A Study On Living Convention In The Book Of Songs

The Book of Songs arouse scholars' study enthusiasm of all the past dynasties, because of its authenticity, abundance and artistry as compact, implicit poem. Many scholars pay close attention to its living convention from the view of folklore, exploring and probing into its deep folk convention culture. With the development of archaeology, a large number of archaeological datas are introduced into the study area of the Book of Songs, which has driven further develops. Based on the preceding study achievements, this dissertation will discuss many living conventions in the Book of Songs together with full and accurate historical documents and abundant archaeological datas. Through researching living conventions blended with religious belief, ecological condition, economy pattern, social system, national psychology, etc., the dissertation leads readers enter the times of the Book of Songs, approach the plain, crude ancient world, thereby, understand the ethic concept, morality belief, value tropism, thought mode and emotion will of ancient people, and call up people's acceptation and affirmation about The Book of Songs' value as historical material.From the numerous and complicated conventions in the Book of Songs, the dissertation discusses nine aspects including production conventions such as farming, gathering, fishing and hunting, raising livestock and social living conventions such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation and marriage, which press close to people's livelihood.1. The study of farming conventionAgriculture production is an important lines of production in Shang and Zhou period. According to season, climate and other natural phenomena, our ancestors lay on various farm work step by step, based on knowledge about climate they had grasped. The farming ways have evolved from low level to high grade, which were field tilling, fire tilling, spade-shaped farm tool tilling, ploughing, cattle plowing,etc.. The production tools such as lei, si, axe, qiang, jian, bo, zhi, qi, qiu were used for each links of farming including soil preparation, intertill, harvesting , processing. Ancient people would harvest grain, melon and fruit, vegetables and Cash crop, through kinds of work such as selecting field , opening up wasteland, renovating field, selecting seeds, planting, protecting young seedling, weeding, irrigation, fertilization, reaping, solarizing and airing, storing and so on. The harvests were used in many fields such as eating and drinking, offering sacrifices, brewing wine, raising silkworms and so on. At the same time, a series of belief conventions about farming were formed.2. The study of gathering conventionThe Book of Songs reflected gathering work which hold important position in Shang and Zhou period. Generally, it were females who went to collect. They gathered all kinds of edible potherbs and fruits in the mountain creeks and pond side with simple tools. These gatherings serviced people in many living fields, not only used for food, but also used for sericiculture, spinning, sacrifice, medicine, clothes, packing, filtering wine, and also used to convey love. By the gathering work, people knew well about change of seasons and growth rules of plants, then accepted affluent knowledge about production and life.3. The study of fishing and hunting conventionFishing and hunting was one kind of survival method of human beings in the ancient period. Our ancestors deal with fishery in the inland waters and coastal waters with fishing net, fishing rod and other implements. It appeared manpower fishery in this period. The affluent fishing products were applied to offering sacrifices, covering drums, equiping weapons etc. except to provide appetizing food for human beings. The ancients chose different tools and methods according to different hunting abjects, the preys provided people with meat, fur, horn and bone. Ruler's large-scale hunting activity also have the characteristics of entertainment, reviewing the army, practising martial techniques.4. The study of raising livestock conventionRaising livestock come from hunting, which was most prosperous in the later Shang and early Zhou Dynasty, when ancients used pen method together with grazing to raise domestic animals. Horse, cattle, sheep, pig , dog and chicken, duck, goose were main cattle and domestic birds, which were used in many fields. The skill of observing livestocks had further development till Eastern Zhou period.5. The study of clothes and ornaments convention Clothes and ornaments are important external representation of human beings' material and cultural life. The Book of Songs have already reflected the relatively stable form and gradually complete system of clothes and ornaments. In that time, clothing materials originate from silk, hemp, ge, grass, leather etc. mainly. The ancients had already grasped certain spinning and weaving, printing and dyeing techniques. Diversified ornaments was the most beautiful part, which showed the ancients' feeling and pursuit about beauty. During the period of later Zhou, Clothes and ornaments have been brought into the rite area.6. The study of food and drink conventionFood and drink is the most fundamental material conditions on which human being rely for existing and developing, therefore, the food and drink convention was the most age-old and abundant custom. Recordings from the Book of Songs showed the deep effect that the production mode including main agriculture and subsidiary raising produces on people's life style and dietary structure, and then formed the fundamental dietary structure that give first place to cereal food, takes various animal food, vegetable as nonstaple food. With the improvement and enriching of various food and drinking implements, stewing, boiling , etc. substitute the main method burning and roasting and become staple food cooking methods gradually. At this time, the main cooked food were broil, minced and hashed meat, thick soup, minced meat, dried meat, xiu, salted or pickled vegetables. Salt, plum, liquor, maltose, Chinese prickly ash had opened up vast space for the development of the cook art. The ancients used refrigeration to store food. The series of food and drink appliances enrich the cooking culture.7. The study of habitation conventionDuring the period that the Book of Songs reflected existed various form of residence house such as crypt style, cave dwelling style, floor style, cadre bar style and so on. Dwelling house built by raming the earth, printing plate builds become the main stream of Chinese building in the ancient time. Based on corresponding standard, the ancients selected the more beneficial space to inhabit and decided more scientific time for building house. There were mat, teapoy,bed and so on in the house.8. The study of traffic convention. Human beings have started builting the traffic facilities since they entered to the stage of settling subsistence. Construction and maintenance of facilities such as roads and bridges played an important role in the government affairs during Shang-and-zhou period. Such means of transportation as horse, carriage and boat is convenient for people's travel. Construction of traffic facilities and application of transportation means, which broke up the geographic limitation of communication and labor exchange between different persons far and near, in a certain extent, enriched people's social life.9. The study of marriage convention.Six rites such as nacai, wenming, naji, qingqi and qinying have already become ascertained procedure for marriage during the period before Qin Dynasty. In the stage of the Book of Songs has already entered the single marriage period, but the ancient reliques such as communal marriage and antithesis marriage even existed in a certain range. It appeared a characteristic of diverse marriage forms. Yinghun is a source of numerous wife- and- concubines of aristocracy. It is a very prominent characteristic that marriage between people bearing the same surname is forbidden in Zhou Dynasty.This dissertation practises folklore and the archaeology methods particularly. It has a comprehensive analysis on production convention such as farming, gathering, fishing, hunting,etc. and living convention as food, clothing, shelter, transportation and marriage, which were all reflected in the Book of Songs. Many living conventions recorded in the Book of Songs written in art language can be testified by corresponding archaeological datas and other ancient texts besides the Book of Songs. This dissertation has confirmed the reality of history recorded in the Book of Songs. Therefore, it can be said that the Book of Songs are not only poems but also history. The Book of Songs, which preserves full and accurate datas of history and cultural history, takes on important tasks of preserving history and inheriting culture.