The Systematic Study On Bronze Inscriptions Of Chu Culture System

The bronze inscriptions of Chu Culture System are the characters cast or carved on the bronze-objects made by Kingdom Chu and other kingdoms Influenced by Kingdom Chu on the culture. According to the unearthed cultural relics, it went on about six-seven hundred years from middle-late Western Zhou to the time when Qin Dynasty annihilated Kingdom Chu. As a main part of Western and Eastern Zhou 's bronze inscriptions, it has been seen as a symbol of the character in the south China with it's special styles compared with the central and north China 's bronze inscriptions. As an important part of pre-Qin culture, the study of Kingdom Chu's culture attracts more and more attention and acquires enormous achievements. So the research of the Bronze Inscriptions of Chu Culture System is being one hot topic in academia. Thus this paper makes a systemic research and textual criticism ect on those inscriptions. The main contents include several parts.First, the paper makes a systemic and thorough summary and analysis about the research of the bronze Inscriptions of Chu Culture System according to the description textual research periods and date styles of inscriptions and so on, which are divided into four periods: Northern Song Dynasty, Qianlong-Jiaqing's reign, evening-Qing, the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. The research exhibits the process of being accumulated and deeped. Based on upper analysises, the paper points out six questions which should be regarded in the future's study. The order of this paper is to make some studies to some questions.Second, the collecting and coordinating of the bronze inscriptions of Chu Culture System is the foundation of its study, which is important for the deepresearch. Its emphases are the textual research and periods of inscriptions. Through making use of archaeological materials and the fruit of recent study, this paper sums up 153 groups inscriptions of Chu culture system by eliminating the inscriptions which were supposed as Chu culture system and adding some which were not thought as Chu culture system and recently excavated. Thoroughly analyzing indeterminate characters, the paper rebuts some former points, puts forward some new views, agrees with some points and provides some mending proofs and so on. Combining with all kinds of knowledges including the bronzes' types, decorations and characters' trait ect, the author makes each vessel arranged according to the following phases: middle-late of Western Zhou Dynasty, early-middle-late Spring and Autumn Period and early-middle-late Warring States Period. At the same time, the author makes systemic study about one kind of inscriptions, for example, Shengong, Denggong and Xugong which arose dissidences about the problem of belonging to the kingdom before ruined by Kingdom Chu or not. Through analyzing and comparing, the paper summarizes a point that they should belong to Kingdom Chu because a part of vessels show traits of Kingdom Chu culture. Based on these, by analyzing the regional traits of Inscriptions of Chu Culture System from three aspects, we can clearly know the differences from others.Third, the inscription's font style possesses different characters in each phase, although the changes of characters are relatively slow. According to the traits of font style, the author does research about the stages and dating of the Inscription of Chu Culture System. It is divided into four periods and five phases: from middle-late Western Zhou Dynasty to BC 770, from BC 770 to BC 600, from BC 600 to BC 380, from BC 380 to BC 223, and the third period is divided into three phases and the forth period is divided into two phases. At the same time, the paper analyses and concludes the characters of each period and phase. Through the study, the author proves that it is an important standard to determine the historical period of bronze besides the form, decoration and casting technology.Forth, the makeup of the Inscription of Chu Culture System was changingduring the historical period. The paper makes a systematic analys...