Neolithic+China+ca.+7000-2000+BCE

Neolithic China was made up of people that settled over a wide area, along the valleys of the Yellow River, on the plains of present day Shandong, and southward along the coast to the Yangzi and beyond. As far as we know, no wall paintings or carvings exist, and it seems that the artists of these communities were potters. They made coiled, slab and modeled pots in a low-fired earthenware, in a vast array of shapes and sizes.

http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/dynasty-neolithic.cfm

__"Fish Bowl"__ The painted vessel was found in the Banpo Village and was an abstract tapping of a magical higher power made by people of the __Yangshao Culture__. The people from this time period were hunters and gatherers and also fished. Both the fish and masked creature are symbols that represent a culture of fishing. There are many different variations of the masked and fish creatures. The pottery of this period was made in a horizontal kiln that led the way to the bronze age. The fish bowl is representative of the pottery placed in tombs and given to the dead for use in the afterlife since it is red in color and has more decoration than that of previous periods, which shows that they have more of an inclination towards art. This type of pottery is painted in three colors: white, black, and red. The markings around the top of the bowl may have been an early form of their written language since there are many examples showing different symbols. The pottery used in everyday life during this time is a greyware that is simple in form and without decoration. http://www1.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/14/content_39709.htm, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17695/17695-h/17695-h.htm

http://www1.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/14/content_39709.htm

__Storage/Burial Urn__ This vessel was found in Banshan and was used to store food for the deceased to eat in the afterlife. The swirl pattern conforms to the 3-Dimension of the vessel and swirls around it immulating a hurricane. This gives it a sense of unification and possibly refers to the forces of nature. The pattern contains small “teeth-like” marks which were associated with death or refer to the earth consuming the body.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111803/China/71613/Neolithic-Period#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=China%20%3A%3A%20Neolithic%20Period%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia

__Longshan Culture__ This culture of people made two distinct forms of pottery: a greyware and a blackware. The greyware was a form of utilitarian ware for everyday use and was made thicker in form.The blackware, also known as refined ware, was painted black in color and was used for rituals and other religious purposes. This type of pottery is more delicate in nature, because it has thinner walls and was thrown on a wheel. It is also more decorative and three-dimensional than the greyware. There were two distinctive decorations that were introduced during this time: three dimensional bands that encircled the object and a comb pattern that's meaning is still unknown. 

__http://en.shac.gov.cn/hjgl/tswh/t20030715_75285.htm

Pitcher__ It was a utilitarian object. It was placed over a fire and used to cook food/stew. The pottery of the Longshan culture wasn’t painted but rather more focused on three dimensional design and decoration of the gray ware. (Longshan Culture)

__Cup__ Classified as “blackware”, it was polished and the walls were painted black. It also held ritual significance.

__"Jade Age"__ Both the __Hongshan Culture__ and __Liangzhu Culture__ is known for their introduction of jade carvings. They each developed their own sculptures that are distinct to each culture, which means they made these independently of each other. The Hongshan Culture is known for the C-shaped horse dragon and Pig dragon, while the Liangzhu Culture is known for round discs and prismatic tubes. Craftsmen inherited a technique (from Neolithic ancenstors) for carving the tough surface of Jade by grinding it with the aid of an abrasive powder. There have been many burial sites found with such carvings and bodies found adorned with jade as well. They valued jade for its magical properties and indestructability. Jade has natural preservative properties and would allow for a slow decomposition of a corpse. http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e2002/e20025/horses.htm __Pig Dragon__ This was seen as a metamorphic creature. It is long and stylized. http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/chbro_preh.shtm __Female Spirit Temple__ Contained female figures, such as the famous woman from Wilendorf. The female figures had extended stomachs and captured the natural female spirit.

__Liangzhu Culture__

__Disc__ They would be worn as adornments in tombs since it symbolized the heavens. It has also been speculated that they have astronomical use for looking up to they sky by aligning the disc with a star or constellation. http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/asian_art/ritual_object_bi/objectview.aspx?page=1&sort=4&sortdir=asc&keyword=&fp=1&dd1=6&dd2=0&vw=1&collID=6&OID=60012452&vT=1

__Prismatic Tube__ It was a square on the outside but was circular on the inside. It made use of abstract patterns and symbolized the earth. http://www.nga.gov/education/chinatp_sl03.shtm __Axe__ This has symbolic power. It is a representation of a carved human figure and is fairly recognizable.