World Art Encyclopedia - Chinese Art. Pre-Qin to Han Dynasty

Author: Li Song
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-30
Features: This book narrates the development and achievements of early Chinese art from the primitive society, through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, up to the Qin and Han periods, spanning thousands of years. The painted pottery, jade artifacts, tooth and bone carvings, and rock paintings created by the ancestors of primitive society marked the brilliant beginning of Chinese art history. During the Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods, bronze ware, as a symbol of the slave-owning regime and divine authority, became the dominant art form across various categories. The Shang–Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn–Warring States periods were two successive artistic peaks that shone in succession. The Qin and Han periods ushered in a unified feudal society. Architecture, sculpture, painting, applied arts, and calligraphy flourished comprehensively. During this period, the ancient state of Ba in the southwestern region, the ancient Dian people in the southwest, and the nomadic tribes in the northern grasslands also created their unique ethnic arts.