
43. Kneeling woman bearing a zun
44. Zun
45. Zun
46. Zun
47. Zun
48. Lei
49. Lei
50. Bird with high crest
51. Kneeling figure holding a forked blade
2. Jade and stone at Sanxingdui
Materials and techniques
Shapes, sizes, and functions
Sanxingdui and its neighbors
Catalog
52. Forked blade
53. Blade with incised figures
54. Forked blade
55. Forked blade
56. Ge blade
57. Ge blade
58. Ge blade with notched tang
59. Ge blade with notched tang
60. Ge (?) blade with scalloped edges
61. Disk with collared opening
62. Ring with collared opening
63. Elongated oval blade
3. The Chengdu plain in the early first millennium BC: Zhuwajie
The two hoards
Shang and Zhou ritual bronzes in a Sichuan context
Shape and decoration of the lei vessels
The date and place of origin of the vessels
The weapons and tools
Catalog
64. Lei
65. Lei
66. Lei
67. Lei
68. Ge blade
69. Halberd (ji)
70. Spearhead
71. Axe (fu or yue)
72. Ge blade
4. The archaeology of Eastern Sichuan at the end of the Bronze Age (5th to 3rd c. BC)
The site of Moutuo
Boat-coffin burials
The Majiaxiang tomb
Catalog
73. Hu with pictorial decoration
74. Fanghu
75. Fanghu
76. Chime of fourteen niuzhong
77. Handbell (zheng)
78. Large bell (chunyu)
79. Ge blade from a halberd (ji)
80. Dagger blade
81. Dagger
82. Ge blade
83. Sheath with two daggers
84. Seal
85. Set of five triangular ge blades with round opening
86. Set of five triangular ge blades with small round opening and taotie decoration
87. Set of five cross-shaped ge blades
88. Group of five shouldered socketed axes
89. Tanged short sword
90. Hilted sword
91. Spearhead
92. Pair of triangular spearheads
93. Two-colored spearhead
94. Ge blade (Er shi liu nian Shu shou Wu ge)
5. Tombs and tomb furnishings of the Eastern Han period (AD 25-220)
Tombs and tomb furnishings in North China before the Qin dynasty
The mausoleum complex of the first emperor of Qin
Han princely tombs
Eastern Han Sichuan
Catalog
95. Horse and groom
96. Head of a horse
97. Money tree
98. Money tree
99. Brick decorated in relief with scene of gateway with towers
100. Brick with chariot and horseman crossing a bridge
101. Brick with banqueting scene
102. Brick with scene of acrobatic performance
103. Brick with scene of wine making or alcohol distillation
104. Brick with scene of salt production
105. Brick with scene of a lotus pond, hunting, and fishing
106. Brick with scenes of hunting and harvesting
107. Brick depicting an erotic scene
108. Brick with Xiwangmu, attendants, and a worshipper
109. Brick depicting the deities Nüwa and Fuxi
110. Figure of a squatting drummer
111. Figure of a standing drummer
112. Figure of a musician
113. Figure of a dancer
114. Figure of a listener
115. Kneeling woman
116. Standing figure of an attendant
117. Figure of a peasant-soldier with spade and shovel
118. Figure of a tomb guardian (zhenmuyong)
Afterword. The legacies of the Chengdu plain
Appendix: Additional exhibition information
Lei
Lei
Handbell (zheng)
Ge blade
Money tree
Mirror
Mirror
Figure of woman nursing a baby
Chinese character glossary
List of works cited
Contributors
Index

Citation preview

Ancient Sichuan Treasures from a Lost Civilization

Edited by Robert Bagley with contributions by

Jay Xu Michele Pirazzoli-t' Serstevens Jenny F. So Lothar von Falkenhausen Alain Thote Jessica Rawson Michael Nylan

S F AT T L E A RT

P R IN CET O N

~1 ll S E ll 1\1 ll N I V E R S I T Y

P R E SS

This book has been published in conjunction with the exhibition Treasuresfro m a Lost Civilization : Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan, organized by the Seattle Art Museum in collaboration with the Bureau of Cultural Relics, Sichuan

Province of the People's Republic of China . The Boeing Company provided the leadership grant for the exhibition, with major support fr om the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Generous funding for the project was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation , the Rockefeller Foundation, and the

l

ational Endowment for the Arts. Endowment support was provided by the

Kreielsheimer Exhibition Endowment . Additional support was provided by contributors to the Annual Fund.

