Art, Myth and Ritual: The Path to Political Authority in Ancient China (Revised)

Author/Contributor(s):	Chang, K C
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Date:	10/15/1988
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

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.