A Study Of "Etiquette" In The Bronze Art Of Zhongshan State Of The Warring States

“Etiquette” is a basic concept only seen in Chinese culture.It is the core of the Chinese culture and also a product of human civilization.“Etiquette” develops and improves in lockstep with our economic society,silently undergoing revolutionary changes.In the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Period,the authority of the emperor toppled and officials fought with each other for power and rulership.Against such background,the nobility has gained a much more profound understanding of “Etiquette”,which therefore had received unprecedented attention.During this period of great intellectual and cultural liberation,the Warring States Zhongshan,a state founded by the nomadic Bai Di Xian Yu,survived and was recognized by the vassal states in the Central Plain.Gradually,a distinctive Zhongshan culture was formed under the influence of Chinese culture.The many unearthed bronze artifacts are all gorgeous in shape and dignified in design.The bronze art of Zhongshan,which stood at the junction between the old and new cultures,presents both the remnant of Zhou rites and the features of the Chinese culture.Based on the study of bronzes of the Zhongshan period,this paper analyzed the artistic evolution of "Etiquette" in Zhongshan bronzes from the perspective of art,focusing on shape,decoration,and inscription.This paper was divided into five chapters:The first chapter mainly serves as an introduction to elaborate on the time span of the research,the range of artifacts,the purpose,and significance of this paper,and the current development of the research.The second chapter introduces the background in which the “Etiquette” of the Zhongshan State was formed.The analysis will be focused on two aspects,that is,the social system and the cultural background of the Zhongshan State.In the third chapter,this paper tried to explain that from a bronze art perspective,"Etiquette" is represented by the appearance of bronze vessels.The instrumental representation of the social form "Etiquette",on the other way,was analyzed through three main aspects: shape,decoration,and inscription.The fourth chapter dilated on the humanistic denotations reflected by the Zhongshan bronze artifacts.With the integration of the nomadic culture and the culture of the Central Plains,a unique humanistic concept emerged in Zhongshan Kingdom.It was mainly reflected in three aspects: ideas,functions,and the evolution of "Etiquette" itself.The fifth chapter is about the values of “Etiquette” shaped from a bronze art perspective.The “Etiquette” demonstrated by the Zhongshan bronze artifacts is of great significance regarding the formation and development of the Zhongshan spirits as well as the Yan and Zhao culture.