Published by the Seattle Art Museum in association witl1 Princeton Univer sity Press

© 2oo I by th e Seattle Art Museum All rights rese rved. Seattle Art Museum , oo University Street Seattle, Washington 98 , o , www.seattl eartmu seum. org Princeton Uni versity Press 41 William Street Princeton , New Jersey 08540 www. pup. princeton .edu In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press 3 Market Place Woodstock, Oxfordshire ox20 , sy Library of C::ongress Cataloging-in-Publicati on Data Ancient Sichuan : treasures from a lost civili zatio n I edited by Robert Bagley, with contributi ons by Jay Xu ... [et al. ].

p. cm. Includes bibliographical r efer ences and index. ISBN o-69 1-08851-9 (alk . paper) , . Sichuan Sheng (China)- Antiquities . 2. Sanxingdui Site (China) -Antiquities. 3 . Excavations (A rchaeology)China- Sichuan Sheng. I. Bagley, Robe rt W DS793.S8 A528 2001 00-68782 93 1-dc2 1

Frontispiece : Lei, bronze , late eleventh or earl)' tenth century BC (No. 65) Page 6: Horse and 9 room, bronze, first or second century AD (No. 95) Page 20: Fi9ure on pedestal, bronze, twelfth century BC, detail of left side (No. 2) Page 38 : Brick with chariot ond horseman crossin9 a brid9e, ceramic , second centur)' AO, detail (No. 1 oo) Page 58: Head, bronze, thirteenth or twelfth century BC (No. 7) Page 152: Blade with incised figures, stone, twe lfth century BC (No. 53) Page 176: Lei , bronze, late eleventh or early tenth centur)' BC (No. 64) Page 20 2: Chime offourteen niuzhong, bronze with gold inlay, fou rth century BC, detail (No . 76) Page 252: Fi9ure of a tomb guardian (zhenmuyong), ceramic , first or second century A D, detail (No. 1 1 8) Page 308: Brick with scene of salt production, ceramic with molded decoration , second century Au , detail (No. 104)

EX HIBITI ON ITINERARY

Seattle Art Museum May 10, 2001 - August 12 , 200 1 Kim bell Art Museum, Fort Worth September 30, 2001 - January 13, 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York March 4, 2002 - June 16, 2002 Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto August 2, 2002 - November 10, 2002 Project Director: Jay Xu Editor : Robert Bagley Copyeditor: James McKendry Project Manager: Zora Hutl ova Foy Proofreader : Laura Iwasaki Maps: Robert C. Forget Index : Robert Palmer Glossary: Jennifer Chen Trans latio ns: Robert Bagley and Fabien Simoni s Primary photographer: Paul Macapia Cove r callig raphy: Ma Chengyu an Production assistant : Laura Hulscher Designed by Ed Marquand and Susan E. Kelly Produced by Marquand Books, Inc., Seattl e w ww.marquand .com Printed and bound by C&C Offset Printing Co., Ltd. , Hong Kong

The Boeing Company is pleased to support the Seattle Art Museum as the Lead Sponsor of Treasures fro m a Lost Civi li zation: Ancient Chinese Art fro m Sichuan. Partnering with the Seattle Art Museum is part of the long Boeing tradition of community involvem ent. We recognize that the arts play an integral rol e in enhancing the quality of life in our communities. For this reason, we support exhibitions and programs in Seattle and communities throughout the world where our employees live and work. It is a pleasure to sponsor this fine exhibition of artifacts from the People's Republic of China. It is o ur hope that it will incr ease understanding and appreciation of China's long history, regional diversity, and compelling beauty. Philip M . Condit

Chairman and Chief Executi ve Officer, Th e Boeing Company

The E. Rh odes and Leona B. Carpente r Foundation is proud to support Treasures from a Lost Ci vilization: Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan. Treasures from a Lost Civilization offer s the opportunity to appreciate the art of ancient

Sichuan, China, and the important rol e Sichuan played in the ernlution of Chinese civilization. The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation applauds the Sichuan ProYincial Government and the State Admin istration for Cultural Heritage of the Chinese Central Government for so generously shari ng these treasures of ancient Chinese culture , and the Seattle Art Museum fo r its leadership in building a relationship with its Chinese counterparts and for bringing this extraordinary collection of Chinese treasures to the United States.

