Explore the beauty of Chinese characters and morals

（浙江師范大學，浙江 金華 321004）

【Abstract】： The traditional bronze， which indicate several-thousand-year Chinese civilization and classical Chinese soul， is of great significance in the history of China. Apart from basic spirit of aesthetics， the art form also reveals the inner world of the Chinese people， and represents their characters and morals. And this paper focuses on the exploration on the beauty of Chinese characters and morals from traditional bronze. Through this paper， we will have a better understanding about the Chinese regarding art as a way to enhance the quality of life and to soothe the mind.

【Key words】： bronze； inner world； characters； morals

Explore the beauty of Chinese characters and morals

——from traditional bronze

1.Introduction

Bronze is regarded as the typical representative of Chinese traditional culture， which indicate classical ideas in aesthetics and something Chinese people have long pursued. With precious art spirits and opportunities of civilization development they brought， bronze is a great invention in the history of China. What is more， there are also deep culture connotations in it， such as Chinese traditional values and morals， which deserve our depth research. Now let us focus on the exploration on the beauty of Chinese characters and morals from traditional bronze.

2.About bronze ware

2.1 Brief introduction to Bronze ware

Bronze ware， occupying an important position in Chinese history， is of great significance of Chinese civilization. Compared with exquisite porcelain， it seems more solemnity. The Chinese bronze culture mainly refer to the material and spiritual created by ancient people， which has been explored and revealed by the late generation through the work of research. As researches show， bronze wares connect with aristocratic life tightly. The bronze wares were not only the embellishment of aristocrats’ luxurious life， but also indication of their identity， so that they finally became the mark of whole set of aristocratic life in politics， ethics， religion and the etiquette system， and the symbol of human civilization. In this part， I will pay much attention on the Chinese characters and spirits， which are manifested through the bronze art.

2.2 The spiritual meanings of bronze ware

The practical value of bronze wares is embodying sacredness， mystery and serious theory about god’s will. Bronze wares use all the zoomorphism， figurative or abstract， to express the spiritual meanings， which surpass the outside decoration. In this way， bronze wares have become a sign which has strong religious meaning. And aristocrats used bronze wares to implement sacrificial activities， such as worshiping gods， in order to declare their position and power came from the god， and no one can take place of them. So ultimately， it became a significant symbol of aristocrats’ power and will.

2.3 The emblazonry of bronze ware

The emblazonry drawn in the bronze ware or the whole bronze ware manifest the zoomorphism， which indicate the bronze ware has a close relationship with the tribal totem of ancient time. Only the zoomorphism can combine the wills of different groups. And the zoomorphism delivers the sacred religion meaning which has strong effect of emotional appeal. With these features， bronze ware became a great helper for aristocrats to govern his sphere of influence. And the typical emblazonry is beast-face vein， turtle vein and taotie vein. （taotie， a legendary animal notorious for its greed for food.）

2.4 An example about bronze ware

Simuwu Ding， excavated in Anyang Yin Ruins in Henan Province， is the heaviest ancient bronze ware in the world by now， which is named for the three Chinese characters \"Si Mu Wu\" carved on the belly of the vessel. With a height of 133mm and a weight of 833kg， Simuwu Ding was moulded in the late period of Shang Dynasty （About 14 Century B.C. to 11 Century B.C.） with an august and overwhelming outline. It is a dominant sacrificial vessel in Shang and Zhou Dynasties， and it is presumed that Simuwu Ding was moulded by the King of Shang for sacrificing his mother.

The lip edge of Simuwu Ding is very thick， and its outline is square and straight， appearing an unshakable vigor. The center of the four elevations is hollow and plain， and surrounded with representative beasts and dragon patterns of the Shang dynasty. On the side of the ear of the vessel， two feral tigers opening their mouths and holding a head of a person together are carved on it， romancing a sense of urgency in spirit to show the supreme authority of the governing classes.

A ton of metal material and a huge smelter are needed to cast such grand bronze ware. Simuwu Ding completely shows the production scale and technical level of bronze casting industry in the Shang Dynasty， and it is the representative work of the bronze culture in its heyday in the Shang Dynasty and is also an extremely precious national treasure of China.

2.5 A conclusion about bronze ware

The bronze art in the Bronze Age of China is a very valuable heritage handed down by our ancestry， embodying wisdom of the working people of the ancient time. Also， it features rich political and religious theme and has strong sense of sacredness， mystery. And Chinese show their respect to religious and authority through the bronze ware.

3. Conclusion

This art form reveals the inner world of the Chinese people and represents their characters and morals. Chinese cherish gentleness， elegance， containing and an ease life， as well as respect the nature and religion. Intelligent Chinese people put their best wishes into the process of producing these art forms. In this way， the art forms reflect Chinese basic values truthfully， which deserve our exploration.

Works Cited

[1]葉朗、朱良志，中國文化讀本，北京 外語教學與研究出版社，2008

[2]黃驍，青銅文化考—商代青銅藝術的符號解讀 ，武漢 設計藝術， 2005

[3]韓敏，青銅文化考—圖文解析， 武漢 設計藝術，2005

[4]于民，氣化和諧—中國古典審美意識的獨特發展， 長春 東北師范大學出版社， 1990

作者簡介：王敏潔，（1995—）女，漢族，浙江溫州，就讀于浙江師范大學外國語學院英語專業。