The Artistic Features of Hongshan Mountain

Located in Hongshan Culture, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia in the north, there are three-dimensional circular sculptures of naked women, some with prominent breasts and some with the characteristics of pregnant women. In Niuheliang at the junction of Jianping County and Lingyuan County, Liaoning Province, the head of the clay sculpture goddess painted red was unearthed, which is also the distribution area of Hongshan Culture, presumably a goddess temple or a sacrificial place dominated by women. Unearthed in Hongshan Culture

Some scholars speculate that Taonu is a symbol of fertility god or mother earth god, and also a concrete manifestation of matriarchal society.

The pottery unearthed from Hongshan Culture site mainly includes cylindrical jars, oblique mouthpieces, urns, beans and jars with lids. Several characteristics of Hongshan Culture pottery include:

1. Hongshan Culture pottery is mainly composed of sand-mixed gray pottery and argillaceous red pottery, and the proportion of argillaceous red pottery is greater than that of sand-mixed gray pottery.

2. The cylindrical pot represents the basic shape of Hongshan Culture pottery. Hongshan Culture's cylindrical tank is characterized by a large mouth and a small bottom, and its abdominal wall is inclined and straight, which belongs to the late form of cylindrical tank. Later, the cylindrical container was alienated from the cylindrical tank, which formed a new feature of the evolution of Hongshan Culture pottery.

3. The relief zigzag pattern is the decorative style of Hongshan Culture pottery. Sawtooth lines are thin and wide, used for connecting lines and grate points, for horizontal and vertical rows, for straight lines and arcs, and for wavy lines. The "Zhi" pattern is often combined with the cylindrical pot, which has become a more obvious feature of Hongshan Culture pottery.

4. Painted pottery occupies a considerable amount in argillaceous red pottery. Painted pottery in Hongshan Culture is mainly black, but also red and purple. The three most representative patterns are dragon scale pattern, cross pattern and chessboard pattern. In the early Neolithic jade carvings, there are many jade carvings with animals as the theme, such as pig dragon-shaped vessels unearthed in Hongshan Culture, but whether they are jade carvings remains to be discussed. Jade ornaments of the same shape have been found in Liaoning, Inner Mongolia and Hebei, which may be due to the deification of the pig image or the deification of the "dragon" image in the early myth and legend stage. Images of small animals, such as birds, turtles, tiger-shaped pendants and fish-shaped stone pendants, have also been unearthed in Hongshan Culture ruins, mainly jade or turquoise carvings.

The use of jade articles and funeral etiquette is a major feature of Hongshan Culture, and it is also a window to understand the social structure at that time. According to archaeological excavations, the cemeteries of Hongshan people are mostly stone tombs, which belong to planned cemeteries. The tomb in the center is only for jade burial, and the specifications of the cemetery are lower as you go to the side. Some tombs near the tomb also have jade articles, but the quantity and specifications are obviously lower than those of the central tomb, but there are also different numbers of pigs and dogs. Only pottery is buried in the lower tombs, and there are no funerary objects in individual tombs. This shows that Hongshan Culture's social structure has a strict hierarchy, and there has been a class division, and the gap between the rich and the poor is very large. With the concept of private ownership, even a primitive country has been formed.

The origin of jade is decoration, and the use of jade has developed from shaman culture to the symbol of clan power, theocracy and military power. Many jade articles are primitive ritual vessels, and some animals are clan totems.

Through years of archaeological research, Hongshan Culture International Research Center of Chifeng University in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region found that owls are the main totem worship objects in Hongshan Culture. According to reports, the number of jade owls unearthed in Hongshan Culture is the largest, with the largest reaching more than ten centimeters high; There are different postures, both simulated and abstract, and the combination with other animals is ever-changing. Archaeologists say that during the period of Hongshan Culture, people were afraid of the darkness and hoped to get light or see everything clearly in the darkness; People are often attacked by other wild animals, hoping to fly like birds to avoid being hurt; People live a life of farming, animal husbandry, fishing and hunting, hoping to catch prey as easily as eagles. Owls have all these advantages. Owls are common birds of prey in western Liaoning. They can fly into the sky at night, giving people a mysterious feeling of reaching the yin and yang of heaven and earth. Therefore, the ancestors in Hongshan Culture hoped that owls could give them magical power to fight against nature, so it should be inevitable that owls would become the totem worship of the ancestors in Hongshan Culture. "Horseshoe-shaped Tubular Jade" Friends who are familiar with antique jade know that Hongshan Culture existed in Liaoxi River and Xilamulun River in western Liaoning about five or six thousand years ago.

