What are the five core characteristics of Chu culture? During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there was a highly developed and unique regional culture in the south of China - Chu culture. Its brilliant and splendid cultural achievements attracted worldwide attention. As an important part of Chu culture, Chu art was unique at home and abroad. Its design forms and The style fully reflects the imagination and aesthetic consciousness of Chu people. The maturity of Chu State's art design and even the entire Chu culture was produced in the unique historical environment at that time, and tracing its origins cannot but be related to the historical civilization of the Pre-Qin period.
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The historical process of the development of Chu civilization has gone through four stages: the gestation and rise period, the maturity and finalization period, the prosperity period, and the slow decline period, and its achievements are also reflected in each.
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Whether the Chu civilization was in its mature stage, or in its heyday or decline, while it accepted and tolerated other civilizations for its own use, it also had an impact on other civilizations. This was reflected in the surrounding areas. The influence of Chu civilization can be found in cultural relics. It is precisely because of the mutual influence and interaction of various regional civilizations that ancient Chinese civilization has flourished through the integration of diverse and complex cultural factors and has continued to develop for two thousand years.
Introduction to Jingchu Culture Jingchu Culture is named after the Chu State and Chu people. It is a regional culture that emerged in the Jianghan River Basin from the Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It mainly refers to the ancient Jingchu history and culture with the current Hubei area as the main radiation area. Jingchu culture is an important part of Chinese national culture, inheriting many characteristics of Shang and Zhou culture. It has a long history, is extensive and profound, has distinctive regional characteristics and huge economic and cultural development value. Chu Ci is hailed as the source of Chinese romantic literature and had a direct influence on the subsequent Han Fu. Chu Ci, which "writes the language of Chu, writes the sounds of Chu, records the land of Chu, and names the things of Chu", together with other essences of Chu culture, builds the magnificent and strange civilization of Chu.
Introduction to Chu culture Chu culture is the general name for the material culture and spiritual culture of Chu, a vassal state in the south during the Spring and Autumn Period of China. It is an important part of Han civilization. The ancestors of the Chu State initially lived in the Central Plains area of ??the Yellow River Basin (Xinzheng, Henan Province). After moving south, they brought advanced Chinese civilization elements to Chu, and developed Chu culture based on the Shang and Zhou civilization of the Central Plains, especially the Jizhou civilization. Today, most of Hubei Province and southwestern Henan are the center areas of the early Chu culture; southeastern Henan Province, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and the northern parts of Anhui are the centers of the late Chu culture; Hunan and Jiangxi are the center areas of the Chu culture after the mid-Spring and Autumn Period; Guizhou Parts of China, Yunnan, Guangdong and other places were also influenced by Chu culture. From the perspective of cultural nature, the Chu civilization retained more of the characteristics of the Jizhou civilization in the Central Plains, and also absorbed a small amount of the characteristics of the barbarian culture. The later the time, the more its own style emerged. Along the entire Chu civilization's initial trend Imitate, then mutate, and eventually move forward on a unique development path.
Where did Jingchu culture originate? Danjiangkou in western Hubei!
Generally refers to the territory of Xiangfan and Nanzhang south of Jingshan Mountain in northwest Hubei! ! !
Historically, Xiangfan Nanzhang had a county seat known as the Three Dings: Chu, Luo and Lu Rong were all founded in Nanzhang!
