Shang Belief and Art

This chapter identifies Shang religion as based on a belief in yi異 metamorphism and analyzes this in connection with the Great Settlement Shang at ancient Yinxu (Anyang), Henan. The chapter analyzes why the Shang may be identified with a religio-social system of “institutionalized shamanism,” theocratic hegemony, and sifang (four-directional) cosmology, in addition to identifying standardized rules for representation in art. The chapter discusses how Shang belief and religious practice reveal themselves in both visual formats and oracle bone terminology, and how the Shang embraced metamorphic belief, worshipped an empowered dead, and created a visual vocabulary of mnemonic royal power symbols. The chapter approaches data from a holistic point of view, including written, archaeological, and visual materials.