E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation

CONTENTS

8

Director's Preface

177

The Chen9du Plain in the Early First Millennium BC: Zhuwajie

Mimi Gardner Gates

10

Chapter 3

Curator 's Acknowledgem ents

Lothar von Falkenhausen

Jay Xu

203 I

2

Editor's Preface

The Archaeolo9y

Robert Ba9ley

14

Chapter 4

the End

ef Eastern Sichuan at

ef the Bronze A9e (Fifth to Third

Century Be)

Map of China

Alain Thote

16

Map of Sichuan 253

I

8

Chapters

Tombs and Tomb Furnishin9s

Map of Chengdu Region

ef the

Eastern Han Period (AD 25- 220) 2l

Introduction Part

1

Jessica Rawson

Sichuan before the Warring States Period Jay Xu

3°9

Afterword

The Le9acies 39

Introduction Part 2

ef the Chen9du Plain

Michael Ny lan

Sichuan in the Warring States and Han Periods

326

Information

Michele Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens

S9

Chapter

1

Appendix: Additional Exhibition

329

Bronze at Sanxin9dui

Chinese Character Glossary Jennifer Chen

Jay Xu

l

53

333

List of Works Cited

349

Contributors

35 1

Index

Chapter 2

Jade and Stone at Sanxingdui Jenny F. So

' PREFACE DIRECTORS

The spectacular works of art being unearthed in

During the second half of the twentieth century,

China today attest to the brilliance, antiquity, and

this model was increasingly challenged by field

regional diversity of Chinese civilization. Past ex-

archaeology in the "peripheral regions," especially

hibitions of China's archaeological finds- from

the Yangzi River valley of south China. The Sanxing-

The Great Bronze Aae

ef China ( r 9 8 o) to The Golden

ef Chinese Archaeoloay ( r 999 )-

dui discovery conclusively proved the existence of

were broad sur-

multiple regional centers that interacted with one

veys spanning vast distances in time and space. This

another, each with its own distinctive traits. Thus,

is the appropriate moment to begin to deepen our

a more complex sphere of cultural interaction

knowledge and take a closer look at regionalism.

replaced the simpler model of cultural diffusion

The present project is unprecedented in its focus

from a nuclear center. In focusing on Sichuan,

Aae

on a single geographical locale, Sichuan province in

this proj ect champions the approach of regional

southwestern China, and the role Sichuan played in

study and seeks to provide a firm foundation for

the evolution of Chinese civilization from the thir-

the new model of multiple cultural centers in

teenth century

ancient China.

BC

through the third century

AD.

Once considered a cultural backwater in ancient times, Sichuan produced in

1 986

the most stunning

In the conceptualization and realization of Treasures from a Lost Civilization, the most ambitious

discovery in Chinese archaeology, bringing to light

exhibition project undertaken by the Seattle Art

a highly developed civilization that was theretofore

Museum, tv,ro respected scholars of early China

unknown. Excavations at the site of Sanxingdui

deserve special recognition . Jay Xu, Foster Faun- ·

(c.

1 200 Be)

revealed an unprecedented sculptural

dation Curator of Chinese Art, initiated the idea

tradition of great artistic strength. The Sanxingdui

in late r 9 9 6 and gained the support of the Chinese

discovery also gave impetus to a reexamination of

State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the

the Sichuan culture in following centuries, during

Sichuan provincial government. As project direc-

the unification and early centuries of imperial China.

tor, he worked tirelessly on every aspect of the ex-

Moreover, this extraordinary archaeological

hibition , publication, and international symposium.

find has contributed to a fundamental change in

During extended stays in Chengdu and travels

our understanding of how Chinese civilization

throughout Sichuan province, he selected the works

evolved. For many years, the middle Yellow River

of art in the exhibition and visited archaeological

valley, or Central Plain, was considered to be the

sites, exchanging ideas with Chinese colleagues.

center of Chinese civilization-its birthplace-

Jay Xu's keen intelligence, boundless energy, and

while the peripheral regions were merely recipi-

winsome passion for Chinese art were vital to

ents of civilizing influences radiating out from the

seeing Treasures from a Lost Civilization through to

center. In this model, ancient China was a singular

completion.

world with a nuclear center and a homogeneous culture.

