Many Worlds Under One Heaven: Material Culture, Identity, and Power in the Northern Frontiers of the Western Zhou, 1045-771 BCE

The Zhou dynasty overthrew the Shang dynasty in the mid-eleventh century BCE and expanded their borders beyond those of the Shang. Recent archaeological findings challenge the core-periphery perspective and suggest that the border regions witnessed cultural hybridization and experimentation. Yan Sun's book, Many Worlds Under One Heaven, offers a frontier-focused perspective that reveals the complexity of identity construction and power relations in the northern frontiers of the Western Zhou.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 20 July 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In the mid-eleventh century BCE, the Zhou dynasty emerged victorious over the Shang dynasty, a powerful force that had ruled over vast regions of northern and central China. Over the course of the following three centuries, the Zhou expanded their political control significantly, extending their borders far beyond those of the Shang. To legitimize their triumph and territorial expansion, the Zhou introduced a political ideology known as the Mandate of Heaven. This ideology portrayed the Zhou king as the ruler of the frontier, overseeing the vast expanse of civilization from the center.

In contemporary scholarship, there is a prevailing core-periphery perspective, which emphasizes cultural assimilation and political integration during the Zhou rule. However, recent archaeological discoveries have shed light on a more complex picture.

Many Worlds Under One Heaven, a groundbreaking book by Yan Sun, delves into a wide array of newly excavated materials to provide a fresh perspective on political and cultural change during the Western Zhou dynasty. By examining tombs, bronze inscriptions, and other artifacts, Sun challenges the Zhou-centered view and presents a frontier-focused perspective that highlights the roles of multiple actors. Through her analysis, she reveals the intricate complexities of identity construction and power relations in the northern frontiers of the Western Zhou. Sun argues that these border regions should be viewed as a land of negotiation, where cultural hybridization and experimentation took place.

By reevaluating a critical period in the formation of Chinese civilization, Many Worlds Under One Heaven upends the core-periphery model and unveils the diversity and flexibility of identity in early China. This book offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of this period and sheds light on the complex dynamics that shaped the early Chinese world.

Weight: 714g
Dimension: 165 x 242 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231198424