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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Many 
  writings 
  dealing 
  with 
  antiquities 
  in 
  different 
  localities 
  are 
  

   limited 
  to 
  small 
  geographical 
  divisions; 
  some, 
  for 
  instance, 
  are 
  con- 
  

   cerned 
  with 
  only 
  one 
  district. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  other 
  writings 
  w^hich 
  are 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  recording 
  of 
  

   one 
  kind 
  of 
  metal 
  and 
  stone 
  inscriptions. 
  Still 
  others 
  deal 
  with 
  

   books 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  or 
  tripods 
  and 
  bells 
  or 
  old 
  coins 
  and 
  seals 
  and 
  

   marks. 
  In 
  short, 
  every 
  branch 
  of 
  archeology 
  is 
  studied 
  in 
  detail. 
  So 
  

   we 
  see 
  the 
  progress 
  in 
  Chinese 
  archeology 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  150 
  years 
  

   is 
  very 
  great, 
  indeed. 
  The 
  achievements 
  in 
  the 
  Sung 
  dynasty 
  pale 
  

   into 
  insignificance 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  in 
  

   the 
  last 
  century. 
  

  

  Now, 
  if 
  we 
  classify 
  the 
  objects 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  treated 
  by 
  the 
  

   archeologists 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  150 
  years, 
  we 
  get 
  four 
  kinds 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  Stone. 
  

  

  2. 
  Bronze. 
  

  

  3. 
  Pottery. 
  

  

  4. 
  Bones 
  and 
  tortoise 
  shells, 
  etc. 
  

  

  Stone. 
  — 
  In 
  Chinese 
  archeology 
  inscriptions 
  on 
  stones 
  occupy 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  place. 
  The 
  oldest 
  stone 
  inscription 
  that 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  

   existence 
  is 
  the 
  stone 
  drum 
  of 
  the 
  Chou 
  dynasty 
  (827-788 
  B. 
  C). 
  

   There 
  are 
  10 
  stone 
  drums, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  partly 
  destroyed. 
  

   They 
  stand 
  now 
  inside 
  the 
  gate 
  of 
  Confucius's 
  Temple. 
  

  

  Next 
  in 
  antiquity 
  are 
  the 
  six 
  tablets 
  commemorating 
  the 
  glories 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ch'in 
  dynasty 
  which 
  existed 
  from 
  246 
  to 
  210 
  B. 
  C. 
  They 
  were 
  

   placed 
  in 
  Shantung, 
  Chihli, 
  Chekiang, 
  and 
  other 
  Provinces. 
  Un- 
  

   fortunately 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  lost. 
  Ten 
  characters 
  are, 
  however, 
  still 
  

   left 
  on 
  the 
  tablet 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  temple 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  T'ai 
  Shan. 
  

  

  Of 
  stone 
  inscriptions 
  of 
  the 
  Han 
  dynasty 
  (100 
  B. 
  C.) 
  not 
  more 
  

   than 
  10 
  remain. 
  We 
  have 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  later 
  Han 
  dynasty 
  (first 
  and 
  

   second 
  centuries). 
  Of 
  inscribed 
  stones 
  from 
  the 
  Six 
  Dynasties 
  and 
  

   the 
  dynasties 
  of 
  Sui 
  and 
  Tang, 
  which 
  lasted 
  from 
  the 
  third 
  to 
  the 
  

   sixth 
  century, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  multitude. 
  

  

  The 
  stone 
  inscriptions 
  of 
  recent 
  times 
  are 
  regarded 
  by 
  specialists 
  

   as 
  not 
  very 
  valuable 
  and 
  so 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  neglected. 
  Attention 
  

   is 
  chiefly 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  periods 
  preceding 
  the 
  Tang 
  dynasty. 
  These 
  

   stone 
  inscriptions 
  are 
  divided 
  into 
  the 
  following 
  groups: 
  

  

  Classics 
  inscribed 
  on 
  stone. 
  — 
  Classics 
  were 
  inscribed 
  on 
  stones 
  in 
  

   the 
  reign 
  of 
  Hsi 
  P'ing 
  of 
  Han, 
  Cheng 
  Shih 
  of 
  Wei, 
  K'ai 
  Ch'eng 
  of 
  

   Tang, 
  Chia 
  Yu 
  of 
  Sung, 
  Shu 
  of 
  the 
  Five 
  Dynasties, 
  Kao 
  Tsung 
  of 
  

   south 
  Simg, 
  Chien 
  Lung 
  of 
  Ch'ing. 
  The 
  so-called 
  " 
  stone 
  classics 
  " 
  of 
  

   Han, 
  Wei, 
  and 
  Shu 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  lost 
  and 
  only 
  some 
  fragments 
  of 
  

   them 
  remain. 
  As 
  for 
  the 
  existing 
  stone 
  classics, 
  the 
  12 
  classics 
  of 
  

   the 
  Tang 
  dynasty, 
  of 
  Kai 
  Cheng 
  (836-840) 
  are 
  still 
  preserved 
  in 
  

   the 
  prefectural 
  college 
  of 
  Si-An-Fu 
  of 
  Shensi 
  Province, 
  and 
  the 
  

   13 
  classics 
  that 
  were 
  inscribed 
  during 
  Chien 
  Lung's 
  reign 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  