The various historical periods of ancient Chinese culture
Positioning the culture of different periods vertically is the key to comprehensively understanding ancient Chinese culture and grasping the key points
1. Three Dynasties (Xia, Shang and Zhou): The prototype of ancient Chinese culture began to take shape, which can be called the "source" of ancient Chinese culture. The cultural hotspot closely related to this source is the "Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasty Project". Looking only at the "source" of Chinese culture, we focus on three aspects: - The carrier for recording and disseminating culture has become more mature - characters (oracle bone inscriptions) have formed a unique language of Chinese culture. The second is to create a method of recording time - the method of recording time with the stems and branches. The Chinese nation has a clear concept of time for historical changes. The third is to form a philosophical method of understanding the world - "Yi". The focus is on the simple dialectics thought of the ancients and the spirit of "Heaven moves vigorously and a gentleman strives for self-improvement", which are outstanding representatives of ancient Chinese culture. 2. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period: the comprehensive foundation period of ancient Chinese culture. It formed the "soul" of ancient Chinese culture and produced two outstanding "image spokespersons" of ancient Chinese culture: Laozi and Confucius. It reflects the ancients' different thoughts on nature, life and society, mainly Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism. It has had an important influence on the development of the Chinese nation and formed the main content of the Chinese national spirit. 3． Qin and Han Dynasties: It was a period of richness and development of ancient Chinese culture. The great development of science and technology culture and the combination of unity and diversity have established China's leading position in the world in science and technology culture. It laid the foundation for the further development of culture in later generations. The culture of this period embodies the enterprising spirit and magnanimity of the unified dynasty at the beginning of the establishment of the unified multi-ethnic centralized state. Prominent representatives: the majestic Great Wall (Great Wall Spirit), the majestic Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang, and the "Historical Records" that connects ancient and modern times, a unified ideological system. Especially with the popularity of "Emperor Wu of Han", the content related to it should attract certain attention. 4. The period of the Three Kingdoms, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties: "the plainness after the cultural climax of Qin and Han Dynasties". Compared with the previous stage, it is less imposing and more plain and delicate. Specific manifestations: culture and science and technology continue to advance, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism begin to penetrate each other in terms of ideology, Buddhism is prevalent, art is colorful, and it has distinct characteristics of national integration. 5. Sui and Tang Dynasties: The peak of China's feudal society brought the all-round glory of ancient culture. Eclectic, comprehensively brilliant, benefiting future generations, influencing surroundings, leading the world, and having a prominent position (in the history of Chinese culture), it is a representative of the brilliance of ancient Chinese culture. 6. Song and Yuan Dynasties: another peak of ancient Chinese culture. Three of the four representative inventions of traditional Chinese science and technology are at this stage. The impact of the commodity economy on literature and art is prominent. It is a new phenomenon in the development of ancient Chinese culture and should be paid attention to. 7. The Ming and Qing Dynasties: the end of the history of ancient Chinese culture, the inheritance of the past and the emergence of the new, and the spread of Western learning to the east. The Ming and Qing dynasties were in the late stage of China's feudal society. The inheritance of the past and the emergence of the new were the characteristics of the culture of this period. Inheriting the past: A collection of scientific and technological works have been published one after another; classical culture has entered a period of summary, and official organizations have made outstanding achievements in compiling large-scale books, reflecting the broad atmosphere of national culture. In the new era, democratic enlightenment ideas with anti-feudal overtones emerged; citizen literature emerged, novels became the mainstream of literature, and Western learning spread eastward. Determine the review focus from different angles: (1) From the perspective of cultural development: the focus is on the Pre-Qin period, the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the Ming and Qing dynasties; (2) From the perspective of the impact of social changes on culture; the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Qin and Han dynasties, and the Ming and Qing dynasties Qing Dynasty. (3) From the perspective of cultural transformation: the Song and Yuan dynasties and the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The essence of ancient Chinese culture: Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism. Confucius's "benevolence", "education without distinction", running private schools, and diligently compiling classics in his later years; Mencius's "benevolent government" , "the people value the king more than the king, and the theory of good nature; Xunzi's "control the destiny of heaven and use it"; Mozi's "universal love", "non-attack" and "respecting the virtuous"; Laozi's "Tao" and "inaction"; Zhuangzi's Idealist philosophy; Han Fei's law-based ideas played a vital role in the development of ancient Chinese culture. The representative calligraphy, paintings, Tang poems, and Song lyrics of ancient Chinese culture are the great contributions of the Chinese nation to mankind. : The unique language and writing, the vast cultural classics, the science and technology that benefits the world, the wonderful literature and art, the philosophy and religion full of wisdom, the complete and profound moral ethics, all together constitute the basic content of Chinese culture.
