Anyang: A Chronicle of the Discovery, Excavation, and Reconstruction of the Ancient Capital of the Shang Dynasty(China Academic Library)

This book presents an anthology of English-language archaeological and anthropological writings by Li Chi, the founding father of modern archaeology in China. It is divided into 15 chapters; in the first two, Dr. Li sets the stage by introducing the principal characters involved in the first “act” of this modern archaeological drama; in the third and fourth chapters, he describes the status of Chinese archaeology during the early years of the twentieth century and highlights the contributions of prominent foreigners. Starting with the fifth chapter, Dr. Li begins detailing the excavations and describes the principle finds of the Anyang expedition. In turn, the book’s closing chapters present a summary of the findings and descriptions of some of the major publications that this monumental project has yielded.  For readers who are interested in Chinese civilization, what will appeal to them most are the details of the excavations of Yin Hsü (the ruins of the YinDynasty), including building foundations, bronzes, chariots, pottery, stone and jade, and thousands of oracle bones, which are vividly shown in historical pictures. These findings transformed the Yin Shang culture from legend into history and thus moved China’s history forward by hundreds of years, shocking the world. The anthology also includes Li Chi’s reflections on central problems in Chinese anthropology, which are both enlightening and thought-provoking.        

Table of Contents:
Oracle Bone Inscriptions: Their First Appearance and Initial Reception in the Learned World.- Exploratory Period: Collection, Deciphering, and Paleographic Studies of the Inscribed Oracle Bones.- Field Method: As Demonstrated by Western Geologists, Paleontologists, and Archaeologists in China in the Early Twentieth Century.- Early Period of Planned Digging in Anyang.- The Royal Tombs: Their Discovery and Systematic Excavation.- Last Three Seasons of Field Work in Hsiao-t’un before World War II.- Wartime Efforts to Continue the Anyang Research.- Postwar Academic Working Conditions and Studies of the Anyang Finds.- Prehistoric Remains and Traditional Accounts of Ancient China.- Architecture: Structural Remains and Suggested Reconstructions of Surface Buildings.- The Economy: Agriculture and Artifacts.- Decorative Art of the Yin-Shang Dynasty.- Genealogy, Chên-jên and Some Aspects of Kinship.- Worship of Ancestors and Other Spirits.- Notes on the Physical Anthropology of the Yin-Shang Population.

About the Author :
Li Chi (1896–1979), archaeologist, anthropologist and the founder of Chinese archaeology, received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1923. After being associated briefly with the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., he returned to China and taught for a short time. In 1928, he became Director of Archaeology at the Academia Sinica, the Chinese national research organization. Li Chi’s leadership in the archaeological excavations of Hsi-yin Tsun, Anyang and Chang-tzu-yai influenced the development of Chinese archaeology in the latter part of the 20th century.