Architects and winemakers from the white di's tribe

This article is devoted to the memory of an outstanding orientalist, Dr. Vitaliy Ye. Larichev (1932-2014) whose ideas were used as methodological principles for our investigations of Chinese Northern cultures. He supposed that a permanent cultural irradiation of the Celestial Empire (China) didn't prevent the neighboring peoples from development of their own traditions and establishment of sovereign states. In this case, we have turned to materials obtained from royal tombs and fortified settlement of Zhongshan State dated back to the Zhanguo period. Although the report on excavations was published more than 20 years ago, these sites continue to attract attention of archaeologists. First, two bronze flasks with some amount of ancient alcohol within were found in the tombs. This unique find allows us to restore a composition and technology of distillation of this «wine» (but without vine), as well as its use in rituals. Second, the most ancient architectural drawing in China made on the big bronze plate was also found in one of elite burials. It was given with the scale 1:500 and fixed namely the burial complex where this finding took place. A comparison of the figures on the plate with real dimensions of buildings and other details gives a possibility to determine and to calculate a value of special «constructive» unit (modulus) in one chi («foot») that's equal to 22 centimeters. According to Marina Kravtsova (and we completely agree with her conception), «religious-constructive» experience of white di, through adaptation to the requirements and standards of Chinese art culture, influenced the development of Ancient China's funeral architecture and, first of all, some of the more important objects, such as Mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdi. Third, in one of the aristocratic tombs, two play-boards for liubo were found - an important component of a strategic game which became very popular during the following period of the Han dynasty. All these finds reveal the fact that the Zhongshan State, «barbaric» by its origin (created by white di's tribes no later than in 414 BC and destroyed by coalition of Zhao, Qi and Yan in 296 BC) didn't concede in development to original Zhou's states, but at the same time it preserved specific features in the local style of applied arts. All communications between the population of the Middle states and periphery tribes were fulfilled during many centuries and were accompanied by intensive cultural exchange, including mutual penetration of elites from both sides.