Art, Myth and Ritual: The Path to Political Authority in Ancient China

by Kwang-chih Chang

Book by Chang, K. C.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Historical

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1983

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a serious student of Chinese history and culture, you must own, not just read, this book. Its cross-disciplinary perspective makes it a book you will find yourself returning to on a regular basis as your own knowledge and understanding of Chinese history and culture grows. Passages once oblique or of little interest to you previously, will suddenly become the glue of new associations and insights. Topics include many of the classic myths of Chinese culture, common motifs, and symbols.

[Iván · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very ambitious and well-developed thesis, interesting references and a display of interrelated findings that make a lot of sense. The relationship between art/writing and politics is argued through not only archaeological material, but also all kinds of poems, philosophical and mythical allusions, pottery remains...
our vision of history responds to a completely particular paradigm -the occidental one, and the author very kindly explains to us how this conception has also contaminated Eastern historiography. We shall view China now in a different picture.

[二六 侯 · Rating 4 out of 5]

內容頗精彩，但所引人名多音譯，常與真實中文姓名不同，且圖片多不清晰，若在這個網路時代重出，應當就可以避免以上這兩大問題。

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

China's sage tradition posits a shaman king or wiseman king. In this essay Chang explains how ritual was the path to political power.

[Ben Beckstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chang provides an incredibly useful frame for political authority in Ancient China. His conclusions are also largely expandable--similar dynamics do seem to be at play in Mesoamerica, for example. I'm intrigued by his method of combining literary analysis with archaeological evidence--it does seem to present an extremely solid case.
It's dense reading for such a short book, but it is definitely valuable for anyone who wants to understand Chinese history or explore the topic of state formation more broadly.

[VIlle · Rating 4 out of 5]

祭祀、巫、青铜器及其图纹、三代的统治

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

简明易读 论证简洁精要

[James Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. With a careful reading it completely evolves your outlook on history.