
Landscape and Power in Early China
The Crisis and Fall of the Western Zhou 1045-771 BC
Li Feng(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 29. January 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
424 pages
978-0-521-10811-9 (ISBN)
Description
The ascendancy of the Western Zhou in Bronze Age China, 1045-771 BC, was a critical period in the development of Chinese civilisation and culture. This book addresses the complex relationship between geography and political power in the context of the crisis and fall of the Western Zhou state. Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, the book shows how inscribed bronze vessels can be used to reveal changes in the political space of the period and explores literary and geographical evidence to produce a coherent understanding of the Bronze Age past. By taking an interdisciplinary approach which embraces archaeology, history and geography, the book thoroughly reinterprets late Western Zhou history and probes the causes of its gradual decline and eventual fall. Supported throughout by maps created from the GIS datasets and by numerous on-site photographs, Landscape and Power in Early China gives significant insights into this important Bronze Age society.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
19 Maps; 32 Halftones, unspecified; 12 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
728 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-10811-9 (9780521108119)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2007
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€42.99
Available for download

Book
08/2006
Cambridge University Press
€146.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Feng Li is Assistant Professor of Early Chinese Cultural History at the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University. He has undertaken extensive fieldwork on Bronze Age sites and is the author of numerous research articles on the Bronze Age.
Content
Introduction; 1. Foundation of the Western Zhou state: constructing the political space; 2. Disorder and decline: the political crisis of the Western Zhou state; 3. Enemies at the gate: the war against the Xianyun and the north-western frontier; 4. The fall of the Western Zhou: partisan struggle and spatial collapse; 5. The eastward migration: reconfiguring the Western Zhou state; 6. The legacy of the Western Zhou; Conclusion; Appendices 1-3; Bibliography; Indexes.