As a "cultural type", it is the representative of primitive culture in northern China in the Neolithic Age, and it is an important part of ancient civilization in China, just like Longshan culture in Shandong and Liangzhu culture in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The most representative objects in Hongshan Culture are mysterious and exquisite jade articles. For example, the famous "C"-shaped Jade Dragon unearthed from the Hongshan Culture site of "Sanxingtala, Onniute Banner, Inner Mongolia" is a relic of Hongshan Culture. Because it already has the basic characteristics of the dragon, it is the earliest dragon cultural object discovered now, so it is called "the third righteous dragon in China". There is also a typical jade unearthed in Hongshan Culture, which is a hollow "tubular horseshoe". Judging from the unearthed situation, this kind of jade mostly comes from the tombs in Hongshan Culture, among which it was found in the tombs near Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site in Jianping County, Liaoning Province. However, after the discovery of "horseshoe-shaped tubular jade" in Hongshan Culture, its meaning has been a controversial issue in academic circles. According to the unearthed data, horseshoe-shaped jade articles are located directly above the head of the remains, and most of them have symmetrical holes at the "straight end" for hanging, so some scholars think it should be the "hair bundle" of the ancients. But judging from the size of most horseshoe-shaped jade articles (the diameter of the small mouth is about 8cm), this statement is obviously untenable, because people can't have that much hair. Some scholars believe that the horseshoe-shaped jade in Hongshan Culture is related to the primitive religion of ancient residents at that time. Because it is tubular and means "psychic", it should be a telepathic device in primitive religion to communicate with heaven and earth. This view is recognized by academic circles, but it is too general. The author always thinks that this view cannot explain the shape characteristics of horseshoe-shaped jade, so the "mysterious" horseshoe-shaped tubular jade seems to be more mysterious. So, what does the mysterious "horseshoe-shaped tubular jade" represent? Why did the ancestors of Hongshan Culture make it into such a strange shape and put it in their graves? The author thinks that in order to understand the true meaning of horseshoe jade, Hongshan Culture site and its tombs of Niuheliang "Goddess Temple" should be comprehensively divided.

In particular, we need to study another kind of Hongshan culture jade in the tombs near the Goddess Temple, that is, "animal-shaped jade ornaments" (see "National Treasure Grand View"), which is usually called "Jade Pig Dragon". Hongshan Culture "Jade Pig Dragon" has a beast-like head, its body is curled into a "C" shape like the above-mentioned "Yilong of China", and a round hole for hanging things is drilled at the back of the head. "Jade Pig Dragon" is quite representative among jade articles in Hongshan Culture, and it is found in almost all materials introducing Hongshan Culture. Therefore, some scholars believe that "Jade Pig Dragon" is the emblem of the same culture and may be the national emblem of Hongshan Culture ancestors. In the past, there was another saying in academic circles that "Jade Pig Dragon" was an amulet used by ancient people to ward off evil spirits and pray for good fortune, and it was an ornament worn with people (see "Grand View of National Treasures"). However, judging from the size and weight of some "Jade Pig Dragons" (large pieces as high as 15cm), it is obviously inappropriate to be used as living ornaments. Because of my hobbies, I came into contact with some books about China's ancient cultural relics during my college years, especially the book "Grand View of National Treasures" edited by Mr. Liang Baiquan, a famous cultural relic expert in China, and Hongshan Culture's "Jade Pig Dragon" is the opening work of the jade part of this book. When discussing the role of Jade Pig Dragon in the grand view of national treasures, the author thinks that Jade Pig Dragon is an amulet for the dead in ancient tombs to ward off evil spirits. However, at that time, the author found that the image of "Jade Pig Dragon" was very similar to the early embryos of animals depicted in biology textbooks, but due to limited knowledge of cultural relics, it was impossible to understand it in depth. With the growth of age and the improvement of cultural relics knowledge, when the author realized the significance of "discovery" and thought it necessary to write down his own ideas for discussion, the author found on the Internet that a gentleman named "Wang Xiaodun" of Nanjing University had put forward the "embryo theory" of the origin of dragons in 2002 according to the "Jade Pig Dragon" in Hongshan Culture. While rejoicing and sighing, I also feel a little sorry for my original stupidity. Mr. Wang Xiaodun thinks that "Jade Pig Dragon" is a model of early animal embryos made by middle ancestors in Hongshan Culture. In fact, the early form of the dragon symbolizing the Chinese nation is the embryonic form of life hidden in the mother. I quite agree with Mr. Wang Xiaotong's point of view. I believe that "embryo theory" can perfectly explain the true intention of Hongshan Culture ancestors to use "Jade Pig Dragon". "Jade Pig Dragon" is placed in an important position in Hongshan Culture's tomb (the chest of the deceased), and it is a goddess temple. The author believes that the ancient ancestors put the "Jade Pig Dragon" representing the "starting point" of life together with the dead body, and its real intention was to show the "reincarnation of life", that is, to wish the deceased an early rebirth. The ancestors of Hongshan Culture worshipped the model of animal embryos because in life and production, when the early embryos of different kinds of animals (including people) were found to be very similar, due to the limitations of scientific conditions at that time, the ancestors naturally regarded it as a sacred object and thought it was the substance that created all life. The "Niuheliang Goddess Temple" got its name because archaeologists found the remains of a giant goddess statue here, and the ancestors of Hongshan Culture enshrined a goddess here, which was recognized by the academic circles. Let's consider these two things together: embryo and goddess. The author thinks that the "Goddess Temple" of Hongshan Culture ancestors actually worshipped a "mother god" representing reproduction, because motherhood is the source of all life. This shows from another side that Mr. Wang Xiaodun's "embryo theory" is correct, from which we should also realize that the yearning for life should be the simple highest yearning of our ancestors! Therefore, the author thinks that the theme of the ancestors in Niuheliang Hongshan Culture's tomb is only four words, and that is "reincarnation"! According to the information I have, most horseshoe-shaped jade articles coexist with the jade pig dragon in the tomb of the goddess temple (as mentioned above). Based on the theme of reincarnation, let's analyze Hongshan Culture's horseshoe-shaped tubular jade. I think it is reasonable for some scholars to say that it is a "psychic thing", but it is not a channel to communicate with heaven and earth, but Hongshan Culture. Therefore, the author thinks that the shape of Hongshan Culture's "horseshoe-shaped tubular jade" is not mysterious. From a physiological point of view, it should be a "conceptual model" of female reproductive organs, because it is the only way for human life! In the past, many people were confused, because there were many small holes in horseshoe-shaped jade for wearing, but it was obviously illogical to take it with you as a thing. In fact, this is easy to explain. The author thinks that the "horseshoe-shaped jades" with perforations are the same as some jades buried in Hongshan Culture (such as Jade Pig Dragon). Before burial, they were not decorations worn by the ancients. They are all hung on the "altar of the goddess" and even on the "statue of the goddess", which is the same reason that people take "amulets" to the temple to open the light today. Judging from the phenomenon of Hongshan Culture site of Niuheliang "Goddess Temple", the ancestors of Hongshan Culture have begun to explore the origin of human beings, and they are antagonistic.

