12 replies to this topic

[JuliaSet]

I am trying to figure out what the cities would look like? What special buildings would be there? Would there be libraries, markets, schools for writing, military schools? Was there likely to be found a seperate throne room for civil management, or was it a part of the palace? Did the lords have palaces? How far from the cities might be the locations of the ceremonial burials?

LOL so many questions, yet I'm feeling more at home in this era.
Juliaset

[lobster]

Hehe, I can't answer all your questions, but I think there would be no chairs in any house though, something the HK TV producers always do wrong.

[General_Zhaoyun]

There is actually a TV series produced by PRC called "Dong Zhou Lie Guo" (A travel into Eastern Zhou states). Inside the TV series, you can see buildings, schools etc.

[JuliaSet]

Do you have any information about health care at this time? Were the Shamen around and still serving health and divination needs later in the warring states period? Would they have a place to heal the sick?

Did they have specialists to gather herbs?

LOL I have so many questions! Sorry, but I want to really know what life was like in this early era.
Julia

[JuliaSet]

Please tell me what you saw on the TV! Unfortunately I could not see that program nor read about it since English text is so rare about China!
Thanks
Julia

[lobster]

In the ancient times Chinese people just sat on the ground, very much like the Japanese (I should say the Japanese sit on the ground like ancient Chinese). I'm not sure when the chair became a household furniture but I think it might be mid Tang (9th century AD) or something (not sure).

[General_Zhaoyun]

Please tell me what you saw on the TV!  Unfortunately I could not see that program nor read about it since English text is so rare about China!
Thanks
Julia

For more information on the chinese TV series on Warring States ("Dong Zhou Lie Guo"), see

http://www.china-gui...ategory_Code=TV

[hansioux]

The Han Zi for bed 床 in Japanese Kenji means floor. That says it all.

[JuliaSet]

If I was building a replica of the capitol cities, or found myself transported there in my dream, what buildings would I see on my walk around the cities?
Julia

[Sephodwyrm]

From the series of books (with wonderful pictures), I have seen several city plans (from archaeological ruins etc).

Cities in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era were always built like this: Government Palace before the Market. When one enters the most prestigious gate (depends on the state, but sometimes it is the gate facing the capital of the Royal House in older cities), one is expected to see the government first. The market is behind the government buildings. In the Spring and Autumn era, the size of teh market is slightly restricted, but due to the boom in trade and handicrafts (as well as the laxing and breakdown of the rites of Zhou), the market greatly increased in size.

The lords palace (or the king's palace) is usually built on an elevated platform (made of pressed earth) so that he can oversee the entire city without fear. Usually, it is in the center neighboring the market (which explains how some lords climbed on top of their towers to shoot at people in the market, or venture out in the dark going wild and naked raping women...both were lords of the state of Jin).

The great temple would also be close to the lord's palace. Grand worship is the privilege of the lord and not of the common people. The temple houses the tablets of the ancestors and is where the lords worship the Heaven. The state of Qin has a special temple known as the Temple of the Vanquished. Here, the Qin preserved artefacts of the states they have vanquished and set their tablets. The lords of Qin have to pay respect to those they have vanquished, with the aim of making the Qin lords remember the hardships and struggles of their ancestors, and serving at the same time a constant remembrance that they live in an era of "destroy or be destroyed".

The Temple is also where the lords would meet with their chief officials and advisors to discuss about matters of war. The so called "Miao Suan" as mentioned multiple times in Sun Zi's art of war means calculations made in the temple. It is not odd to find that the Temple is also where top discussions take place in the matters of ruling. Burial sites are usually situated outside the city in specific mounds or mausoleums.

There might be other specific buildings for the lord, such as ice houses. The ice house is a semi-sunken double walled hut (with a layer of air in between the walls) that store blocks of ice collected by the peasants in winter (something like a fridge). This allows the lords to enjoy iced drinks in summer.

Stables and barracks are also found in cities. Prior to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era, these have to be restricted (so as to prevent the feudal lords from fielding a larger army than the Son of Heaven). But due to escalation of hostilities, armies became bigger. It is said that Lin Zi, the capital of Qi, has a standing garrison of 200000. Some may actually be housed in military barracks outside (not inside). Population densities have increased to very high levels in Warring States cities (as Su Qin has described, the people rub shoulders against each other and sweat falls like rain). Hygiene is probably maintained through nightsoil collectors and drainage pipes.

As for rare goods such as herbs etc, herbalists usually grow them in their own gardens (sometimes in the city itself, sometimes outside, and they would bring it into the market to sell it).

[JuliaSet]

I can nearly feel the market crowd! Thanks Sephodwyrm! Where would the court musicians play? Where would people train for things, were there schools for Calligraphy, seperate buildings? How long were the Shamans seen in any prominence? Were they healers?

Julia Set

[Sephodwyrm]

Where would the court musicians play?

In the beginning of the Spring and Autumn era, the court musicians played exclusively for the lords and the Son of Heaven, following strictly the code of Zhou. The music of this era (Western Zhou) were known as the Li Yue (or Music of Rites). Music was also highly divided. For example, only the Son of Heaven could enjoy a court musician troupe of 64 people. However, as the prestige of the Son of Heaven fell, feudal lords began to expand their court musician troupe to rival or even exceed that of the Son of Heaven. The musical instruments are:
Gou Tao
Gu Zheng
Shi Xuan Qin (10 string zither)
Zhong (bells)
Xiang Yu
Xiao
Se
Qing
Xiao
Drums
There are 5 notes in Chinese music: Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, Yu (宫商角徵羽) named ter the constellations. People believed that music originated in the heavens. The Confucianists Mencius and Confucius believed that music has to be regulated for it brings harmony between people and between poeple and heaven.

Where would people train for things, were there schools for Calligraphy, seperate buildings?

There isn't really calligraphy at that time (no paper). But embossing and engraving were much more common. There are specialized guilds. Handicraft was a lifelong profession. There were 3 ways to learn the skills:
1. living and working together with other craftsmen
2. family legacy
3. apprenticeship

How long were the Shamans seen in any prominence? Were they healers?

The Shamans were priests that helped to make predictions, perform rituals and sacrifices etc. They will usually accompany these activities with a dance which also encompasses several difficult moves. As these shamanistic practices spread to the common people, I inferred that the Shamans lost their prominence in court and thus went amongst the people to participate and perfect the common folk's practice of worship and rituals. The Shamans still persisted in court of the Chu, where the belief in them were still high. The king of Chu also acts as the chief priest and shaman of the state.

[JuliaSet]

Someone mentioned priests. This leaves me a little confused. So I started thinking of priests as shamans.. please tell me more about this cultural aspect.

Guess what I want is to understand the religious aspect of the time. Thanks.

JuliaSet