The Ancient Eurasian World and the Celestial Pivot
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SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS Number 192 September, 2009 In and Outside the Square: The Sky and the Power of Belief in Ancient China and the World, c. 4500 BC – AD 200 Volume I: The Ancient Eurasian World and the Celestial Pivot by John C. Didier Victor H. Mair, Editor Sino-Platonic Papers Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 USA [email protected] www.sino-platonic.org SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS is an occasional series edited by Victor H. Mair. The purpose of the series is to make available to specialists and the interested public the results of research that, because of its unconventional or controversial nature, might otherwise go unpublished. The editor actively encourages younger, not yet well established, scholars and independent authors to submit manuscripts for consideration. Contributions in any of the major scholarly languages of the world, including Romanized Modern Standard Mandarin (MSM) and Japanese, are acceptable. In special circumstances, papers written in one of the Sinitic topolects (fangyan) may be considered for publication. Although the chief focus of Sino-Platonic Papers is on the intercultural relations of China with other peoples, challenging and creative studies on a wide variety of philological subjects will be entertained. This series is not the place for safe, sober, and stodgy presentations. Sino-Platonic Papers prefers lively work that, while taking reasonable risks to advance the field, capitalizes on brilliant new insights into the development of civilization. The only style-sheet we honor is that of consistency. Where possible, we prefer the usages of the Journal of Asian Studies. Sinographs (hanzi, also called tetragraphs [fangkuaizi]) and other unusual symbols should be kept to an absolute minimum. Sino-Platonic Papers emphasizes substance over form. Submissions are regularly sent out to be refereed and extensive editorial suggestions for revision may be offered. Manuscripts should be double-spaced with wide margins and submitted in duplicate. A set of "Instructions for Authors" may be obtained by contacting the editor. Ideally, the final draft should be a neat, clear camera-ready copy with high black- and-white contrast. Sino-Platonic Papers is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Please note: When the editor goes on an expedition or research trip, all operations (including filling orders) may temporarily cease for up to two or three months at a time. In such circumstances, those who wish to purchase various issues of SPP are requested to wait patiently until he returns. If issues are urgently needed while the editor is away, they may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. N.B.: Beginning with issue no. 171, Sino-Platonic Papers has been published electronically on the Web. Issues from no. 1 to no. 170, however, will continue to be sold as paper copies until our stock runs out, after which they too will be made available on the Web at www.sino-platonic.org. _______________________________________________ In and Outside the Square: The Sky and the Power of Belief in Ancient China and the World, c. 4500 BC – AD 200 For Gustav and Jacques John C. Didier In and Outside the Square volume i The Ancient Eurasian World and the Celestial Pivot Contents Foreword by Victor H. Mair ii Preface and Acknowledgements iv Introduction: Resource Management, Unity, and the Cosmos xvi List of Abbreviations xlii Volume I: The Ancient Eurasian World and the Celestial Pivot 1. The Interactive Eurasian World, c. 9000–500 BC 1 2. The Power of the Celestial Pole in the Ancient World 77 3. The Celestial Pole and its Gods in Ancient China 145 4. The Polar Center and Its Mimicry on Earth 203 5. Works Cited 268 Volume II: Representations and Identities of High Powers in Neolithic and Bronze China 1. A Case for Neolithic Chinese Representations on Earth of the Sky 1 2. The Celestial Pole and the High God in Jade and Bronze Cultures, c. 3500–1000 BC 42 3. Di and the Shapes of Things 96 4. A Theory of Di 128 5. In and Outside the Square: The Greater Power of the Center 166 6. Works Cited 247 Volume III: Terrestrial and Celestial Transformations in Zhou and Early-Imperial China 1. Transitions through the Western Zhou, c. 1045–771 BC 1 2. The Anthropocentric Appropriation of the Center of Heaven 44 3. Heaven’s New Square in the Center of Old Patterns 74 4. The Changing Symbolism of the Square after c. 500 BC 123 5. Terrestrial Geography and Changes in Early Imperial Cosmography 173 6. Great Ancestor Dayi 大乙; Polar God Taiyi 太乙; Yi 一, “One”; and the Development of Early Imperial Chinese Cosmology 219 7. Conclusion: