NO. 2 FOLK RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA — GRAHAM 9 



Union University Museum, Dr. Cheng Te-k'un classified them as 

 follows : 



1. Mesolithic Period (probably 5000 to 3000 B. C.) — characterized by chipped- 

 stone tools which were the products of either a pebble or a flake industry. 



2. Early Neolithic Period (3000 to 2000 B. C.) — represented by some chipped- 

 and-polished stone tools. 



3. Late Neolithic Period (2000 to 1200 B. C.) — represented by some chipped- 

 peckcd-and-polished and some polished-stone tools, which have been found to be 

 associated with a series of pottery. 



4. Aneolithic Period (1200 to 700 B. C.) — represented by some higlily finished 

 stone tools and the contents of the cultural stratum of the Hanchow site. (Cheng 

 Te-k'un, 1942a, pp. 1-16; 1947, PP. 46-47; I957, PP- 98-103, 130-I3S-) 



The pottery of Szechwan has been classified by Dr. Cheng Te-k'un 

 (1945b, pp. 2-3) into the following stages: 



Stage I. Prehistoric Period (3000-1200 B. C.) — represented by the potsherds 

 found at Chiang-wei Ch'eng, Wei-chou, and along the Yangtse Gorges. 



Stage 2, Chou Period (1200-500 B. C.) — represented by the pottery from the 

 cultural stratum of the Hanchou site. 



Stage 3. Ch'in-Han Period (500-1 B. C.) — represented by the gray wares 

 from the slate tombs of Li-fan, 



Stage 4. Han Chin Period (A. D. 1-500) — represented by the funerary objects 

 from the cave and brick tombs of the Han and Chin dynasties. 



Stage S. T'ang period (A. D. 501-900) — represented by a part of the vessels 

 from the Ch'iung-lai kiln site. 



Stage 6. Sung period (A. D. 901-1300) — represented by a part of lite pottery 

 found at the Liu-li-ch'ang kiln site and by the Sung grave jars. 



Stage 7. Ming Period (A. D. 1301-1600)— represented by the funerary pottery 

 of the Ming tombs. 



Stage 8. Ch'ing Period (A. D. 1601-1900) — represented by the Sao-chiu-fang 

 wares manufactured at Lung-chang. 



No bronze or metal tools were found with Stage i or Stage 2 

 pottery, but both iron and bronze tools and weapons have been found 

 with Stage 3 pottery, leading to the conclusion that West China, at 

 least Szechwan, did not have a bronze age, but advanced directly to 

 the bronze-iron age. 



Before the coming of the Chinese into Szechwan, most of the Red 

 Basin and the Chengtu plain were occupied by the Shu, whose capital 

 was near Chengtu, and the Pa, whose capital was near Chungking. 

 These were Shan or Tai people, who were related. In his book, 

 "The Shans," Cochrane (191 5, pp. 5-17) infers that the Shans in- 

 habited the Yangtse Valley all the way from the watersheds of western 

 Szechwan to the coast. South and west of the Shu and of the Pa 

 people were numerous other tribes, most of them smaller and weaker. 



The first historical reference we have to the Shu or the Pa people 



