Title Birth in ancient China : a study of metaphor and cultural identity in pre-imperial China / Constance A. Cook and Luo Xinhui

Published Albany : State University of New York Press, [2017]

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Description 1 online resource Series SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture. Contents Introduction: A Chu Text -- 1. Words and Images -- Chu Ancestral Names and the Word for Birth -- A Lost Word for Birth -- Suggestive Images -- 2. Controlling Reproduction : Fertility Prayers -- Zhou Fertility Prayers in Zhou Bronze Inscriptions -- A Warring States Prayer Preserved on Bamboo Strips -- 3. Mothers and Embryos -- Gestation -- 4. Controlling the Pregnant Body -- Time and Divination -- Curses -- Sequestering -- A Question of Thorns -- 5. Divine Origins and Chu Genealogical History -- Gender Bending -- 6. The Traumatic Births of Non-Zhou Ancestors Summary Using newly discovered and excavated texts, Constance A. Cook and Xinhui Luo systematically explore material culture, inscriptions, transmitted texts, and genealogies from BCE China to reconstruct the role of women in social reproduction in the ancient Chinese world. Applying paleographical, linguistic, and historical analyses, Cook and Luo discuss fertility rituals, birthing experiences, divine conceptions, divine births, and the overall influence of gendered supernatural agencies on the experience and outcome of birth. They unpack a cultural paradigm in which birth is not only a philosophical symbol of eternal return and renewal but also an abiding religious and social focus for lineage continuity. They also suggest that some of the mythical founder heroes traditionally assumed to be male may in fact have had female identities. Students of ancient history, particularly Chinese history, will find this book an essential complement to traditional historical narratives, while the exploration of ancient religious texts, many unknown in the West, provides a unique perspective into the study of the formation of mythology and the role of birthing in early religion Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Description based on print version record Subject Childbirth -- Social aspects -- China -- History -- To 1500 Birth customs -- China -- History -- To 1500 Human reproduction -- Social aspects -- China -- History -- To 1500 Metaphor -- Social aspects -- China -- History -- To 1500 Group identity -- China -- History -- To 1500 SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Customs & Traditions. Birth customs Childbirth -- Social aspects Group identity Human reproduction -- Social aspects Manners and customs Metaphor -- Social aspects Zhou Dynasty (China) SUBJECT China -- Social life and customs -- To 221 B.C. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85024187 China -- History -- Zhou dynasty, 1122-221 B.C. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85024035 Subject China Genre/Form History Form Electronic book Author Luo, Xinhui, co-author LC no. 2016057612 ISBN 9781438467122 1438467125

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