China: Interactive Exploration

Explore objects from ancient China and learn about the daily lifeand beliefs of the Chinese.

Grade Level: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12Collection: East Asian ArtCulture/Region: ChinaSubject Area: Fine Arts, History and Social Science,

Visual Arts, World LanguagesActivity Type: Art in Depth

LOOKING, THINKING, AND LEARNING

This resource consists of two different types of looking, thinking, and learning activities. These activities callon your observation and thinking skills as you closely examine selected objects from Ancient China. Theactivities will explore the themes of daily life, trade, religion, and writing.

LOOK AT THIS!

Look at This activities provide close-up views with guiding questions and background information. Whatwill you learn about what the ancient Chinese valued?

SURPRISE ME!

Surprise Me investigations offer pop-up hot spots on selected objects to reveal intriguing informationabout Chinese daily life and religion.

“Great Wall of China” by Keith Roper is licensed with CC BY 2.0.

GEOGRAPHY

China covers an exceptionally large area of land (over 3 million square miles) on the continent of Asia and isthe third largest country on Earth. It is home to the Great Wall, the largest man-made structure onEarth. The climate of ancient China included four seasons, much like we have in North America. China hasan immense coastline that is bordered by the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the South China Sea. Theterrain of China is quite diverse and consists of the eastern alluvial plains, which are fairly flat landformscreated by sediment deposited over a long period of time by rivers, the northern grasslands, the southernforest and hill regions, and the mountains and deserts of the west. In the west lies the formidablemountain ranges of the Kunlan, Tien Shan, and the Himalayas. Mount Everest is part of the Himalayas andis the highest peak in the world. To the north and west we also find vast deserts, such as the Gobi, Asia’slargest desert, and the Taklimakan.

These natural borders, as well as the Great Wall, kept ancient China isolated from the rest of Eurasia andprotected it from foreign invaders that might want to take land and resources. These borders also meantthat the Chinese would focus on developing an internal culture and would not seek external expansion forcenturies.

Ancient Chinese civilization developed thousands of years ago along two vital river systems, the Huang HeRiver in the northeast, and the Yangtze River in the south. Communities were built around these riversbecause of their abundance of natural resources, which are resources that come from the earth. Richfertile soil allowed for farming and encouraged irrigation to help crops grow. Fishing and hunting providedan ample food supply, and transportation by boat allowed people to travel for trade and to visit othersettlements. And, of course, there was lots of water to drink!

Ancient Chinese civilization first began along the Huang He River. This region is where the earliest Chinesedynasties were based. The river starts in the mountains of Tibet and flows almost 3,000 miles to the YellowSea. It is nicknamed the Yellow River because of its yellow silt. This type of soil was ideal for growing wheatand millet. This region featured a cooler, drier climate, and flatter land than in southern China. Anothernickname for the river is The Great Sorrow because it often floods, causing devastating destruction anddeath to millions of people over the centuries.

The Yangtze River originates in the Tibetan Plateau and flows almost 4,000 miles to the East China Sea. It isnicknamed the Long River and is the third largest river in the world (after the Nile and the Amazon). Astime passed the Chinese people spread southward to the Yangtze River area. This region had a hot climate,with lots of rainfall and a hillier terrain than in the north. The fertile soil in this area made it ideal forgrowing rice and is where the ancient Chinese developed the method of terrace farming on hillsides.

EARLY LIFE/BURIAL PRACTICES

The Shang dynasty (1600-1045 BC) began around 1600 BC along the Huang Ye River floodplains and isconsidered to be the first dynasty based on archaeological evidence. The Shang dynasty had manyimpressive achievements, among them the military use of the horse-drawn chariot and the development oflarge cities. These cities were home to royal palaces and temples, but also included industrial and craftproduction zones, where miners, stone and jade carvers, potters, bronze workers, and other artisans livedand worked. During the time of the Shang, the production and quality of bronze objects grew dramatically.Bronze items such as decorated cups, goblets, cauldrons and bells were used in sacrificial rituals to naturegods and royal ancestors and were also used in burials.The Shang believed in an afterlife and practicedancestor worship, so it was thought that items from daily life should be buried with the dead.Archaeologists have discovered dozens of immense tombs of Shang kings and nobility that were filled withhundreds of exquisite bronze objects, as well as the skeletons of human beings and animals.

Because the Chinese believed in an afterlife, careful attention was taken when the dead were buried. Theywere buried not only with items they would need, but also with items of importance, such as objects madeof bronze and precious stones like jade.

