Cultural Heritage looks into China’s cultural heritage, covering prehistoric Central Plains culture, the rise of civilisation, the Han and Tang Dynasties, medieval metropolises, ancient pottery, casting technology, and Henan’s world heritage sites.
“Henan, located in the Central Plains of China, is a fertile field and centre for breeding and nourishing the Chinese civilisation. The history of the civilisation of the Central Plains is undoubtedly the epitome of the history of the Chinese civilisation. You will find remnants of broken bricks and tiles anywhere you go in the Central Plains. Therefore, it is not exaggerating to claim that “A broken tile is a story and a broken brick represents a period of
glory” … This rich cultural heritage is not only the generous gift of the Chinese ancestors given to their future generations, but also the cultural wealth contributed to the whole mankind by generations of people in Henan with diligence and wisdom.”
From the Preface
List of Figures
The Editorial Committee
Series Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1 The Twilight of Civilisation: Prehistoric Culture on the Central Plains
I. From the Age of Eating Animals Raw to Slash-and-Burn Cultivation
II. From Sedentary Farming to the Dawn of Civilisation
Chapter 2 The Beginning of Civilisation: The Centre of Chinese Civilisation
I. From Yu Taming Flood to Erlitou Capital City
II. From Shangcheng in Zhengzhou to Yin Ruins in Anyang
III. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty: Eastward Movement of the Zhou Dynasty and the Beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period
Chapter 3 Diversity and Wideness: Central Plains Civilisations in the Han and Tang Dynasties
I. Central Plains Civilisations in the Han and Tang Dynasties
II. Linking the West with the East: The Eastern Starting Point of the Silk Road
III. Linking the South and North: The Center of the Sui and Tang Grand Canal
Chapter 4 A Dream of Splendour in the Eastern Capital: A Metropolis of the Middle Ages
I. Landscape in the Qingming Festival along the Bian River by Zhang Zeduan
II. A Dream of Splendour in the Eastern Capital by Meng Yuanlao
III. The Mausoleums of the Northern Song Dynasty: The Sunset of a Dynasty
Chapter 5 Exquisite Workmanship: The Technical and Artistic Achievements of Ancient Pottery and Porcelain in Henan Province
I. The Cradle: Simple and Vigorous Protoporcelain of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties in Henan Province
II. Prosperous Times: Magnificent and Colourful Pottery and Porcelain of the Central Plains in the Han and Tang Dynasties
III. Aristocratic and Popular: The Elegant Official Kiln and the Vibrant Folk Kiln During the Song and Yuan Dynasties
Chapter 6 The Spirit of Fire: The Splendid Ancient Casting Technology of the Central Plains
Chapter 7 World Cultural Heritage in Henan
I. The Longmen Grottoes
II. The Yin Ruins in Anyang City
III. Historic Monuments of Dengfeng at “the Centre of Heaven and Earth”
IV. The Silk Road (Henan Section)
V. The Grand Canal (Henan Section)
Appendix: A Brief Chronology of Chinese History
Index
Basic Information
- 978-629-7646-50-3 (Paperback)