Upon Jay Xu's invitation, Professor Robert Bagley, Princeton University, a distinguished art

8

historian specializing in early Chinese art, graciously

We are proud to share Treasuresfrom a Lost Civili-

agreed to take charge of the organizing and editing

zation with the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth,

of the catalogue. A leading scholar in the study of

Texas; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York;

the early bronze cultures of the Yangzi River valley,

and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

Professor Bagley was one of the first sinologists

Throughout this project, the directors of these

to recognize the significance of the Sanxingdui dis-

museums- Timothy Potts, Philippe de Montebello,

covery. His strong commitment and rigorous intel-

and Lindsay Sharp-were most supportive. Thanks

lectual discipline were essential to the scholarly

to their collaboration, the splendid artistic achieve-

excellence of the publication. We are profoundly

m ents of ancient Sichuan will enrich understanding

grateful for his contribution.

of China, past and present, throughout the United

The success of this project is a tribute to the spirit of teamwork. Curator Jay Xu and Professor Robert Bagley thank a host of other colleagues who made important contributions to this proj ect. I can

States and Canada.

Mimi Gardner Gates The Jllsley Ball Nordstrom Director Seattle Art Museum

only underscore our appreciation for their contributions and for the superb efforts of the entire staff of the Seattle Art Museum. In the People 's Republic of China, the Chinese State Council, Ministry of Culture, and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage gave their unqualified support and approval to this project. From the outset Wang Limei, Director of Foreign Affairs, understood the significance of the project and was instrumental in its realization. The Department of Cultural Affairs, Sichuan province, was co-organizer and lender. Without their support this project would not have been possible. We thank everyone in the People's Republic of China who helped to realize this project, which will deepen appreciation in the United States and Canada for the extraordinary art and culture of ancient Sichuan. Soon after its inception, the proj ect was blessed with unprecedented support from The Boeing Company and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, which sustained its development. We are also most grateful for the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Kreielsheimer Exhibition Endowment. A special gift from Mary Ann and Henry James made possible Jay Xu's initial research in China, and the Katherine Agen Baillargeon Endowment helped fund the international symposium associated with the exhibition. We are deeply indebted to all of our sponsors.

Director's Preface

9

CURATOR'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The exhibition Treasuresfrom a Lost Civili-

Administration's Director of Foreign Affairs, for

zation: Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan

her appreciation of the special significance of the

celebrates the extraordinary art created

exhibition and her effort to ensure its realization .

in ancient Sichuan from the thirteenth century

BC

to the third century

AD.

First

Cultural Affairs of Sichuan Province for its collabo-

and foremost , I would like to express a

ration in organizing this exhibition. Liang Xuzhong,

profound sense of indebtedness to the

Director, sp earheaded and supported the joint

Chinese archaeologists whose decades of

effort at ever y stage. His staff, particularly Yang

fieldwork in Sichuan have made the exhi-

Kuiben, Deputy Director, Yuan Dajun, and Zhao

bition possible .

Chuanrong, provided essential assistance through-

In the course of the past four years,

Chen De'an (right), principal excavator at Sanxingdui , standing w ith Jay Xu n ext to the bronze tree No. 2 7 .

I would also like to thank the Department of

out the project.

many individuals and institutions have

The lenders to the exhibition are the Sichuan

helped to make the exhibition a reality.

