What Chinese codes are hidden behind the patterns of Shang and Zhou bronze artifacts?
We have many questions about bronze ware. Although there are already a large number of research works for us to refer to, and a certain number of scholars are still deeply engaged in this field, every time new cultural relics are unearthed and new interpretations appear, our original understanding is always broken, and our thinking about ancient civilization is becoming more complex and confusing. For example, what exactly do the various patterns densely distributed on bronze ware mean? Are they unconscious or do they indeed have a symbol? What was the purpose of casting them in the beginning? And how much basis do we have when we reinterpret them today?
Traditional Chinese animal patterns mainly feature dragons, phoenixes, and tigers
Regarding animal patterns, Li Ling pointed out that traditional Chinese patterns have always been dominated by dragons, phoenixes, and tigers, with dragon and phoenix patterns being the longest lasting pattern in China. It should be noted that the geometric patterns of the mid to late Western Zhou Dynasty actually evolved from animal patterns, and many combination patterns such as scale patterns, steal curve patterns, and heavy ring patterns are closely related to the evolution of dragon and phoenix patterns. However, these changes are very complex. Li Ling believes that although there are countless changes in decorative patterns, they are inseparable from their origins. Therefore, he summarized the characteristics of Chinese decorative patterns as "the unity of all changes", with the three largest systems still being the dragon, phoenix, and tiger.
(1) The prototype of a dragon is a crocodile
The popular animal pattern during the Shang Dynasty and early Western Zhou Dynasty was the gluttonous pattern. Taotie was originally a term in Lüshi Chunqiu. Later, many scholars thought that the term was not accurate, so it was renamed Beast Face Pattern. Its typical features are terrifying eyes and serrated teeth, highlighting the facial features of animals, especially the eyes. Li Ling pointed out that in Western art, the eye is very important and possesses divine power, which led to the development of the so-called "dragonfly eye", which is actually an artificial flesh red stone pith bead. Later, the special meaning of the eyes being full of divine power also spread to China.
There is a close correlation between gluttonous patterns and dragon patterns. In the article "Talking about Dragons, Also Including Taotie Patterns", Li Zero specifically discussed the relationship between dragon patterns and Taotie patterns. In order to explain this issue more clearly, he used a series of pictures to display the typical images of various dragons on bronze vessels, as well as the evolution of the "dragon" character from oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions to later generations.
In Li Ling's view, the prototype of a dragon is actually a crocodile. The character "dragon" in oracle bone inscriptions imitates crocodiles with horns on their heads. Later on, the dragon horn gradually became a character similar to the "Xin" character, and then became "Li", which is the upper left corner of the traditional "Long" character. In the dragon pattern, the dragon horns are divided into stick hammer horns, sheep horns, ox horns, and palm shaped horns, mixed with the horns of different animals, but the main body is still a crocodile.
The crocodile image in the unearthed cultural relics was formerly known as "gluttonous". According to the Lüshi Chunqiu Precedent Knowledge, "Zhou Ding is dedicated to gluttonous food. He has a head but no body, and cannibalism has not been swallowed, which is harmful to his body." The "head but no body" is the characteristic of gluttonous food, that is, gluttonous food has only one face. The phrase 'cannibalism without swallowing harms one's body' means that crocodiles eat people and not only eat people, but also anything. In ancient China, rituals and utensils (such as the Zhong Ming Ding Shi) were often related to eating. Therefore, Li Ling believes that if we know that the prototype of Taotie is a crocodile, the name "Taotie pattern" is not inappropriate, and "beast face pattern" is just a vague term that cannot be named because it has many additional decorations, such as dragon horns, ox horns, sheep horns, etc. Based on this, Li Zero referred to it as the "dragon head pattern".
In addition, there is a type of side dragon pattern in the dragon pattern, which has been commonly referred to as the Kui dragon pattern since the Song Dynasty. Li Zero said that it is actually a type of ribbon decoration. The ancients said that Kui was a one legged dragon, but in fact, this type of dragon is not just one legged, but a dragon with a side view effect. Some dragon patterns are bisected, as if a dragon is cut open in the middle, with two Kui dragons sharing the same head; Some are double headed dragons, with two heads and one body. The layout of decorative patterns often varies with the shape of the vessel. For example, the dragon pattern is often used in dishes, and the dragon is also related to water, so it is mostly used on water vessels. We have already seen such dragon patterns on plates unearthed from the Erlitou site a long time ago, which is a traditional Chinese representation of dragons.
(3) Chinese People Use Tigers to Identify Lions
If the dragon and phoenix are auspicious beasts of China, both imagined animals that cannot be matched in reality, then the tiger is a real animal, and what information is hidden behind the tiger pattern?
Li Ling has written an article specifically on this topic titled "International Animals: The Image of Lions and Tigers in Chinese Art". He believes that tigers are typical Asian animals and lions are typical African animals. The tiger is centered around China, and the lion is an exotic animal that was imported from Persia and Central Asia into China. After importation, it became a auspicious beast with imaginative colors. Why is it called an "international animal"? Li Ling explained, "As soon as the lion came to China, it introduced us to two international arts: one is the Chinese lion dance, and the other is placing two lions at our doorstep to watch the door. Both of these arts are pure Western art that took root in China, so this is an international art
Li Ling also mentioned that Chinese people actually use tigers to get to know lions. In the past, lions were a type of light colored tiger, with gray and white colors. In ancient times, this type of lion was called a yellow lion, and another type was white. Because people like white tigers, they also like white lions, saying that yellow lions are not as good as white lions. In China, a lion has a transformation, which is to have the lion insert its wings. People use two auspicious words to represent it - Tianlu and Bixie. Tianlu and Bixie are Chinese winged lions, and ancient people believed that two lions could serve as a means of bringing blessings and avoiding disasters by squatting at the door.
There are many types of tiger patterns in the Shang Dynasty, and a typical decoration is the tiger pattern on the stone chimes of the Yin Ruins. It is somewhat like a leaf, but it is constantly hooked, and also like a wild goose flying in the air. The tiger pattern in the Western Zhou Dynasty is a kind of double leaf tiger pattern, like two wings, which can be used until the Warring States period. Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the tiger pattern has been a double hook S-shaped tiger pattern, which has been used until the Han Dynasty. There are similar decorative patterns abroad, so the tiger patterns on bronze ware have a historical significance, but there are overlaps in the middle.
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