The Original Middle Kingdom
Classic Chinese Middle Kingdom located on the Chung Yuan
First great civilization of China
Extreme Social Stratification
Bronze for military power, not for agriculture
Social Organization needed to produce bronze
Smelting or refinement, Taoist Alchemical metaphor
Bronze: Synergistic Transformation
Journey to the West: Purification, Integration, and Actualization
Shang conquers Longshan and Yangshao from the West?
Sacrifice to the Gods
Warrior cultures force fertility cultures underground
Abundance of Evidence for indigenous origination
Longshan vs. Shang ancestor worship: Family vs. State
State Phallus power vs. Taoist Vaginal fertility
Roots of Taoism Paleolithic, not Neolithic
Origination of Chinese ideograms, i.e. writing, during the Shang
The Chinese Language?
Wordless message of Journey to the West
Shang Bronze work unsurpassed
The Khorat Culture of Southeast Asia: 4000 - 1500 BCE
Influence of Khorat culture on Neolithic China
Influence of Southeast Asia upon the Shang
Serpent Dragons of the Southeast Asia
Cultural Diffusion
Military Shang need weaponry
The spread of Bronze Age military technology from the Near East
Bronze military technology from Siberia to China
Post Ice Age reconnection of cultures separated by Lake Baikal rift
The Wheel and the Chariot
Chariot not indigenous
Importance of the Chariot for the Shang
Secondary advantages of bronze chariots
Training a Warrior Class
Modern reflections
The Charioteer & Wu Wei
Balance and Direction
Turning and Central Equilibrium
Tai Chi Residual
Animal motifs unique to Shang
Shang similarities with Hunting cultures of Siberia
Beringian woodworking spreads south
Intermediate stages in Siberia, not China
Hunting cultures
Overview
Plausible Scenario: Came to help out, stayed and ruled
Elaborate rituals to maintain cultural stability
Ritualization brings confidence
Confucian vs. Taoist attitude towards ritual
Social stratification and rigidity in the Shang
Mandate of Heaven linked to popular retribution
Ritual and Ceremony substituted for Leadership
Worshipping external form instead of the internal essence
Shang Summary