Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom
Cherishing Antiquity describes the commemoration within Chinese literature and culture of the southern kingdom of Wu, which collapsed in 473 BCE. The sudden rise and tragic fall of Wu within the space of just over one century would inspire numerous memorials in and around the city of Suzhou, once the capital of this ancient kingdom. A variety of physical structures, including temples, shrines, steles, and other monuments, were erected in memory of key figures in the kingdom's history. These sites inspired further literary representations in poetry and prose—musings on the exoticism, glamour, great wealth, and hideous end of the last king of Wu. Through an analysis first of the history of Wu as recorded in ancient Chinese texts and then of its literary legacy, Olivia Milburn illuminates the remarkable cultural endurance of this powerful but short-lived kingdom.
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Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom
Cherishing Antiquity describes the commemoration within Chinese literature and culture of the southern kingdom of Wu, which collapsed in 473 BCE. The sudden rise and tragic fall of Wu within the space of just over one century would inspire numerous memorials in and around the city of Suzhou, once the capital of this ancient kingdom. A variety of physical structures, including temples, shrines, steles, and other monuments, were erected in memory of key figures in the kingdom's history. These sites inspired further literary representations in poetry and prose—musings on the exoticism, glamour, great wealth, and hideous end of the last king of Wu. Through an analysis first of the history of Wu as recorded in ancient Chinese texts and then of its literary legacy, Olivia Milburn illuminates the remarkable cultural endurance of this powerful but short-lived kingdom.
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Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom

Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom

by Olivia Milburn
Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom

Cherishing Antiquity: The Cultural Construction of an Ancient Chinese Kingdom

by Olivia Milburn

Hardcover

$39.95 
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Overview

Cherishing Antiquity describes the commemoration within Chinese literature and culture of the southern kingdom of Wu, which collapsed in 473 BCE. The sudden rise and tragic fall of Wu within the space of just over one century would inspire numerous memorials in and around the city of Suzhou, once the capital of this ancient kingdom. A variety of physical structures, including temples, shrines, steles, and other monuments, were erected in memory of key figures in the kingdom's history. These sites inspired further literary representations in poetry and prose—musings on the exoticism, glamour, great wealth, and hideous end of the last king of Wu. Through an analysis first of the history of Wu as recorded in ancient Chinese texts and then of its literary legacy, Olivia Milburn illuminates the remarkable cultural endurance of this powerful but short-lived kingdom.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780674726680
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Publication date: 11/18/2013
Series: Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series , #89
Pages: 404
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Olivia Milburn is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Seoul National University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Kingdom of Wu

1 The Royal House of Wu 19

The Early History of the Kingdom of Wu 20

The Rule of King Zhufan and His Brothers 27

Prince Jizha's Embassies 30

The Prince and the Sword 38

The Funeral of Prince Jizha's Son 42

Prince Jizha and the Fur-Coated Elder 46

2 The Last Kings of Wu 50

The Reign of King Liao of Wu 51

The Assassination of King Liao of Wu 53

The Campaigns against Chu 62

The Death of King Helü 69

The Conquest of Yue 73

The Battle of Ailing 80

The Death of Wu Zixu 86

The Beauty Xi Shi 93

The Covenant at Huangchi 96

The Death of King Fuchai of Wu 102

3 Reflections on the Royal House of Wu 116

The Wu Royal House in Ancient Chinese Texts 117

The Wu Royal House in Bronze Inscriptions 121

The Wu Royal House in Modern Scholarship 134

Eastern Han Pictorial Mirrors 139

Mirror Manufacturing in Han Dynasty Jiangnan 143

Iconography of Eastern Han Dynasty Mirrors 144

Representing the Royal House of Wu 158

Part 2 Case Studies

4 Commemorating Master Ji of Yanling 173

The Tomb of Prince Jizha of Wu 176

The Temple to Prince Jizha 181

The 1503 Restoration 186

The Late Imperial History of the Temple 193

The Ten-Character Stele 197

Re-carving the Ten-Character Stele 201

The Temple to Prince Jizha at Jiujinfeng 208

Other Temples and Shrines Dedicated to Prince Jizha 212

Conclusion 215

5 The Tomb at Tiger Hill 218

The Burial of King Helü of Wu 224

Tiger Hill in Imperial Era Gazetteers 230

The Baidieng yanshui Account 238

The 1767 Gazetteer for Tiger Hill 249

Robbing the Tomb at Tiger Hill 258

The First Emperor of China Attempts to Rob the Tomb 261

Song Dynasty Investigations of the Tomb 264

The Ming Dynasty Drought 269

Conclusion 274

6 Numinous Cliff and Gusu Tower 277

Numinous Cliff Mountain 280

Numinous Cliff Temple 291

Numinous Cliff in Ming and Qing Dynasty Gazetteers 298

Qing Imperial Visits to Numinous Cliff Temple 308

Gusu Tower 314

Endgame at the Gusu Tower 326

The Gusu Tower Lives On 330

Gusu Station and the New Gusu Tower 335

Conclusion 337

Afterword: Wu in the Modern World 341

City Walls and Gates 345

Roads and Canals 348

Houses and Gardens 351

Temples 354

The Tomb and Temple of Prince Jizha of Wu 356

Tiger Hill 358

Numinous Cliff 360

Works Cited 363

Index 383

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