The historical origins of Chu culture The Chu people have a close relationship with the Chinese clans in the Central Plains. The ancestors of the Chu people came from the Central Plains and were a branch of the Chinese tribe that migrated south. They brought advanced elements of Chinese civilization to the Chu region and slowly developed the Chu culture based on the Shang and Zhou civilization of the Central Plains, especially the Jizhou civilization. In terms of leadership, Chu was granted the title of King Cheng of Zhou in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and it naturally accepted the rule of Ji Zhou civilization. Moreover, physical data also show that during the Western Zhou Dynasty, the individual characteristics of the Chu civilization were not yet clear. It still retained considerable characteristics of the Central Plains civilization. It was only after the Spring and Autumn Period that it gradually formed a civilization that was different from the Jizhou civilization in the Central Plains and other regional civilizations. A mature and unique culture with its own characteristics. The initial rise of Chu civilization, like other civilizations, should also have corresponding elements of civilization. We can use this to examine the approximate time of the rise of Chu civilization. From the time when Xiong Xiong was granted the title of Xiong Yi in the Chu Dynasty, the literature records that he "resides in Danyang" (today's Xichuan County, Henan Province) rather than as "the capital of Danyang". In addition, there is no corresponding archaeological data to prove it. At that time, Danyang was only It is a place name, not a capital, and there is no city structure. Large ceremonial buildings have not yet been discovered. It is suspected that the bronzes made or attributed to the Chu State have not only been found in archaeological excavations, but have not been found even among the handed down items, let alone the writing. At this time, Chu was "established in Jingshan Mountain, and the road was blue and blue." This shows that productivity was low, and its production relations could only be formed based on relatively simple blood relations. The social form of Chu is naturally relatively primitive. Xiong Yi's conferment was the beginning of the founding of the Chu Kingdom. The fact that he spread to Xiongqu five times is unknown in history, and no clear archaeological data has been released. It seems that even if Chu was founded, it may not have truly entered a civilized era in the strict sense. But by the time of Xiongqu, Chu had its first expansion, which should be a reflection of the greater growth of Chu's economic and military strength, and bronze weapons should have been widely used. A small number of bronze wares were found in the Chu tombs of the late Western Zhou Dynasty in Zhaojia Lake, Dangyang, Hubei Province, and there were very few remains of bronze wares passed down from generation to generation, which illustrates the rise of the Chu bronze smelting and casting industry from one aspect. During this period, a small number of ruins suspected to be the city of Chu have been discovered. Moreover, the social form of Chu has undergone fundamental changes, completing the transition from a clan society of tribal alliance groups to a class society.
Xiong Yi Cultural Avenue is located in the Paifang Bay area in the south of Baokang County, Hubei Province, starting from the Tumen Sancha intersection in the south, to Fengyinyanzui in the north, to the red line of the road in the east, and to the Qingxi River in the west. 10 early Chu culture street attractions and 2 early Chu culture squares were built along the way, and were integrated with the completed Chu culture relief corridor to form a ten-kilometer Chu culture landscape belt along the Qingxi River. Xiong Yi Cultural Avenue is equipped with three supporting landscape nodes: Qiming Square, Chengshui Jade Bridge, and Chuyuan Fengtai. Baokang is one of the birthplaces of Chu culture. Chu State has a history of more than 800 years, and Baokang has more than 350 years of history. It has a long history and profound cultural heritage. According to historical records, Xiong Yi is a descendant of the Wan Xiong branch of the Zhu Rong family. During the reign of King Cheng of Zhou Dynasty, Xiong Yi was granted the title of King of Chu and was given land to "Zi Nan". Therefore, the Baokang Riverside Avenue is named after Xiong Yi, which means to integrate the essence of "Jingshan Chu origin, early Chu culture" into it, and to carry forward the perseverance of the ancestor Xiong Yi who led the tribe to "spread blue threads on the road to open up the mountains and forests" , the Chu people’s spirit of pioneering and innovating, working hard, and working hard. Since in the early and middle Western Zhou Dynasty, the Chu state was limited to a small area and developed mainly under the influence of the Jizhou civilization in the Central Plains. Therefore, the cultural appearance of the areas ruled by the Chu people was close to the style of the Jizhou civilization in the Central Plains. Although Chu civilization was in its infancy, its individual characteristics began to develop. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, with the beginning of the Chu people's first expansion military campaign, the Chu people had the opportunity to further contact with the peripheral barbarian culture. The blending of Chinese civilization and barbarian culture allowed the Chu people to inherit the Chinese civilization, that is, Ji Zhou civilization. It is also transformed according to the self-awareness that has gradually formed. The Chu civilization initially emerged in this process of adhering to the main source while incorporating everything into others, and this process lasted until the early Spring and Autumn Period. It was in a special multi-ethnic environment and existential consciousness that the diverse characteristics and distinctive personality of the later Chu civilization were established. In the art of Chu culture, you can often feel a series of mysterious and weird image combinations, such as cranes with antlers, phoenix birds on tiger seats, a mixture of humans and gods on lacquer paintings, dragons, pans, and phoenixes on embroidery, mottled colors on bronzes, etc. , this is the cultural spirit of the Chu people that is not hindered by things and "exclusively communicates with the spirit of heaven and earth". The flowing and growing shapes of flowers give people free and vivid imagination. Chu State is rich in beauties with thin waists. Chu Culture Technology: Archaeological excavations were conducted at the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Suizhou, Hubei. A large number of bronzes, jade and lacquerware were unearthed. The art categories are rich and the shapes of the objects are complete. Among them, the bronze zun plate cast by the lost wax method is of extraordinary craftsmanship and is known as "the pinnacle of the pre-Qin period"; the lacquer suitcase has the words "...>>
Culture of Chu State Because the Chu region is located between Jianghan and Hanhuai, the Chinese language in the north, the Tibeto-Burman language in the west, the Miao-Yao language in the south, and the Zhuang-Dong language in the southeast all came into contact and exchanged in the Chu region. The resulting Chu language naturally absorbed The Chu language belongs to the Chinese language system and has many unique characteristics in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, which are similar to those of the Central Plains countries. There is not much difference. The style of the inscriptions on the Chu Gong family bell is similar to that of the Zongzhou bell. It is vigorous, regular, and slightly twists and turns. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the middle of the Warring States Period, the shape of the Chu characters gradually became slender, with thin strokes and consistent beginning and end, and the arrangement was more neat and beautiful. , the strokes are round and smooth, and the style is free and unrestrained. From the comparison between the Wang Ziwu Ding unearthed from the Chu Tomb No. 2 in Xiasi and the chime inscription unearthed from the Dadian Tomb No. 2, we can find the characteristics of the Chu character. This kind of Chu character is slightly unique. The insect shape is the prototype of insect script. After the middle period of the Warring States period, bamboo slips and silk scripts took the dominant position, and bronze inscriptions and inscriptions were influenced by them. In detail, some wave style techniques have taken the form of later official scripts. During the Warring States Period, Chu culture and art made brilliant achievements. Chu Ci is the representative of Chu culture and the source of Han Fu. "Ci" is a poetic style created by Qu Yuan, a great poet in the Warring States Period. The works use the literary style and dialect rhyme of the Chu region to describe the mountains, rivers, people, and historical customs of the Chu region, and have strong local characteristics. During the Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang Qu Yuan's works and the works of Song Yu and others who "inherited Qu Fu" were compiled into a collection called "Chu Ci", which became a collection of poems that had a profound influence on Chinese literature after "The Book of Songs". "Li Sao" is the representative work of Chu Ci, so Chu Ci is also called "Sao" or "Sao Style". During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chu State's music was very developed, such as Duke Yun of Chu. Zhong Yi has been hereditary as the "actor" for generations. Zhong Jian was appointed as Yue Yin by King Zhao of Chu, and Hu Zi, the musician, was also the music official with the position of Si Yue. Pens [bamboo/tiger], panpipes, etc. were also unearthed from Tomb No. 2 in Jiuliandun on a mound at the junction of Wudian Town and Xinglong Town, about 21 kilometers southeast of Zaoyang City, Hubei Province. There are a large number of musical instruments, including two well-preserved lacquer harp, with string marks left on the lacquer harp. There are also bells, chimes, drums, sheng, yu, zither, qin, harp, etc., among which the reeds are still preserved on the sheng and harp. The music of Chu State also shows the characteristics of nationality and integration. "Song Yu's Questions to the King of Chu" records: "The guest who sang in Yingzhong was called "Xialiba People", and the country was harmonious. Thousands of people. It is called "Yang A Xie Lu", and there are hundreds of people in the country who are harmonious. It is called "Yangchun Baixue", and there are only dozens of people in the country who are harmonious. Introducing merchants and engraving feathers, and mixing them with military conquests, there are only a few people in the country who belong to the country and are harmonious. The music is high and the harmony is low.