Provincial Institute of Archaeology, the Sanxingdui

My deepest thanks are due to Mimi

Museum, the Guanghan Municipal Institute of Cul-

Gardner Gates, Illsley Ball Nordstrom

tural Antiquities, the Sichuan Provincial Museum,

Director of the Seattle Art Museum , and

the Mao Xian Museum of the Qiang Nationality,

Professor Robert Bagley of Princeton University,

the Pengzhou City Museum , the Chengdu City Mu-

editor of this book. Dr. Gates's encouragement

seum, the Mianyang Museum, the Xindu County

and guidance throughout the project were decisive

Bureau of Cultural Antiquities, and the Pi Xian

factors to its success, particularly in the crucial

Bureau of Cultural Antiquities. The staff of these

stages of negotiation and fund-raising, as well as

institutions were unfailingly helpful, especially

in the production of the technology component.

Ma Jiayu, Director, Li Zhaohe, Deputy Director,

Professor Bagley was r esponsible for the concep-

and Yang Xiaowu, Conservator, at the Institute of

tion and organization of this book, which is not

Archaeology; Gao Dalun, Director, Wei Xuefeng,

only a record of the exhibition but also a thorough

Deputy Director, Chen Xiandan, Deputy Director,

survey of our present knowledge of the material

Tan Xuejie, Administrator, and Chen Zhixue, Head

culture of ancient Sichuan. Without his effort and

of Collection Management, at the Sichuan Provin-

that of his team of distinguished contributors, the

cial Museum ; and Xiao Xianjin , Director, and Zhu

publication would not have seen the light of day.

Yarong, Head of Collection Management, at the

In the People's Republic of China, on behalf of

Sanxingdui Museum. I am immeasurably indebted

the Seattle Art Museum, I would like to thank the

to Chen De' an, one of the principal excavators at

Chinese State Council, the Ministry of Culture,

the Sanxingdui site, for his insights and help in re-

and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage

search as well as with the logistics of the exhibition.

for their kind approval of this exhibition. I am particularly grateful to Wang Limei, the State

10

On the American side, I would like to express my particular gratitude to David Tang, attorney at

Preston Gates & Ellis of Seattle and trustee of the

in charge of insurance and transportation arrange-

Seattle Art Museum, for his invaluable guidance in

ments ; and Paul Macapia, Museum Photographer,

contract negotiation.

worked his magic with the images for use both in

Many members on the staff of the participating museums and the Seattle Art Museum contributed

the publication and in the education programs. Leadership on educational programming was

their talents and energy. Colleagues responsible

provided by Jill Rullkoetter, Kayla Skinner Direc-

for local presentation of the exhibition at our sister

tor of Education and Public Programs, and Sarah

museums include Jennifer Casler Price, Curator

Loudon, Senior Museum Educator of Asian Art

of Non-Western Art of the Kimbell Art Museum,

Programs. They developed an extensive array of

Fort Worth; Judith Smith, Special Assistant to the

programs and materials. David Lotz, Chief of Tech-

Consultative Chairman of the Department of Asian

nology, coordinated an intriguing technology com-

Art of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,

ponent. Curtis Wong, Senior Research Program

and her colleague Jason Sun, Associate Curator

Manager at Microsoft and a respected specialist in

of Chinese Art; Klaas Ruitenbeek and Chen Shen,

projects that intelligently combine art with technol-

Curators in the Department of Asian Art of the

ogy, deserves special thanks for generously donating

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

his time and expertise to the technology compo-

At the Seattle Art Museum, Sara Cerrell and Jay Knox, former and present Government, Community, and Board Relations Officers, coordinated our

nent; the Seattle Art Museum and I personally are exceedingly obliged to him for his contribution. Indispensable to the project were skills of many

diplomatic effort to win approval of the exhibition

other colleagues at SAM, including Jeff Eby (bud-

by the Chinese State Council. Maryann Jordan ,

getary supervision), Gordon Lambert and Jack

Deputy Director for External Affairs, led the staff

Mackey (mount making), Charles Friedman (art

of her division in marketing and fundraising, which

handling), Patricia Leavengood (conservation),

financially enabled this unprecedented project.

Carrie Adams and Christina dePaolo (web design

Ashley Fosberg took charge of marketing, while

and management), Sarah Little (graphic design),

Jill Robinson and Laura Hopkins were responsible

Joe Shuster (computer technology), Carol Mabbott

for corporate and foundation grants respectively.

