Read History with Jack 35 - the Ancient Oracle Bones
Recently, I went to an exhibition in the National Museum about the ancient oracle bones of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Although hundreds and thousands of years have passed, when I looked at the bones, they still glimmer and shine. From the little archaic characters, I felt like I had been transferred back to more than 3000 years ago, witnessing each war, watching the shaman conducting each fortunetelling, plowing the field with farmers each year according to the climate, and seeing the blissful looks of each family member when a healthy baby boy was born……
Thus, the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty about 3200 years ago possessed great significance. The discovery of the bones enhances the confidence of the Chinese, allows historians and archaeologists to dive deeper into the incessant Chinese culture, verifies the reliability of old history books, and builds up a new corridor for worldwide cultural communication.
The presence of the oracle bones strengthens the overall confidence of the Chinese people. The findings of the bones partially have made the Shang Dynasty world acclaimed as the start of Chinese history, which consequently lengthened Chinese history for about five centuries. I, and many Chinese, are very confident about my race, my country, and my culture, because our race and culture has been passed down for more than 3000 years, never ending. Additionally, in 1899, when the oracles bones were first found, the impoverished and uncapable China was being ravaged by western powers, and many bones eventually ended up lost across the oceans. 120 years later, China have managed to stand up and become a powerful force in this world. The characters on the bones could shine again, which is indeed a great boost to the morale of China.
Moreover, the oracle bones enable scholars and historians to research and delve more deeply into the elaborate Chinese culture. The words on the carved bones are the genetic codes of Chinese culture, they have documented down important and fascinating pieces of Chinese history. Reading the inscriptions, historians would know what happened on a particular day and the details about that event, which contributes a lot to the understanding of ancient Chinese culture. For example, this is the content of one oracle bone in the exhibition: On Jiashen Day, the fortuneteller asked :“Will Lady Hao gave birth to a boy?” Then, the King did the fortunetelling himself, and the answer is: “If birth was on a Ding Day, it would be a boy; If on a Geng Day, vastly auspicious (Birth of a boy).” Thirty-one days after, on a Jiayan Day, Lady Hao gave birth. However, it was not a boy, it was a girl. From this record we can infer that gender inequality have existed for thousands of years in China, even back in the Shang Dynasty. This would allow historians to learn more about the gender problems in Chinese culture.
Further, the oracle bones can be a tool to testify whether the content of the historic books like the “Shi Ji” written by Sima Qian are reliable and true. The significance of this action is that if researchers can prove that we can trust old history texts by matching the content in the book or text with the content in the real archaeological excavation relics, then we can lengthen our history to the Xia Dynasty or even further back, though we still need archaeology to confirm. For instance, in the “Shi Ji”, Sima Qian’s orderings of the Shang kings are nearly the same with the orderings on the oracle bones found in Yinxu, which can make Sima Qian’s magnificent work much more trustworthy.
Last but not least, the oracle bones can hold up a corridor between China and the rest of the world, so that the two can communicate culturally more easily. In the modern world, the oracle bones in foreign museums can be a marvelous window to look at Chinese culture, Chinese writing, the way ancient Chinese live, etc. In return, we can get feedback from the foreign cultures about their thoughts and feelings about our culture, and we can share. Through this manner, frequent misunderstandings can be avoided and even tensions can be eased. Therefore, the oracle bones play a role in the communication and interaction between cultures.
Previously, I used to mystify the oracle bones, and that the stories they tell are of hidden secrets, hard to comprehend and find out. But through this exhibition I have known, that the texts on there are legible and intriguing. However, the significance of such texts cannot be ignored. They are sacred fires, lighting up the hearts and confidence of the Chinese. They are delicate windows, allowing us to look into the long-forgotten past. They are effective proof machines, driving us to keep a scientific mind. And that they are invisible bridges, connecting China with the rest of the world. Many of the bones have missing pieces and fractures physically, but they are tightly interconnected and intertwined with the Chinese culture and people mentally. That I think, are the values of the oracle bones.
