ÒAmong animals represented, snakes, fish and frogs are the most prevalent. Since, in later Chinese art all are connected with the concepts of water and fertility, a close relation between these animals and the Neolithic dependence upon the harvest can be inferred.Ó Munsterberg, 1972 p24
ÒThe tiger had been a magical symbol since Neolithic times. É [The tiger] was considered the chief animal of the terrestrial realm, just as the dragon was conceived of as the ruler of the sky.Ó Munsterberg, 1972 p40
Tiger symbolized the west
Birds Phoenix south, empress
ÒNeolithic culture persisted in outlying regions long after the beginning of the Bronze Age in North China. Painted pottery of Yangshao type, for example, has been found in later sites in South China, Szechwan and Taiwan.Ó The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan p. 20
Main source of jade in Khotan region of Central Asia The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan p 38
Yangshao hollow legged tripods Munsterberg, 1972 p 22
Shang & Yangshao emerged full blown indicating outside influence, A Short History of Chinese Art, 1949 Hugh Munsterberg, p3 Michigan State College Press
2nd motif, wavy line representing water.
3rd motif spiral thunderstorm rain. A Short History of Chinese Art, Munsterberg, pp. 8-9
4th motif red bands flanked by triangular shaped teeth. The death pattern – always near gravesites, A Short History of Chinese Art, Munsterberg, 14
Red blood life and death, referring back to a time of ritual sacrifice. Blood = life. Triangle = womanÕs pubic area, frequent in Neolithic art, universal, American Indians to West Africa. A Short History of Chinese Art, Munsterberg, p 14
Checkerboard at burial grounds A Short History of Chinese Art, Munsterberg, p.14
Multiplying symbols insures good fortune
Triangle female pubic region and Mother Goddess Munsterberg, 1972 p24
Square with a cross inside the tilled field Munsterberg, 1972 p24
Paired dots, the visage of the primitive deity Munsterberg, 1972 p24