""Xialiba People" is a popular popular song in areas where Chu people and Ba people live together. When people sing it, they are singing and dancing, and the scene is very lively. The remaining songs, due to their greater difficulty, are gradually reduced by people. Dances are and Music accompanies it. Since the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, witchcraft has been popular in Chu State. Wang Yi's "Chapter of Chu" said: "In the southern city of Chu State, between Yuan and Xiang, the customs believe in ghosts and worship temples. Compose songs and music to cheer the gods. "Shaman dance is actually a kind of religious dance, which has always been popular in Chu State. Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs" and other chapters vividly reflect all aspects of shaman dance. The court music and dance of Chu State are different from folk music and dance. The performance scene is much larger. As written in "The Soul Caller": "The food is shameful, but the female musicians are more generous. Chen Zhong played the drum and composed some new songs. Cross the river to collect water chestnuts and carry forward the lotuses. "The clothes are thin, beautiful but not surprising." She has long hair and is more gorgeous. "Have a wild gathering of yusers and play some drums." The palace was shocked and aggravated. "In addition, due to the close cultural exchanges between various countries, Chu's court music and dance has also widely absorbed or introduced music and dance from various countries, which has become a major feature of Chu's music and dance. "Dazhao" writes: "Playing on behalf of Zheng Zheng Wei, Ming Yu Zhang Zhi. "Music and dance from all over the world are performed at the same time, to the point of "flying on all fours, and the extreme sound changes" ("Big Move"). Whether it is folk witch dance or court music and dance, it pays special attention to the beauty of the dancer's lines and rhythm. For example, "Calling the Soul" and "Dazhao" mentioned in many places "the appearance is beautiful", "the hair is graceful", "the flesh is tender and the bones are tender", "the appearance is elegant", "the waist is small and the neck is beautiful, just like Xianbei", "Long sleeves brush the face", "full of flesh and slight bones, but a slim body", it can be seen that Chu people pursue the beauty of a slender and slender waist. Otherwise, it is impossible to achieve the effect of "crouching" or "curling" when dancing. .....>>
The cultural characteristics of Chu-Han culture, symbolic culture, are not only the crystallization of human material cultural creation, but also the carrier of human spiritual cultural creation. In Chu-Han culture, symbolic culture is the main embodiment. In terms of graphics, colors, patterns, and text, graphics originated from totem worship in the symbol culture, and later evolved into the figures of Fuxi and Nuwa with human heads and snake bodies. "Tianwen" said: "Nuwa has a body, who is the craftsman?" King Yanshou of the Han Dynasty said in "Lu Lingguang Palace Ode": "Fuxi has a scaly body, Nuwa has a snake body." In the later Han Dynasty, Fuxi and Nuwa were painted in stone Graphics with human heads and snake bodies are common. After the Yellow Emperor defeated Chi You, part of the Chi You tribe was merged with the thunder and lightning totems of the Yellow Emperor tribe, and the dragon totem became the totem symbol of the Han people from the Han Dynasty onwards. The Chu State worshiped fire. Because Zhu Rong was the ancestor of the Chu people and a descendant of the God of Fire, the ancients believed that the sun was the essence of fire. Therefore, "Phoenix Nirvana" was created. After the fusion of Chu and Han cultures, the "dragon and phoenix" graphics appeared, so "dragon and phoenix" became auspicious graphics in Han culture. The "Four Gods" and "Four Spirits" graphic symbols first advocated by Taoism and later recognized by society appeared, namely Southern Suzaku, Northern Xuanwu, Eastern Green Dragon, and Western White Tiger. The graphic expressions