The early embryos of animals have been preliminarily understood, and our Chinese nation should be the first nation in the world to study the changes of early embryos of animals. In addition, from the comparison of "China Yi Long" and "Jade Pig Dragon", because both are relics of Hongshan Culture, there are many similarities in appearance (both are C-shaped, with small holes for hanging things), so there should be an inevitable connection. According to the evolution law of artifacts, "China's Yilong" should be evolved from "Jade Pig Dragon" through artistic processing, and Jade Pig Dragon is the earliest image origin of dragon culture, and "Jade Pig Dragon" may appear earlier. Although Mr. Wang Xiaodun's "Embryo Theory" reveals the origin of dragons, the author thinks it is of certain significance to explain the formation of Chinese traditional thinking. Because through the embryo theory, we can know that the ancestors of Hongshan Culture had a clear concept of "two poles", and the ancestors expressed "life" and "death" at the same time in the tombs, which fully showed that they had a simple understanding of the dialectical relationship of mutual transformation of things. According to the understanding of Hongshan ancestors, isn't it us who are alive between the "starting point" and "end point" of life? Perhaps this is the earliest ideological origin of Chinese traditional thinking-"the golden mean"? For a long time, Hongshan Culture has been hailed as "the dawn of Chinese civilization" by the world. Through our analysis of Hongshan culture jade, the author thinks that this kind of praise for Hongshan Culture should not be excessive. Speaking of Hongshan Culture in China, you may feel a little strange, but speaking of the first jade carving dragon in China, friends who are familiar with and love the collection of cultural relics must be familiar with it. But do you know that such a precious and rare national treasure was neglected for some time? The story begins in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia ... In the northeast corner of Chifeng, known as the "Pearl of the Great Wall", stands a Rocky Mountain with an altitude of 746 meters and an area of about 5 square kilometers. Because the exposed rocks are ochre red, red rocks are like fire in the sun, and Shan Lan is like sunset, it is named Hongshan, and the Mongolian name is Wulanhada, hence the name of Chifeng. The beautiful Hongshan attracts a group of Chinese and foreign scholars, and they are in an endless stream. The Japanese bird dragon hid, and the Swede An Tesheng came. They dug caves in search of stone tools and pottery. Their research and academic reports have made Hongshan early human cultural sites attract extensive attention in academic circles. 1955, Yin Da, an archaeologist in China, named the Neolithic culture in China, which is located in the north and south of Yanshan Mountain and the Great Wall at the junction of Liao, Mongolia and Hebei, as Hongshan Culture, based on the analysis of the characteristics of pottery and stone tools unearthed here. Since then, Hongshan Culture has been officially named. But in the following decades, there was no updated archaeological discovery in Hongshan area. With the emergence of major archaeological discoveries such as the Han Tomb in Mancheng, the Tomb of Zeng Houyi and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang, Hongshan, which is far away from the Great Wall, seems a bit desolate and cold. It was not until 3 1 year later that the eighth issue of People's Pictorial published a picture of a jade carving dragon five thousand years ago. Once the news was reported, it immediately caused a sensation all over the world. The news that Chifeng discovered the first jade dragon in China spread all over the world. The story of Yulong excavation begins with 197 1 ...1971one afternoon in August, Zhang Fengxiang, a villager in Sanxingtala village, Onniute Banner, braved the heat and high temperature to build a terrace not far behind the village. A shovel down, a hard thing makes him feel a little strange. When he dug down again, it turned out to be an artificial stone cave. Zhang Fengxiang stretched out his hand and touched it, only to find something black like a hook. It's hard and heavy to hold in your hand. After the work was finished, Zhang Fengxiang took it home, found a rope to tie it tightly and let his brother drag it to play. After seven or eight days, Zhang