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Social Role of Arts in Early Chinese and Japanese Civilizations Dear Guests, The {Insert of Area} Art Museum is glad to invite you to the upcoming exhibition the main subject whereof shall be: “Social Role of Arts in Early Chinese and Japanese Civilization”. The said exhibition will take place for 5 days, from 30 June to 4 July, from 10 a.m. to 07 p.m.The cultures that shall be covered in the course of the exhibition are some of the most memorable in human history. The Chinese civilization originated on the banks of the Yellow River as early as 2000 BCE, and went through several periods of development.

The present exhibition concerns itself with its earlier stages, namely the periods of Shang (c. 1700 – 1046 BCE), Zhou (1046 – 256 BCE), Qin (221 – 206 BCE), and Han (202 BCE – 220 CE). In this era, the Chinese went from the scattered tribes and clans of early Bronze Age agriculturalists to the status of the foremost civilization of the East. The religion and culture of these periods was rather diverse; while in the time of Shang and Zhou the traditional ancestral cults predominated, the later part of Zhou period and especially the Qin and Han eras saw the development of complex philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism, which later became the key influences on Chinese culture and civilization, as well as the spread of Buddhism, which greatly influenced Chinese philosophy and art.

The Chinese became proficient in creating complex buildings and crafting elaborate artwork as early as the times of Shang Dynasty. The famed bronze castings of the Shang are especially notable for their elaborate detail and strong connection with the spiritual beliefs of the Shang people (see Figure 1). Ranging from sacrificial vessels to more mundane vine cups, the Shang and early Zhou bronzes featured complex references to ancient Chinese mythology that was later developed in more modern Chinese art and literature.

The early Chinese bronze craftwork, together with coinage, jade disks, mirrors, musical instruments and pottery of the aforementioned early Chinese history periods, will be presented to the viewers’ attention. We are looking forward to the responses on the state of the Chinese exhibition. Figure 1. The Yǒu food vessel of the Zhou period with the symbols of the spirits of thunder inscribed (Shanghai Museum, 2006). The history of early Japanese civilization encompasses Kofun (250 – 338 CE), Asuka (538 – 710 CE), and Nara (710 – 794 CE) periods, in the course of which the Yamato chiefdom rose to dominance over the main territories of modern Japan.

Buddhism was introduced to the country in mid 6th century CE, while the traditional cults of kami (nature spirit-gods) and ancestors were never displaced or erased from the memory of the Japanese people. Unlike China of the comparable period, Japan proved to be more receptive of foreign cultural influences, incorporating certain strands of ancient Korean, Chinese or even Indian culture into its heritage. At the same time, Japan retained the deeply nature-oriented focus of its art and philosophy, which became its most peculiar feature.

The early Japanese art is represented in our exhibition with both wooden and terracotta sculpture that was introduced to Japan due to the spread of Buddhism and its artistic models, and with mirrors and pottery that may allow the viewers to have a glimpse at mundane life of Japanese of the periods. The early Japanese art was marked by the marriage of spirituality and practicality, and this may be seen from the example of our collection.Figure 2. The sculpture of Bodhisattva of the Asuka period (c.

7th century CE; Nara Museum, 2010) ReferencesNara Museum (2010). Asuka period sculpture of Bodhisattva in Maitreyasana posture [Photograph]. Retrieved from: http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/IH059455/asuka-period-sculpture-of-bodhisattva-in-maitreyasana. Shanghai Museum (2006). Yǒu with zigzag thunder pattern, Early Zhou [Photograph]. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:You_with_zigzag_thunder_pattern.jpg.