Series: Tang Center Series in Early China

The Spring and Autumn is an annals text composed of brief records covering the period 722–479 BCE, written from the perspective of the ancient Chinese state of Lu. Traditionally ascribed to Confucius, it is said that he embedded his evaluations of events within the text. However, the formulaic and impersonal records do not resemble the repository of moral judgments that...

The Western Han dynasty (202 BCE–9 CE) was a foundational period for the artistic culture of ancient China, a fact particularly visible in the era's funerary art. Iconic forms of Chinese art such as dazzling suits of jade, cavernous, rock-cut mountain tombs, fancifully ornate wall paintings, and armies of miniature terracotta warriors were prepared for the tombs of the elite...