In the extensive and profound ancient Chinese culture, calligraphy, painting, Tang poetry, and Song poetry are undoubtedly outstanding representatives. Only calligraphy is taken as an example for analysis. As an artistic creation, calligraphy has profound mysteries and reflects the unique artistic creation and aesthetic taste of the Chinese nation. It evolved from oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions to large seal script, small seal script, and official script. In the Eastern Han, Wei, and Jin periods, cursive script and regular script , running script, and all styles are basically finalized. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, calligraphy began to become an art. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, many calligraphers created calligraphy art with diverse styles and flourishes. Famous calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi emerged and created the "Lanting Preface", which is known as "the best running script in the world". The calligraphy of the Tang Dynasty is like the national power of the Tang Dynasty - it is powerful and famous. Calligraphy exudes the charm of ancient art and is a well-deserved representative of Chinese culture. Browsing the calligraphy of the past dynasties, "Jin people admired rhyme, Tang people advocated law, Song people advocated meaning, and Yuan and Ming Dynasties advocated attitude" is an incisive summary. These different styles reflect different periods of history. The people of Jin Dynasty are very charming, and the calligraphy of the Jin Dynasty is beautiful, graceful and unrestrained, which reflects the leisure and childishness of the scholar-bureaucrat class and reveals a kind of demure beauty. It is obviously connected with the gentry system of this period and reflects the characteristics of the gentry system. The people of the Tang Dynasty advocated law. The calligraphy of the Tang Dynasty was rigorous and majestic. It showed the strong national power and pioneering spirit in the heyday of feudalism. It reflected the courage of the prosperous Tang Dynasty and had the beauty of strength. It is not only a manifestation of the overall splendor of Tang culture, but also a reflection of the Tang Dynasty's political clarity, economic prosperity, and frequent foreign exchanges. The people of the Song Dynasty admired the idea, and the calligraphy style of the Song Dynasty was ups and downs, calm and happy. It was precisely in the situation of "the country was in trouble but the literary fortune was not declining" that the literati were dissatisfied with the reality and used calligraphy to express their ideas and express a state of mind. It can be connected with the history of poverty and weakness in the Song Dynasty. Since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, China's feudal society has been stagnant and declining. This is reflected in calligraphy, which advocates imitation of ancient times and is mediocre. Related to cultural absolutism. As for the frenzy of "anti-conventional" calligraphy in the late Ming Dynasty, and the rise of the trend of advocating stone tablets and inscriptions in the late Qing Dynasty, just like the rushing magma underground, the flashing lightning or flint in the dark, they reflect the signs of a huge social change. . Obviously, the cultural autocracy of the Ming and Qing Dynasties also had a certain impact on calligraphy. In short, tracing the footprints of the development of calligraphy over three thousand years, we can clearly see that it keeps pace with the development of Chinese society and strongly reflects the spiritual outlook of each era.
