That long period which stretches from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)
down to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) occupies a significant place in
Chinese history. It witnessed the evolution of feudalism from its
origins in the Qin to its zenith in the Tang and is well understood
due to a wealth of archaeological findings.
It
was in 210 BC that Qinshihuang unified the whole country. As the
first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty he founded China's first
centralized feudal monarchy.
The interest of the whole world seems to have been captured by the
archaeological investigations in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi
Province. Here the magnificent Qinshihuang Mausoleum and its
thousands of guardian terra cotta warriors and horses stand
testimony to the centralized power of the state.
However, also important in shedding the light of science on these
long gone days of the Qin are findings from Qin Dynasty cemeteries
in Xianyang city, Longxian County and Fengxiang County in Shaanxi
Province.
These vividly illustrate the transition from the patriarchal clan
system based on ties of kinship to the more sophisticated
geopolitical system marked by the prefecture and county setups.
These had appeared in embryonic form during the preceding Eastern
Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) finally taking shape in the Qin
Dynasty.
Liu Bang, remembered reverently after his death as Han Gaozu,
started a peasant revolt which toppled the Qin monarchy in 206 BC.
It was on the ruins of Qinshihuang's grand Epang Palace that the
Han Dynasty was established. The feudal dynasty that emerged from
these ashes was to last for over 400 years divided by history into
the Western Han (206 BC-25 AD) and Eastern Han (25-220).
Han Dynasty emperors were to follow the example set by Qinshihuang
who constructed a majestic mausoleum for himself during his
lifetime. Thus the archaeological remains of imperial mausoleums
have become a hallmark of the period.
The excavation of Han Jingdi Liu Qi's mausoleum in Hanyang, Shaanxi
Province produced over 5,000 funerary objects and hundreds of
skeletons. And so evidence was produced to show that this so-called
"enlightened ruler" of the historical record had in fact forced an
army of prisoners to labor up to 28 years in hand irons and leg
fetters to build his mausoleum.
Other finds continue to add to the body of knowledge. 107 jade
chimes were unearthed in 1999 in sacrificial pits in Luozhuang
village, Zhangqiu city, Shandong Province. One particular jade dish
which came to light in Xi'an in 2001 is unique for being the only
known sacrificial utensil used by Han Dynasty emperors in an annual
ceremonial offering of sacrifices to the gods in Taishan Mountain.
Over 60 beacon towers extending 150 km from east to west to form
part of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty were found in Fushun
city, Liaoning Province.
Excavations of the graves of members of the royal clan, the
nobility and ordinary people have not only produced many precious
cultural relics in great but also revealed an overall perspective
on Han society. Significant digs have included the Western Han
Nanyue King's tomb in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and the
Mawangdui Han Dynasty tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province. Furthermore
the many finds of Han epitaphs have added significant complementary
material to the historical record.
Then came the Three Kingdoms (220-280), Jin Dynasty (265-420),
Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589). All were to add their
chaotic years of warfare to Chinese history.
The archaeological record reflects internal economic and cultural
development together with foreign contacts during these periods.
Artifacts of importance in opening a window on this period would
include celadon ware from a Western Jin (265-316) grave in
Xuanzhou, Anhui Province; glass vessels from a Northern Wei
(386-534) tomb in Beipiao, Liaoning Province; a silver pot inlaid
with fine gold from a Northern Zhou (557-581) tomb in Guyuan,
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Southern Dynasties (420-589)
stone statues of the Buddha in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
China's feudalism saw its heyday in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Much has been learned about what the life of the ancients must have
been like in the great Tang Empire. The burial places of the
imperial family and the nobility in Xi'an have been excavated. A
wealth of gold and silver vessels has been discovered in Hejiacun
village in the southern suburbs of Xi'an. Modern day Xi'an was
called Chang'an in those far away days when it served as the
capital of the Tang Dynasty.
In
1997, many Tang imperial relics were unearthed from the terrestrial
palace of Famen Temple in Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province. With
them were discovered holy relics that had lain buried for over
1,000 years. These were bead-like objects known as sarira
believed to be remains from the cremation of the body of the
Buddha.
During the 9th Five-year Plan (1996-2000), excavations in 243
grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province produced scraps of Buddhist
sutra written in eight languages including Chinese, Tibetan, Uygur,
Sanskrit and Mongolian.
Many colorful relics have been unearthed in the western regions.
Not least are those from the Astana graveyard in Turpan, Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region and the Reshui cemetery in Dulan, Qinghai
Province. These are complemented by finds in the eastern regions
such as the Bohai ruins and tombs in Heilongjiang and Jilin
provinces. Together they combine to chart the progress of
assimilation towards nationhood under the influence of the
all-embracing Tang culture.
(China.org.cn, translated by Shao Da, April 7, 2003)