An example of one such burial item from the Shang dynasty is the following small jade pendant.

LOOK AT THIS! Pendant in Shape of Silkworm with Dragon Head

Pendant in Shape of Silkworm with Dragon Head, Chinese, Shang Dynasty, 13th-11th century BC, jade(nephrite), Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 59.17.7

Here are other examples of jade objects from VMFA’s collection!

Dragon-Shaped Pendant

Unknown (Artist)

Dragon-Shaped Pendant

Ram

Unknown (Artist)

Ram

Decorative Group

Unknown (Artist)

Decorative Group

Horse Ornament

Unknown (Artist)

Horse Ornament

Rabbit-Shaped Pendant

Unknown (Artist)

Rabbit-Shaped Pendant

Ring Pendant with Cloud Design

Unknown (Artist)

Ring Pendant with Cloud Design

Plaque with Dragon and Phoenix Designs

Unknown (Artist)

Plaque with Dragon and Phoenix Designs

DAILY LIFE

Burials and tombs can tell us not only a great deal about beliefs in the afterlife and ancient Chinesereligion, but also about daily life. Since the afterlife was supposed to mirror life on earth, the deceasedneeded all the items they would have used while still alive. Items included in tombs and with burials tell usa great deal about how the ancient Chinese lived.

Bronze ritual vessels were often found in burials, particularly in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1045 BC) andmade-up an important part of grave furnishings. Often modeled after clay vessels that served food anddrinks to the living, the bronze vessels were for offering food and drinks to the deceased. These vesselsdemonstrate the importance the Chinese placed on the past and on ancestors as they were made forstoring, preparing, and serving food and wine to ancestral spirits. These ancestors served an importantrole, not only because they were relatives, but also because they served as intercessors (those who helpedcommunicate between the gods and the living).

Chinese families made such offerings to make the spirits of the dead happy and to provide them with thethings they needed. The families did this so that they might help bestow blessings and good fortune upontheir descendants.

LOOK AT THIS! Fang Yi (Wine Vessel)

Fang Yi, ca. 13th-11th century BC, Chinese, Late Shang Dynasty, Bronze, Adolph D. and Wilkins C. WilliamsFund, 57.45.5a-b

The Chinese believed that the deceased must be provided with all the possessions they wish to accompanythem in the afterlife, so ceramic replicas of everyday objects were buried in tombs with the dead. It wasbelieved these familiar objects and possessions would provide comfort to the spirit of the deceased.Ceramic models of miniature furniture, houses, human figures, domestic animals, and kitchenware likestoves, bowls and cups made their first appearance in the funerary art of the Han period. Every detail ofthis miniature stove is accurate for the time.

Click on the pop-up hot spots on the image below. Each will tell you different facts about this replica of anancient Chinese stove.

SURPRISE ME! Stove

Stove, 1st-2nd century AD, Chinese, Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), glazed earthenware, Gift of Mrs. Price L.Rogers, 55.28.7

Here are some other daily life objects from VMFA’s collection!

Garment Hook

Unknown (Artist)

Garment Hook

Chariot Fitting with Feline Design

Unknown (Artist)

Chariot Fitting with Feline Design

Bell (Niu Zhong)

Unknown (Artist)

Bell (Niu Zhong)

Inkstone with Dragon Design

Unknown (Artist)

Inkstone with Dragon Design

TRADE AND THE SILK ROAD

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes formally established by the Han Dynasty (202 BC –220 AD) of Imperial China. Under the rule of Emperor Wu (ruling from 141 BC – 87 BC), who soughtterritorial expansion of China’s borders, China was able to establish a web of trade routes that wouldeventually stretch over 4,000 miles, linking China with parts of Central Asia, the Mediterranean, Africa,Europe, and South Asia. This network was called the Silk Road because silk was one of the most desiredproducts that traveled from East to West. As goods were exchanged over these routes, technologicalknowledge, philosophical ideas, and artistic practices were also carried to distant places. Buddhism madeits way from India to China via the Silk Road. Westbound camel caravans carried luxury items, including silk,precious tea, and ceramics, from Chang’an (present-day Xian, China) to Central Asia, and then traveledeither south to India or farther west to the Mediterranean coasts. Various locations along the trade routesalso had goods that might be traded. For example, Kashgar offered pack animals, dried fruit, herbs, andtea. Merchants in Ferghana, famous for its horses, also dealt in rugs, copper, and dried fruit and nuts.Eastbound traders brought treasured glass, rare wool, exotic spices, and gold and silver vessels to China.