(grants management), Linda Williams and Melissa

Zora Hutlova Foy, Manager of Exhibitions and

Mohlman (public relations), Kathleen Allen ( school

Curatorial Publications, was the center of logistics

and teacher programs), Beverly Harding (art studio

for all aspects of the project, and managed such a

and family programs), Elizabeth deFato and Jan

multifarious responsibility with rigorous discipline

Hwang (library), Paula McArdle (international

and gracious humor. In the Department of Asian

symposium), Laura Lutz (executive assistance),

Art, Mary Hirsch, Curatorial Assistant of Chinese

James McKendry (curatorial editing), Susan

Art, was a constant help through the entire period

Bartlett (exhibition coordination), and Christine

of the project. At various times, valuable assistance

Titus (store sales). To all of these colleagues and

was provided also by Sheba Burney-Jones, Nhien

others whose names are not m entioned, I would

Nguyen, Liz Andres, Grace Meyers, and Elisabeth

like to express heartfelt gratitude for their contri-

Bradley, Administrative Assistants.

butions. It is to the credit of such team effort that

Staff at the Museum Services division, under the guidance of Gail Joice, Senior Deputy Director, were essential to the presentation of the exhibition at our museum and its subsequent tour in North America . Michael McCafferty, Exhibition Designer and a perfectionist, conceived the striking installa-

we succeeded in bringing to North America the glorious past of ancient Sichuan.

Jay Xu Foster Foundation Curator

ef Chinese Art

Seattle Art Museum

tion; Phil Stoiber, Senior Associate Registrar, was Curator's Acknowled9ements

1 1

EDITOR ' S PREFACE

In the summer of 198 6 the archaeology of ancient

illuminated for us by written sources (see the

China was turned upside down by the discover y of

Afterword). But for earlier periods we are wholly

an ancient city in the isolated western province of

dependent on what archaeologists can infer from

Sichuan. Located 40 km northeast of the provincial

material remains, and in the days before Sanxing-

capital, near a small village called Sanxingdui, this

dui, archaeologists had little to go on. Pre- Qin

astonishing site is the focus of the first half of the

Sichuan , as far we knew, was a backward r egion

present exhibition (Chapters

I

and 2). Studied in

detail in this book, it will occupy excavators and

perhaps more hunters than farmers, belonged to

scholars for many years to come .

simple societies, probably tribes or confederations

Until Sanxingdui came to light, ancient Sichuan

were burials dating from the century immediately

m entally a marginal area, and the culture of this

preceding the Qin colonization: these have dis-

province has never been a result of independent

tinctive local forms- some with boat-shaped log

developm ent . It has always been under the influence

coffins, som e in the form of stone cists- and their

of some neighboring culture."' The distinguished

principal furnishings are fine bronze weapons, sug-

expert who wrote those words in 1 9 5 7 could have

gesting that the occupants wer e warriors of high

repeated them without fear of contradiction any

status (Chapter 4). As to earlier times , archaeology

time in the next thirty years. In the days before

could say little. A single tenth century fi nd, a pair

Sanxingdui, an exhibition devoted to ancient

of hoards containing a mixture of local weapons

Sichuan might well have begun where the present

and imported bronze vessels, was as isolated as it

one leaves off, with pictorial bricks from tombs

was spectacular (Chapter 3). The vessels are remark-

AD

(Chapter 5). With their

had contact, perhaps on a single quite exceptional

many decades the earliest well-knovm archaeologi-

occasion , with the civilized north. Until , 986 ar-

cal finds from Sichuan, and they are not especially

chaeologists had no reason to suppose that pre -Qin

old, dating from a time when the r egion had long

Sichuan was anything but a wild fronti er r egion

since been incorporated into the first Chinese em-

waiting to receive the blessings of civilization from

pires, those of Qin

the more innovative heartland of China .

