Ba–Shu culture

Ba-Shu culture (Chinese: 巴蜀文化; pinyin: Bāshǔ wénhuà) refers to a regional culture centered around Sichuan province and Chongqing city, also encompassing parts of Yunnan, Guizhou and neighboring regions which speak Southwestern Mandarin. Historically centered around the Yangtze River, it emerged as an amalgamation of the cultures of the Shu and Ba kingdoms after their conquest by the Qin Dynasty. The discovery of the Shu site of Sanxingdui in 1986 and Jinsha in 2001 places the Ba-Shu culture's age at nearly four millenia old;^[2][3] consequently, it is widely considered to be one of the cradles of Chinese civilisation and culture.^[4][5][6]

The continuous use of the name Shu to refer to the Sichuan region throughout history has contributed to the Ba-Shu culture's survival (even today, one of the official names of Sichuan is Shu).^[7] As a result, the Ba-Shu culture continues to the present day and is famous for aspects such as its cuisine and Sichuan opera.

Origins

Shu culture

The ancient kingdom of Shu originated from the Sanxingdui culture and thrived during the Xia Dynasty, lasting a total of one or two millenia.^[8] The Shu culture had a rich tradition of metalworking (especially with bronze) and manufactured numerous notable artifacts, hundreds of which were unearthed at sacrificial pits at Sanxingdui and Jinsha; these include bronze statues, heads and masks, several bronze trees (one of which, the Bronze Sacred Tree, has been restored), daggers, hundreds of pieces of pottery, and the Golden Sun Bird.^[9][10] Additionally, the Shu culture is noted for its resistance to external influences, and was more or less unaffected by other nearby cultures until its conquest by the Qin Dynasty in 316 BC.^[11][12]

Ba culture

Ba culture and the State of Ba were historically centered around the Three Gorges area.^[13] The Ba people worshiped the white tiger, which was their totem, and crafted many bronze artifacts based on its form and patterns.^[14][15] Additionally, they had a rich tradition of performing arts, with distinctive instruments and ritual dances like the Bayu Dance.^[16][17] However, there is a lack of identifiable artifacts belonging to the Ba culture because nearly all of them have been mixed with relics of other nearby kingdoms. Additionally, there is an absence of written records about Ba culture made in the same time period by the Shang dynasty or any other states. As a result, not much is known about ancient Ba culture.^[18]

Ancient writing system

Traditional language

Architecture

Sichuanese architecture

Sichuanese garden

Visual arts

Performing arts

Clothing

Food culture

• 
  Mapo tofu
• 
  Bon bon chicken
• 
  Tea-smoked duck

Others

• Religious sites in Sichuan
• 
  A pavilion of the Taoist Shangqing Temple in Mount Qingcheng, Chengdu.
• 
  Golden Temple of Mount Emei of the Chinese Buddhist tradition.
• 
  Statues of buddhas at a Litang monastery of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
• 
  Baba Mosque [zh], a Sichuanese Sufi mosque in Langzhong.
• 
  St John's Cathedral, Langzhong (Anglican).
• 
  Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Chengdu (Catholic).
• 
  St. Joseph's Cathedral, Chongqing (Catholic).

See also

• Sichuanese people
• Culture of Gansu
• Culture of Qinghai
• Culture of Yunnan
• Tibetan culture

External links

• The Center for Bashu Cultural Studies of Sichuan Normal University (English website)

References

This culture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This page was last edited on 12 April 2024, at 07:38