Art, Myth, and Ritual

Leading scholar K. C. Chang challenges long-standing conceptions of the rise of political authority in ancient China. This strikingly illustrated book is a persuasive demonstration of the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of early civilizations. A leading scholar in the United States on Chinese archaeology challenges long-standing conceptions of the rise of political authority in ancient China. Questioning Marx’s concept of an “Asiatic” mode of production, Wittfogel’s “hydraulic hypothesis,” and cultural-materialist theories on the importance of technology, K. C. Chang builds an impressive counterargument, one which ranges widely from recent archaeological discoveries to studies of mythology, ancient Chinese poetry, and the iconography of Shang food vessels.