(22 1- 206 Be)

and Han

(206 BC-

Then a Bronze Age civilization three centuries

Sichuan first entered the mainstream of Chinese

ChengTc-k' un, Archaeolo9ical

Cambridge University Press, 1957), p. xix.

able, but they show only that some warrior or tribe

engaging scenes of daily life, these bricks were for

AD 2 20 ).

r.

of tribes . The richest known archaeological finds

seemed very simple. "Szechwan [Sichuan] is funda -

of the second century

Studies in Szechwan (Cambridge:

on the fringe of main developments. Its inhabitants,

earlier than the hoards cam e to light at Sanxingdui.

civilization when it was colonized by the expanding

Excavators had been :investigating remnants of an

Qin state in 3 1 6

earthen city wall there for several years, but the

BC.

O ver the next few centuries it

was gradually transformed by Qin and Han armies

wealth, importance, and almost bizarre character

and settlers, and since the settlers brought writing

of the site became clear only with the discovery

with them, from Han times onward Sichuan is

of two staggeringly rich sacrificial deposits buried

I

2

around

1 200 BC .

Since this is about the date of the

most grateful to them for sharing their knowledge .

first known Chinese writing, the famous oracle-

Warmest thanks are due also to the many others

bone inscriptions from Anyang in the Yellow River

who have contributed their time and talents to

valley, the discovery gave the Anyang civilization

the book. Robert Forget prepared the maps, Dora

a rival in a most unexpected place. Moreover the

Ching helped with bibliographic questions, and

rival was startlingly original; its strange artifacts

Robert Palmer compiled the index. Jennifer Chen

have taken specialists completely by surprise. A

took charge of organizing the illustrations, did

few decades ago, when we knew much less, it was

much careful checking, and prepared the Chinese

possible to imagine that the history of Chinese

character glossary. Laura lwasaki 's m eticulous

civilization was merely the story of a gradual out-

proofreading saved us from many errors. Fabien

ward spread from a birthplace in the Yellow River

Simonis helped m e translate the French manuscripts

valley. Today things look much less tidy, and much

of Michele Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens and Alain Thote,

more interesting.

and the authors themselves patiently answered

The Sanxingdui finds raise large questions that

countless questions about details of translation .

only future excavations can answer. In the late

My responsibilities as editor were much lightened

second millennium

by the expert proj ect management of Zora Hutlova

BC,

Sichuan was home to a

city that had few rivals in East Asia. How did the

Foy and the careful copyediting of James McKendry,

city and its unique culture come into being? What

both of the Seattle Art Museum . Paul Macapia of

happened to it? Did its civilization collapse and

the Seattle Art Museum took most of the color

disappear? Or will some future archaeological find

photographs, Jiang Cong supplied the remainder,

as rich and as unforeseen as the Sanxingdui depos-

and Luo Zeyun made drawings for us. Our debt to

its change all our ideas about later periods too?

them will be obvious at a glance, as will our debt

Discoveri es like Sanxingdui make us acutely aware

to Ed Marquand, Susan Kelly, Marie Weiler, and the

that our statements about the past are always shaped

staff at Marquand Books, who transformed a com-

by what has not been found (and by what our texts

plicated manuscript into a sumptuous book. Finally

do not r ecord) . Do we now have all the pieces of

I would like to thank the organizer of the exhibi-

a very peculiar puzzle? Or does the puzzle look

tion, Jay Xu , Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese

peculiar because we are still missing large chunks?

Art at the Seattle Art Museum , for inviting m e to

Depending on which alternative we incline toward,

collaborate with him, and Mimi Gardner Gates,

we will construct very different hypotheses. When

Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director of the museum,

contributors to the present volume disagr ee as

for her unwavering support for the proj ect. Their

to how the pieces might fit together, they remind

enthusiasm and hard work have been a constant

us that our researches are at a very early stage.

encouragement.

What is certain at the moment is only that early Bronze Age China was a more complicated place than we used to suppose. In thanking those who have made this book pos-

Robert Bagley Prefessor

efArt and Archaeoloay

Prin ceton Uni versity

sible I must begin with the archaeologists of Sichuan province : the book and the exhibition it catalogues celebrate their achievements. The book itself is the work of seven specialists who have followed Sichuan archaeology closely. Their study of this deeply fascinating material supplies a comprehensive status report on one of the most important areas of Chinese archaeological r esearch, and I am

Editor's Prefa ce

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