Expression in Religious Structure, Myth, and Iconography of Neolithic-Bronze Trans-Eurasian Contact 249 8. Works Cited 270 Foreword by Victor H. Mair University of Pennsylvania In and Outside the Square is one of the most remarkable achievements of Sinological research that I have ever encountered. The ample subtitle, “The Sky and the Power of Belief in Ancient China and the World, c. 4500 B.C–A.D. 200,” gives an indication of the broad and inclusive aims of this three-volume work. Yet neither the title nor the subtitle can adequately encompass the rich assemblage of themes that are woven together in this outstanding scholarly treatise. To be sure, what we have in John Didier's magnificent magnum opus is the first and only investigation into all significant aspects of the rise of civilization in the East Asian Heartland (EAH) from its beginnings to the establishment of a bureaucratic system that persisted (albeit with numerous changes of dynasty and modifications in details of structure and operation) until 1912. In this unique product of one man's tireless quest, we learn not just about the astronomical basis of the ideology of the Chinese state, but also about the foundations and early evolution of technology, cosmology, religion, myth, rulership, divination, literacy, and much else beside. Even more striking is the fact that all of this splendid exposition of the development of ancient civilization in the EAH is presented not merely as a coherent narrative of its own, but within the context of events and ideas in the whole of Eurasia. For someone with a more limited vision than John Didier, there would be no need to include the entire first volume of this book. But it is precisely in volume one that we discover the Neolithic and Bronze Age roots of Sinitic civilization, roots that cannot be restricted to the EAH alone. How was John Didier able to accomplish this brilliant feat of integration? First, and above all else, is his ability to think outside of the box. Although “thinking outside of the box” is often invoked as a criterion for genuine creativity, few people are actually able to do it, inasmuch as they are fearful of venturing beyond what is comfortable and familiar. In the present instance, “thinking outside of the box” is uncannily apt for John Didier's modus cogitandi, since his John C. Didier, “In and Outside the Square,” Sino-Platonic Papers, 192, vol. 1 (September, 2009) monumental realization of the centrality of a celestial quadrangle lies at the heart of In and Outside the Square. That, however, is not the end of it. John Didier would never have been able to write this spectacular book relying solely on his insight and intelligence. Beyond these essential requirements for making a major scholarly breakthrough, producing a massive, meticulously documented work like In and Outside the Square requires enormous reserves of fortitude and endurance. I have watched this book grow over the years from the germ of a revelatory concept to a full-blown scholarly edifice constructed of countless, carefully crafted blocks of data and evidence that have been laboriously acquired by tracking down any and all meaningful leads that the author came across. Finally, it is my duty to point out that John Didier has done all of this despite great odds against his ever being able to bring to fruition a project of such overwhelming proportions. During the past two decades, not only has John Didier had to cope with the sheer magnitude of the task that he set himself, he has also had to face the disheartening prospect of witnessing key components of his research being appropriated by others before — for reasons completely beyond his own control — he was able to publish them himself. This would have been enough to leave a man of lesser character bitter and broken, but John Didier has continued to carry out his investigations without flagging. To be sure, just as he has confronted grizzly bears and mountain lions in the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado, John Didier has faced academic adversity bravely and squarely. Consequently, I consider it a great honor to be able to publish in Sino-Platonic Papers his pathbreaking In and Outside the Square. Not only am I certain that this grand synthesis of diverse disciplines will stimulate lively, fruitful debate among Sinologists and Eurasianists alike, I am also confident that the appearance of this pioneering book will encourage John Didier to publish the other important treasures of intellectual history writ large that now exist only as manuscripts in varying degrees of completion. In the meantime, however, the present bountiful offering gives us plenty to feast upon. iii John C. Didier, “In and Outside the Square,” Sino-Platonic Papers, 192, vol.