The Shape of the Turtle

Download or read book The Shape of the Turtle written by Sarah Allan and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1991-02-21 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many Chinese philosophic concepts derive from an ancient cosmology. This work is the first reconstructions of the mythic thought of the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1700- 1100 B.C.) which laid the foundation for later Chinese patterns of thought. Allan regards the myth, cosmology, divination, sacrificial ritual, and art of the Shang as different manifestations of a common religious system and each is examined in turn, building up a coherent and consistent picture. Although primarily concerned with the Shang, this work also describes the manner in which Shang thought was transformed in the later textual tradition.