Relevant cultural contributions of ancient Chinese culture: astronomy, geography, ancient people’s talk about heaven and earth, ancient people’s observation of the sky, the origin of all things, celestial phenomena records: solar eclipses, meteors, novae and supernova comets, five stars in a row, sunspots, stone carvings, calendar achievements: calendar management methods, solar terms Comparison of Chinese and Western "Taichu Calendar", "Daming Calendar", "Dayan Calendar", "Time-giving Calendar" Astronomical instruments: Guibiao sundial, engraved armillary sphere, armillary sphere, seismic sphere, armillary sphere, simplified sphere, upward sphere, water-moving instrument, astronomer. Famous astronomers: Gan Deluoxia, Zhang Hengzu, Chongzhi Zhang Sui ( Monk Yixing) Guo Shoujing and Shen Kuo's astronomical works: "Ganshi Star Classic" and "Lingxian" Famous geographers: Pei Xiuli Daoyuan Xu Xiake Wei Yuan Geographic achievements: Cartography, observation of six-body winds, observation of instrumental precipitation, observation of instrumental humidity, and observation of instrumental clouds Heyun Atlas "Shui Jing Zhu" "Xu Xiake's Travels" "Hai Guo Tu Zhi" Ancient mathematical achievements: abacus, the use of decimal systems, the earliest use of fractions and decimals, the use of nine-nine tables for negative numbers, the use of pi calculations, the founding works of binary thinking: "Zhou Bi Suan Jing", "Nine Chapters Arithmetic", "Island Suan Jing", "Sun Tzu Suan Jing" Mathematicians: Liu Hui, Zhang Heng, Zuchong's ancient military military thoughts: Sun Tzu's Six Tao Sima Fa, Sun Bin's Art of War, Wei Liaozi, Wu Zi's military inventions: Ancient times The invention and spread of chariot stirrups The invention and spread of crossbows, rockets and gunpowder fire-breathing devices in ancient China Figures: Soldier sage Sun Wu National hero Yue Fei Zhuge Liang Traditional Chinese medicine Overview of traditional Chinese medicine The history of traditional Chinese medicine Basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine Basic diagnosis and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine The four diagnosis methods Acupuncture and scraping The meaning of massage, cupping, diet therapy and health-preserving diet The four natures and five flavors of food Medicinal diet Traditional Chinese medicine health-preserving products: tea and medicinal wine Characteristic inventions Acupuncture Bronze Man Traditional Chinese Medicine Needles Tongue Coating Model Inner Scripture Diagram Iron Ball Five-animal Play Tai Chi Ancient famous doctor Qian Yi, Ge Hong, Wang Binghuang Fumi Wang Shu, Hua Boren, Chunyu Yi, Li Shizhen, Li Dongyuan, Bian Que, Dai Sigong, Zhang Zi and Zhang Zhongjing, Chao Yuanfang, Sun Simiao, Sun Yikui, Hua Tuo, Liu Wansu, ancient agriculture, ancient water conservancy, water conservancy projects in ancient China, Dujiangyan, Zhengbai Canal, Zhang Twelve Canal, Shanyan Shaopi Ling Canal, and the back set of eight canals. Hangou Ancient Agricultural Tools Chinese Waterwheels Bones Stone Shovels Iron Hoes Iron Plows Ancient Agricultural Science and Technology Figures Jia Sixie, Xu Guangqi, Song Yingxing Agricultural Technological Achievements Urban planning has already begun in modern times. The development trajectory of modern Chinese architecture. The stages of Chinese architectural history. Characteristics of Chinese architecture. Ancient Chinese mechanical achievements. Chinese mechanical technology introduced to the West. Records of engineering examinations. Records of exotic instruments from the Far West. The most daily utensils were used by Simuwu, the Chinese incense burner. 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Silk development Silk dyeing and finishing technology China's four famous embroideries Natural fabric dyes Chinese navigation technology Ancient shipbuilding Review of ancient Chinese shipbuilding Three major ship types Ancient shipbuilding inventions Sailing stern rudder oars Carriage keel structure Watertight compartments Navigation inventions Navigation compass Star-finding chronometer Needle path Others Application of navigation knowledge Milestones in navigation Xu Fu's eastward voyage to Japan Maritime Silk Road of the Han Dynasty Authenticity Eastward voyage to Japan Zheng He's voyages to the West China Papermaking Printing Papermaking The original writing material The invention of paper The development of papermaking technology Cai Lun's improved papermaking The spread of papermaking Characters Cai Lun Bi Sheng Wang Zhen Hu Zhengyan The invention of printing The invention of woodblock printing The invention of movable type printing The dissemination characteristics of printing technology The invention of rice paper and pen and ink The invention of seals, rubbings, overprinting and color printing Banknotes Ancient Chinese philosophy Philosophical schools Taoism Philosophy Confucianism Philosophy Legalism Philosophy Famous Philosophy Mohist Philosophy Yin Yang Philosophy Thinker Laozi Confucius Han Feizi Mozi Philosophical Works "Tao Te Ching" "The Analects of Confucius" "I Ching" Philosophy Keywords Tao Yin Yang Bagua Five Elements Tai Chi Harmony of Heaven and Man Ancient Chinese Crafts Chinese Porcelain Chinese Furniture China Bronze Chinese pottery Chinese sculpture Chinese lacquerware Chinese pattern
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