Taoism and the Arts of China

by Little, Stephen; Shipper, Kristofer; Hung, Wu; Ebrey, Patricia; Steinhardt, Nancy; Eichman, Shawn

• ISBN13: 9780520227859
• ISBN10: 0520227859
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

Taoism and the Arts of China brings together a remarkable collection of art from one of China's most ancient and influential traditions. Produced to accompany the first major exhibition ever organized on the Taoist philosophy and religion, this opulent book includes more than 150 works of art from as early as the late Zhou dynasty (fifth-third century b.c.) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Many of these works are paintings that show the breathtaking range of style and subject that makes the Taoist heritage so rich. Sculpture, calligraphy, rare books, textiles, and ritual objects are also represented. Like the exhibition, the book is organized thematically. It begins with the sage Laozi (to whom the Daode Jing is attributed), and moves on to explore the birth of religious Taoism and the interaction between Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. A wealth of subjects are covered: the gods of the Taoist pantheon, ritual, the boundaries and intersections between Taoism and popular religion, Taoist Immortals and Realized Beings, the role of alchemy, sacred landscape and its significance, and Taoist temples and their architecture. Taoism and the Arts of China includes an engaging series of introductory essays by scholars with a deep understanding of their subjects. Among the topics discussed are a historical introduction to Taoism, archaeological evidence for early Taoist art, and a general introduction to the functions of art in religious Taoism. Lavishly illustrated with over 150 color images, this volume affords a sweeping view of an artistic terrain that until now has received too little exposure in the West. Its publication constitutes a major advance in Western understanding of this important tradition.

Table of Contents

Foreword	6	(1)
James N. Wood
Acknowledgments	7	(2)
Stephen Little
Notes to the Reader	9	(1)
Map of China	10	(1)
Chronological Table of Chinese Periods and Dynasties	11	(2)
Taoism and the Arts of China	13	(20)
Stephen Little
Taoism: The Story of the Way	33	(24)
Kristofer Schipper
Taoist Architecture	57	(20)
Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt
Mapping Early Taoist Art: The Visual Culture of Wudoumi Dao	77	(18)
Wu Hung
Taoism and Art at the Court of Song Huizong	95	(20)
Patricia Ebrey
CATALOGUE OF THE EXHIBITION
I. The Formation of the Taoist Tradition
Laozi and the Origins of Taoism	115	(12)
Heaven and Earth: Taoist Cosmolog	127	(20)
Sacred Mountains and Cults of the Immortals	147	(16)
II. The Taoist Church
The Beginnings of Religious Taoism	163	(26)
Taoist Ritual	189	(38)
The Taoist Pantheon	227	(28)
III. The Taoist Renaissance
Taoism and Popular Religion	255	(20)
Divine Manifestations of Yin: Godd and Female Saints	275	(16)
Zhenwu, the Perfected Warrior	291	(22)
Taoist Immortals	313	(24)
Inner Alchemy and Its Symbolism	337	(20)
The Sacred Landscape	357	(27)
Chinese Names and Terms	384	(8)
Bibliography	392	(14)
Contributors	406	(1)
Lenders to the Exhibition	407	(1)
Photography Credits	408	(1)
Index	409