Chu Religion: Death, Ritual and Imagination in Early China

Using archaeological, art historical, and textual data, this talk presents a brief account of the religious belief and funerary rituals practiced in the state of Chu during the Warring States Period (c. 480-221 BCE). The art and culture of Chu were famed for their fantastic imagery and exotic rites. Thanks to the better underground preservation conditions in South China, the rich archaeological discoveries of the past three decades have enable us to explore and to clarify both the Chu people's imagination of the world beyond and our modern imagination of the Chu religious realm.

The speaker Guodong Lai received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2002, where he wrote a dissertation on “The Baoshan Tomb: Religious Transitions in Art, Ritual, and Text during the Warring States Period (480-221 BCE).” His research project this year is on religious belief and ritual practice in the state of Chu and adjacent areas during the Warring States and early Han periods, using recently excavated archaeological materials, such as tomb objects, funerary sculptures, bamboo slips, silk manuscripts, and paintings. He currently teaches at University of Florida, Gainesville.