On November 20 afternoon, 2024, the second lecture of the “FHSS Distinguished Speakers Series” entitled “The Worship of Dark Bird of the Shang People: Totemism and Misunderstanding” hosted by the Chinese Culture and Global Communication program is presented by Prof. Chen Zhi, the UIC President. The event was moderated by Dr. Jianing Chen and attended by Faculty members including Prof. Tze-ki Hon (Dean of FHSS), Prof. Shawn Xiang Wang (Head of CFLC), as well as Dr. Wei Chin Wong, Dr. Xiaolong Diao, Dr. Yegor Grebnev, Dr. Zhan Chen, Dr. Qiaoyun Zhang, and many students.

In his lecture, Prof. Chen firstly discussed the theory of totemism, referring to anthropological and ethnographic perspectives to clarify the role of totems in early societies, and suggested that some scholars believe that totem worship is an inevitable stage in the early development of all human societies, and that it is a cultural phenomenon in which human beings are connected with animals, plants, and even inanimate beings of the natural world. Prof. Chen also pointed out that there are many problems with the traditional viewpoint that “the bird that Shang people worshiped is swallow.” He further analyzed the symbol of xuanniao 玄鳥, and compared it with related stories in received texts such as The Book of Songs and The Grand Scribe's Records, suggesting that xuanniao could be a symbol of a swallow, a phoenix, or a crow.

Prof. Chen suggested that the difference between the character yan 燕 used later and the character yan 匽 used in the excavated documents reflects a misunderstanding caused by the change in the habit of using characters; he also argued that the core of the bird worship of the Shang people was the mystical nature represented by birds, especially the divinity symbolized by birds of prey (raptors). Subsequently, Prof. Chen explored the structuralist anthropological views of Lévi-Strauss, and then questioned the totemism theory, arguing that the significance of totems lies in the categorization and symbolization of societies through symbols, and that a group of people's adoration of a certain kind of animal (or non-living thing) has been infinitely amplified as the basis of their collective identity.

The speaker and audience had a lively discussion and interaction during the Q&A session, and Prof. Chen responded to the questions such as the classification of totem symbols and historical narratives, emphasizing that historical research should be evidence-based. Finally, Yuchen Xie, a student representative, presented a souvenir to President Chen, and the lecture was successfully concluded with a happy group photo.

Reporter: Shirley Yuchen XIE

Photographer: Steven Baiyi ZHOU

Edited by Dr. Jianing CHEN