Fengxiang was surprised to find that the ugly hook had been dragged into dark green jade by his brother. Shaped a bit like a snake and a bit like a dragon. And in the sun, it can also emit attractive green luster. This discovery excited Zhang Fengxiang. Later, he took this strange jade to the Wengniute Banner Cultural Center. The staff of the cultural center collected this cultural relic according to the relevant regulations. The staff of Wengniute Banner Cultural Center don't know what this jade is. They just went through the warehousing registration formalities as usual and locked them in boxes as ordinary cultural relics. In this way, the jade carving dragon stayed in the box for more than ten years and was gradually forgotten by people. It wasn't until 1984 that things got better ... 1984, in Niuheliang, archaeologists dug up an ancient tomb of Hongshan Culture 5,000 years ago. The most striking thing is that there are two exquisite jade articles on the tomb owner's chest. After careful identification and research, archaeologists believe that they belong to the Jade Pig Dragon of Hongshan Culture period. After the news that Niu Heliang discovered the jade pig dragon 5000 years ago came out, it caused a great sensation. When the news reached Wengniute Banner, the person in charge of the cultural center suddenly remembered that 197 1 year, their jade collection was probably as precious as Niuheliang Jade Pig Dragon. Finally, after being left out in the cold for more than ten years, the Jade Dragon discovered in Samsung Tara in 197 1 was officially confirmed: it can be traced back to 5,000 years ago and was carefully made by Hongshan people at that time. It is the first jade carving dragon in China discovered in China, which is extremely precious! The jade carving dragon is dark green, 26 cm high and weighs one kilogram. Its body is in the shape of the English letter C, so it is named C-shaped Jade Carved Dragon. The faucet is short, the kiss stretches forward, slightly pouting, the mouth is closed, the nose is flattened, and two symmetrical round holes are used as nostrils. Most of the dragon's body has no lines, only the forehead and the bottom of the jaw are carved with fine grid-like patterns, and the grid-like protrusions are regular small diamonds. There are 2 1 cm long bristles on the back, accounting for more than one third of the dragon's body. There is a round hole on the dragon's back. After experiments, if a rope is hung in a round hole, the head and tail of the dragon are just on a horizontal line. It is worth noting that the image of Yulong has a strong fantasy color and has shown many factors of mature dragon shape. The dragon is a magical animal that the Chinese nation has been advocating since ancient times. As a totem symbol, it is endowed with a strong sense of mystery. However, its authenticity is one of the biggest mysteries in the cultural history of China. The C-shaped jade carving dragon unearthed in Hongshan has no feet, claws, horns, scales and fins, which represents the image of the early dragon. From the shape of this jade dragon, some people speculate that it comes from the images of horses, wild boar and bears. The Jade Dragon in Hongshan Culture is first of all a combination of many animal features. Myth of animal image processing. So what is this jade used for? Many scholars believe that it is an artifact for clan leaders to perform ritual activities in sacrificial activities. Wizards use it to travel through the magical world. The discovery of Yulong is very important, and it is the expression of primitive worship of primitive culture. Reflects the living conditions of early people. Since then, this jade dragon shaped like a "C" has become a photo of many magazines, a symbol of Huaxia Bank and a symbol of Hongshan Culture. Maybe it is the dragon god, or maybe it is a coincidence. After the "C"-shaped dragon was known to the world, jade articles of Hongshan culture were unearthed one after another. What other interesting jades have been unearthed in Hongshan area? About their story, let's start with Niuheliang ... Niuheliang is a group of hillside platforms at the southern foot of Nuruhu Mountain, a branch of Yanshan Mountain. Among the mountains stretching for more than ten kilometers, there is a river commonly known as Manjiu River that runs through the mountains. Therefore, the mountain beams on both sides of Mangniu River are named Niuheliang.