Jiajing Wang

The story of humans in early China is also a story of pigs. As one of the earliest domesticated animals, they provided sustenance in Neolithic communities, served as sacred sacrifices in mortuary and political rituals, and eventually became key economic resources in early empires. "Pigs of Power" traces shifting human-pig relationships from the Pleistocene to recent history. By integrating archaeological, historical, and environmental records, this book reveals how human interactions with an often-overlooked animal shaped the pathways to early Chinese civilization. Presenting pigs as active agents, this project introduces a posthumanist framework to early China studies and contributes to broader theoretical discussions on human-animal relationships.