Chinese art: Early Periods

Neolithic cultures produced many artifacts such as painted pottery, bone tools and ornaments, and jade carvings of a sophisticated design. Excavations at B'ei-li-kang near Luo-yang date materials found at that site to 6000–5000 b.c. An excavation in the early 1970s of the royal tomb of Shih-huang Ti revealed an array of funerary terra-cotta images. In Henan, the village of Yang-shao gave its name to a culture that flourished from 5000 to 3000 b.c. Ban-p'o pottery wares were handmade and the area produced a polished red ware that was painted in black with designs of swirling spirals and geometric designs, sometimes with human faces. Later, at Ma-jia-yao in Gansu, brush-painted pottery became more sophisticated in the handling of the design. Knowledge of ancient Chinese art is limited largely to works in pottery, bronze, bone, and jade.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Art under Communism
• Cross-Cultural Influences in Modern Times
• Calligraphy and the Minor Arts
• Chinese Painting since the Fifth Century
• Buddhist Art
• The Early Dynasties: Ritual Bronzes
• Early Periods
• Bibliography

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