During the Warring States Period, music had developed relatively well. The musical instruments unearthed during this period mainly include large chimes, button bells, trowels, chimes, shengs, yus, harps, zithers, zithers, flutes, panpipes, harps, built drums, hanging drums, handle drums, flat drums, bronze drums, Yu, Duo, Zheng, etc., are of various types, exquisitely made and complete in performance. In addition to his achievements in musical instruments, there are also many excellent musical works. For example, "Guangling San", "Qu Yuan Asks the Ferry", "Chu Song", "Youlan", "Yishui Song", etc.
"Song of Yishui" comes from the familiar story of "Jing Ke's assassination of Qin". According to legend, during the Warring States Period, Prince Dan of the Yan State was afraid that the Qin State would cross the Yi River and invade the Yan State, so he sent the warrior Jing Ke to the Qin State to assassinate the King of Qin. Before leaving, Prince Dan and other insiders came to Yishui to see him off. When they arrived at the Yishui River, they worshiped the road god. Just as Jing Ke was about to go on his way, his friend Gao Jianli suddenly improvised and played a musical instrument, and Jing Ke sang generously to the music. When everyone heard his sad singing, "all shed tears". Jing Ke stepped forward and sang another song: "The wind is rustling and the Yishui is cold, and the strong man will never return once he is gone!" This song is the "Song of Yishui" that has been widely circulated by later generations. It has an angry tone. The sound of feathers. Infected by Jing Ke's passionate emotion, everyone present widened their eyes and "raised their fingers with all their might."
The meaning of "Qu Yuan Asks the Ferry" comes from "The Fisherman" in Chu Ci. Qu Zi and the fisherman asked and answered each other, and the music revealed a touch of sadness amid its beauty. The vicissitudes of the world seem to be summarized in this simple question and answer. Qu Zi sighed: "The whole world is turbid and I am alone pure; everyone is drunk and I am alone awake." The fisherman comforted: "The sage is not stagnant in things, but can move with the world. The world is turbid, why not clear the mud and make waves? Everyone is Drunk, why not feed the bad and swallow the bad?" Quzi sighed again: "I have heard that: those who are newly bathed must flick their crowns, those who are newly bathed must shake their clothes, those who are able to observe the body, and those who accept the warmth of things. "Huh? Would you rather go to the Xiang River and be buried in the belly of a river fish, where you can be white as a sun and be covered with the dust of the world?" The fisherman did not give a clear answer, but just told him that the water in the Canglang River was clear and could be used to wash him. The tassel of his hat; the turbid water of Canglang can be used to wash his feet. The quiet part of the music is like that of the fisherman, and the exciting part is like Qu Yuan's. One is fast and one is slow, one is urgent and one is slow. Different attitudes will naturally lead to completely different lives. Qu Yuan was full of tragedy and heroics, and finally jumped down. The river surface stirred up a lot of waves, and then slowly returned to calm.
People's ability to use music to express emotions is no less powerful than it is today. Therefore, when we listen to "Guangling San" again, "Yishui Song" again, and "Qu Yuan Wendu" again, we will still be moved by the emotions contained in these music.
During the Warring States Period, the social system faced changes and the slave society transitioned to feudal society. The development of art during the entire period was very active. The artistic talents of our ancestors are not only reflected in music, but their achievements in painting are also very eye-catching.
During the Warring States Period, paintings had a distinctive decorative style. Some basic characteristics of Chinese paintings can be seen from the unearthed lacquer paintings, silk paintings, and bronze paintings.
The earliest silk painting "Feng Kui Beauty" seen in our country was discovered in 1949 in the tomb of the Chu Dynasty during the Warring States Period in Changsha, Hunan. "Feng Kui Beauty" is 20 cm wide and 28 cm high, painted on silk. There is a woman in the painting with her hands stretched out in prayer. There is a phoenix above her head with its wings spread out and its head held high. To the left of the phoenix is a Kui fighting with it. There are many curved patterns on this painting, which make the whole picture very lively. The curves on the phoenix's body make it feel like it is flapping its wings and flying, while the curves on the woman's clothes make her whole body look very dynamic.
There are many explanations for this painting. Guo Moruo believes that the phoenix is a symbol of life and goodness, while Kui is a symbol of death and evil. The fight between phoenix and Kui is a battle between good spirits and evil spirits. The phoenix has the upper hand, which means that life will eventually defeat death, and goodness and beauty will eventually win. evil. So the theme of this painting is a celebration of life and goodness. But some people think that this painting is just a "picture of ascension to immortality". It has no particularly profound meaning. The woman in the painting is the owner of the tomb, and Feng and Kui are mythical beasts that can freely ascend to heaven and earth, so they should It is regarded as the driving object when the soul ascends to heaven.
In 1973, while again excavating Chu tombs from the Warring States Period, archaeologists discovered another silk painting titled "Character Yulong". In the center of this painting is a man holding a rein and wearing a sword. He stands sideways and upright, controlling a giant dragon that is flying upward. The dragon's head is raised high, its body is in the shape of a boat, and a crane stands on its raised tail. Above the figure's head is something similar to a car cover, with three straps blowing in the wind. Below the dragon's head is a carp swimming forward. This painting is the earliest known use of gold dust. The whole painting is mainly composed of simple and smooth single lines, supplemented by line drawings and rendered colors. The technique is very proficient and the strokes are also very smooth, which is very similar to the characteristics of traditional Chinese painting.
"Dragon" is the head of all beasts in ancient Chinese legends. It has been a sacred creature in Chinese culture that connects heaven and earth since ancient times. Therefore, there is no dispute about the meaning of this painting. It is generally believed that it reflects the ancestors' desire to transform into gods after death and ascend to heaven by dragon. This is the romantic fantasy of the ancestors about conquering nature and defeating life and death. According to this understanding, the man in the painting is the owner of the tomb, and the whole painting depicts the scene of the man in the painting completing his earthly journey and flying in the sky on a dragon. The man is majestic and calm, accompanied by a dragon riding the wind and an egret accompanying him. This reflects the Chinese nation's views on life and death since ancient times. The soul is immortal and death is just another way of existence beyond the body.
In addition to silk paintings, the bronze paintings of this period are also very outstanding. As the "collapse of rituals and music" intensified, the ritual elements in bronzes weakened and began to become more life-oriented. Many bronzes unearthed so far, such as the water and land battle pattern unearthed in Ji County, Henan, and the banquet and war pattern pot unearthed in Chengdu, Sichuan, are very simple and clumsy in shape. Although the shapes are simple, the scenes in the paintings are often very grand, and the characters are also very vivid. The painters at that time already had very superb skills and were able to paint works of high artistic standards.
During the Warring States Period, people made outstanding achievements in music and painting. Our ancestors used their wisdom to leave us a very rich and splendid cultural heritage.