of Chu and Han cultural symbols are diverse, including sculptures, There are sculptures such as pottery, tiles, Han portrait stones and jade, paintings such as silk paintings and lacquer paintings, and castings such as various bronzes. Secondly, color is the expression carrier of symbolic culture. The basic colors of thousands of lacquerware are red, white, crimson, golden, blue and other colors. The Chu people favored fire, and red was the main color. Therefore, Liu Bang, a native of Chu, called himself the "Son of the Red Emperor" and used red after establishing the Han Dynasty. Most of the lacquerware unearthed from Xuzhou Han tombs are in three colors: red, crimson and blue, especially the two colors of red and green represent the two directions of "south" and "east", and then the two figures of "dragon" and "phoenix". They all reflect Chu and Han culture, which is by no means a coincidence. Thirdly, ornamentation is the general term for decorative patterns on utensils, also known as patterns. Symbol culture in Chu and Han culture is generally divided into individual patterns, corner patterns (i.e. corner patterns). The main forms of decorative patterns include phoenix and bird patterns, dragon patterns, cloud patterns, geometric patterns, petal patterns, rhombus patterns, deformed dragon and phoenix patterns, and animal patterns. Facial patterns, beetle patterns, etc. The artifacts reflected in the symbolic culture of Chu and Han are mainly bronzes. Such as wine vessels "Zun", "Gu", "Fang Yi", "", etc.; weapons "Ge", "Yue", "Sword"; food vessels "ding", "bean", "yu"; musical instruments "bell" ; There are also other daily utensils such as: bronze mirrors, belt hooks, etc., especially bronze mirrors. Chu copper mines are rich in copper smelting, the copper casting industry is very developed, and the bronzes are made very beautifully. Especially for bronze mirrors, more than 500 pieces of bronze mirrors were unearthed from Chu tombs in Changsha alone. After the integration of Chu and Han cultures, the copper casting industry moved to Xuzhou. According to incomplete statistics, nearly a thousand bronze mirrors have been unearthed from Han tombs in Xuzhou area. Mainly during the Han Dynasty. The Chu and Han bronze mirrors have striking similarities in their patterns, mainly including the dragon pattern, the dragonfly pattern, the grass leaf pattern, the continuous arc pattern, the Kui phoenix pattern, the four god pattern, and the animal pattern. Lacquerware, such as daily utensils, tables, and boxes. Burial vessels, coffins and coffins. Musical instruments include qin, harp, etc. The decorations are mostly dragon and phoenix patterns, cloud patterns, geometric patterns, deformed phoenix patterns, etc. Finally, words. Chinese writing originated from oracle bone inscriptions. The appearance of "Chinese characters" was after the Chu and Han Dynasties. The characters were written in seal script during the Qin Dynasty. Jin Weiheng said in "Four Body Scripts" that "Qin Dynasty used seal script, and there were many things to do, so it was difficult to write seal characters, so it was ordered to be Li Ren (Xu Li) The auxiliary book is called official script." Cheng Miao compiled it into official script, and it became a popular script in the Han Dynasty, with Han Li Chinese characters. Except for "dragon" and "phoenix", which are the products of the fusion of Chu and Han cultures.
Among the surnames are "Xiong" and "Mi". "During the reign of King Cheng of Zhou Dynasty, Xiong Yi was granted the title of Xiong Yi to the Chu people, and he was granted the title of son's land. His surname was Mi and he lived in Danyang." ○26 The original surname and the granted surname were unique to the Chu State. To this day, there are still surnames "Xiong", "Mi", "Chu" and "Jing" in the Xuzhou area. Of course, the original surnames "Xu" and "Peng" in the Xuzhou area are also found in Hunan, Hubei and other places. It can be seen that The traces left by the fusion of Chu and Han nationalities and the written symbols of surnames.