LOOK AT THIS! Bactrian Camel

Bactrian Camel, 7th-10th century, Chinese, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD Earthenware with white glaze, AdolphD. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 51.12.2

RELIGION

Early Chinese religion was based on worshipping ancestors, other gods, and goddesses, particularly onesrelated to nature. For many hundreds of years, China was cut-off from other cultures due to itsgeographical features and the Great Wall of China. Once the Silk Road opened, China had contact withpeople from places like Africa, Rome and India. Other than goods, like silk and spices, ideas also travelledacross this vast trade route. Religion travelled and was shared amongst different peoples. Buddhism wasone such religion that made its way from India to China via the Silk Road.

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion named after a man we now call Buddha (birth name, Siddhartha Gautama, beforehis renunciation). He lived in India in the 6th century BC, but his beliefs travelled along the Silk Road intoChina and many Chinese became Buddhist. Buddhism most likely came to China about the same time theSilk Road began, in the 1st century AD.

Buddhists believe in the cycle of life: a person is born, they live through life, they pass away, and then theyare reborn again to repeat the cycle. Buddhists strive to end this cycle and attain freedom from constantrebirth. Buddhists try to end this suffering in a number of different ways; many try to achieve a state ofenlightenment, or an understanding of the meaning of life which will end all suffering and rebirth. TheBuddha taught people how to stop suffering, and therefore how to be truly happy.

Click on the pop-up hot spots on the image below. Each will tell you different facts about a Buddhist figure.

SURPRISE ME! Bodhisattva

Standing Bodhisattva, ca. 550 – 559, China, Northern Qi dynasty (550–577), limestone, Adolph D. andWilkins C. Williams Fund, 56.9.2

WRITING

Seven Character Couplet in Seal Script,1886, Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),Yao Junyuan, died 1902, Hanging scrolls,ink and gold sprinkles on pink paper,2013.77.1-2

Chinese is the oldest continuous writing system inthe world. The first writing system in China wasdeveloped almost 3,500 years ago during the LateShang dynasty (1300-1100 BC). The Shang createdmore than 4,5000 pictograph characters and wouldinscribe these characters on the bones of animalsand turtle shells, known as oracle bones. Oraclebones were used to predict the future, to record oraldivination performances, and to document eventsand activities, including warfare, the weather, and theselection of lucky days for ceremonies.

Over the centuries, these Chinese characters, knownas hanzi, became simplified in form and werecombined together to stand for sounds as well aswords. Today we know this form of writing ascalligraphy. Calligraphy is considered an art form bythe Chinese and this reflects the importance of wordsin China. There are tens of thousands of characters inwritten Chinese!

The writing we see here was done long after writingbegan in China, but reflects the changes in style itwent through over thousands of years. The scriptused on these scrolls is called seal script. Seal script isacknowledged as one of the oldest scripts in Chinesewriting. This script was/is mainly used for thecreation of inscriptions and seals within official andimportant documents. Scrolls, or rolled paper, can berolled up and stored, or hung on the wall fordecoration. Chinese writing should be read from topto bottom on these scrolls and they start on the rightside to read.

Watch a calligrapher write Chinese characters!

VOCABULARY

alluvial plains – mostly flat landforms created by sediment deposited over a long time period by one ormore rivers coming from highland regions.

natural resource – resources that come from the earth.

culture – the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or othersocial group.

expansion – to increase ones territory, power, wealth or influence.

irrigation – the supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.

dynasty – lines of kings or emperors from a single family, following each other on the throne fromgeneration to generation.

ancestor – people in your family that came before you, like your great grandparents and great, greatgrandparents.

sacrificial ritual – in some cultures, this is a ceremony in which a person or animal’s life was taken for ahigher purpose, such as to satisfy gods.

bronze – a metal that is actually a combination of two other metals, copper and tin. These two metals aremelted together to form bronze. The ancient Chinese used bronze to make many kinds of things, includingritual vessels, tools, and weapons.

oracle bones – inscribed animal bones and shells discovered in China and used originally in divination bythe ancient Chinese, especially during the Shang dynasty.

divine/divination – the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernaturalmeans.

afterlife – existence or life after death.

intercessor – person or being who helped communicate between the gods and the living.

pictograph – individual characters that were pictures of things that represented an idea.

emperor – a single supreme ruler over an extensive group of areas like states or countries.

shroud – pieces of silk fabric that covered the face/body of the deceased.

calligraphy – the art of producing decorative handwriting or lettering with a pen or brush.