Discover the sources for early Chinese history, including oracle bone inscriptions and bronze vessels. Reflect on the decline of dynasties and the compilation of a book on early Chinese history. Explore the ancient Chinese perspective on identity and history, and analyze previous histories by Leo Jitini.
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Quick takeaways
The discovery of previously unknown Chinese manuscripts provides new insights into early Chinese history, including the movements of the Shang royal family and divination practices.
The early Chinese histories, such as the oracle bone inscriptions and bronze vessel inscriptions, influenced the format of later dynastic histories and contain subjective biases intended to justify rulers' legitimacy and criticize preceding dynasties.
Deep dives
Early Chinese history based on official records and manuscripts
The podcast explores the early history of China and highlights the significance of recently discovered manuscripts. Previously, historians relied on long-established texts, such as official histories written by court officials. However, the podcast emphasizes the importance of the thousands of previously unknown Chinese manuscripts discovered in a cave complex on the edge of the Gobi Desert. These manuscripts, which include the so-called oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang dynasty and bronze vessel inscriptions, provide new insights into the movements of the Shang royal family, divinations about various topics, and recordings of transactions and military campaigns. While these manuscripts offer factual information, it is important to note their bias as they were created under the patronage of the ruling classes.
Evolution of early Chinese historiography
The podcast examines the evolution of early Chinese historiography and its formats. It starts with the oracle bone inscriptions and bronze vessel inscriptions, which were divination records and documented transactions and appointments. It then discusses the book of documents, one of the earliest books on record, containing speeches by kings and ministers about good government. The podcast highlights other significant works, such as the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian. These writings include chronicles, speeches, biographies, and treatises, providing diverse perspectives on historical events, political evaluations, and reflections on history. The format of these early histories influenced later dynastic histories, which followed a similar structure.
Objectivity and limitations of early Chinese histories
The podcast explores the objectivity and limitations of early Chinese histories. While these histories offer factual information about events, appointments, and astronomical and economic observations, they also have subjective biases. They were composed under the patronage of rulers and court officials, often containing flattery and avoiding dissenting opinions. The historians aimed to justify their rulers' legitimacy and accomplishments while criticizing preceding dynasties. The podcast acknowledges the lack of archival records for comparison and calls for a critical approach when interpreting these histories. It also highlights the recent discoveries of thousands of new texts, such as the bamboo slip records, which provide a more comprehensive understanding of ancient China.
Continuing importance and influence of Chinese historiography
The podcast discusses the continuing importance and influence of Chinese historiography. Chinese history has been a central part of education and cultural heritage, instilling a sense of national pride and confidence in the future. Historians and scholars see history as a valuable resource for policy-making, with previous rulers' decisions and accounts of border conflicts serving as reference points. The podcast emphasizes the ongoing significance of history in Chinese society, along with the changing methodologies and approaches in historiography, including the use of digital tools and the exploration of local histories alongside the broader narrative of the Chinese empire.
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the sources for early Chinese history. The first attempts to make a record of historical events in China date from the Shang dynasty of the second millennium BC. The earliest surviving records were inscribed on bones or tortoise shells; in later centuries, chroniclers left detailed accounts on paper or silk. In the last hundred years, archaeologists have discovered a wealth of new materials, including a cache of previously unknown texts which were found in a sealed cave on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Such sources are are shedding new light on Chinese history, although interpreting ancient sources from the period before the invention of printing presents a number of challenges.
With:
Roel Sterckx
Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History at the University of Cambridge
Tim Barrett
Professor of East Asian History at SOAS, University of London
Hilde de Weerdt
Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University
Producer: Thomas Morris.
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