CHINA CART - Helen Pines: Steve Veenstra (photos) (Note: Text and picture may not always match) Historical Chronology in Dragon Design (see laminated "map") Neolithic (8000 BCE - 1500 BCE) Cowry shells, stone "cowry shell" buttons -- used as coins. Clay chops (seals) stone figures, arrow and spear heads Oracle Bones Thousands of Oracle Bones have been found in Neolithic Shang tombs (1500-1050 BC). They were used by the Shang Dynasty for divinations. Shoulder blades of cattle and turtle shells had holes drilled in them, then they were placed in a fire and touched with a hot poker. Only the 1
King had the power to interpret the meaning of the resulting cracks. The diviner or a special scribe then made predictions and wrote on the bone what the oracle meant. This is believed to be the start of the Chinese Language with ideographs or pictographic characters. Because this ancient language can be read, we know what questions the Shang Kings were asking their diviners and what the answers were. Questions were usually about weather, harvest, births and battles. 20 th Century Vendors told tourists these were dinosaur bones to facilitate their sale! Bowl with Simulated Charcoal to be put under Ding. 2
WARRING STATES (475 BCE - ab. 221 BCE) Small bronze currency, large and small bronze knife currency. The earliest money (daggers) were hung on a man's belt and could also be used for digging. Women did not carry money Bronze Chops (Seals), Bronze Mirrors. 3
(Bronze Bell (with hammer) The bells do not have a clapper and produce a different sound depending on where they are struck. They are bronze, which is a mixture of copper and tin. The bells were played for the living but also as a means for entertaining the dead. Placed in tombs as well, as the Chinese believed in two spirits which needed to be appeased: the Hun went to heaven but the Po stayed behind and if not kept happy turned into the Gui (G-way) to haunt the world of the living. Chinese Bronzes (horses and faces), two small figures, a dragon and a frog. The Neolithic Shang Dynasty (1500-1050 BCE) is considered to be China's first Bronze Age. The people cast elaborately decorated bronze vessels in which they served foods and wine as offerings to the ancestors. Early settlers discovered that mixing tin with copper ore gave it hardness but also made it more brittle. Later they added lead, and this metallurgy has lasted for thousands of years. Many pieces came from grave sites. Iron rusts and wood and fabric decay, but bronze acquires a beautiful patina. The wonderful pictures on the artifacts show us happenings in daily life, activities of the aristocrats, religion and culture. In the beginning bronze use and distribution were a monopoly of the ruling class. Only the King used bronze, and it is said that: "The King made bronze and bronze made the King." A loyal subject would be presented with bronze like a Western subject would receive gold. 4
Chinese Bronzes: horses, faces, dragons and frogs, Qin /cheen/- (First Emperor) - (221 BCE - 206 BCE) Bronze arrowheads, stone armor plate. Ming Dynasty coins blank on one side. The first emperor standardized the coins with square heads. Han - Jade Figures (206 BCE - 220 CE) 5
Chinese Jade. To the Chinese there is no material as valuable as jade. The hardness and durability of jade (jade has a hardness of 6.5, diamond, [the hardest] is 10) led to its association with immortality and heaven, so it has long been used in burials to decorate the deceased and preserve their spirit. It was also closely associated with Imperial Power. The jade ring is called a bi and consists of two symbols: the jade -living forever, and the circle represents the Heavens. They were found in Neolithic tombs; it assured a good life and prosperity in the next world. Nephrite jade is translucent with a matte surface that is often describes as waxy or oily. It has been worked in China since the Neolithic Period when it was likely found in the eastern province of Jiangsu. Nephrite is too hard to carve (Nephrite can range from a low of 5.8 to 6.5 in hardness). In ancient times, forms and details were abraded using stone and bamboo tools and abrasive sands. Jade ceremonial items have been found in tombs dating to as early as 3500 BCE. Pure jade is white; it is the impurities that give it color. The type, size, design, color and quality of jade wares became a status symbol of the wearer and sometimes a mark of morality as Confucius claimed that jade had many virtuous qualities. Song (960 CE - 1279 CE) Jade pendants, small bi rings (see picture above) 6
Ming, Qing /cheeng/ (1368 CE - 1911 CE) Snuff bottles, jade pendants Qing -- jade pendant 20 th Century. Cup and porcelain beads (one is broken so the kids can see what they look like inside) and a favorite item: Mao buttons (see last picture). 7 Chinese Porcelains. To the Chinese pottery was a major art combining beauty with use; however, all ceramics are not porcelains. Porcelains are pure white, translucent, ringing, non-porous and durable. They are fired at a very high temperature of 1300º Celsius (2372º Fahrenheit) producing a substance similar to glass. A very fine white clay (löss or loess) is used. The cobalt blue pigment used for the designs was imported from Persia, so it was rare and very expensive. For centuries China kept the secret
for making porcelains closely guarded. These porcelains have been continuously exported since the 8 th Century. A character in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure," says: They are not China dishes, but very good dishes." Already in the 1600's the standard had been set that the porcelains and the country were synonymous -- China. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was a time of extensive porcelain export to Europe. Rank Batches: BUZI BUZI: Rank Badges The mandarin square, or rank badge, was an embroidered or woven square. It indicated which of the nine ranks of civil and military officials the wearer had attained. The official's wife always took on the rank of her husband and she would also wear a rank badge. Military officials wore badges showing an animal, while civil officials wore badges with a bird. The imperial family wore bufu with embroidered dragon roundels. The badge was either integrated onto the bufu during its manufacture or appliquéd allowing the wearer to upgrade his rank without having to replace his coat. The practice of wearing these badges as official marks of ranks first arose during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), was continued by the Ming and then adopted by the Qing. Civil officials had greater status than their military counterparts. It is believed that birds were chosen for the civil ranks because, having the ability to fly, they were regarded as being closer to Heaven, and this associated with literary talent and wisdom. By contrast, animals, although more physically powerful, were earthbound and considered less endowed in relation to knowledge. Each of the birds or animals is shown looking up towards a red sun, which authorities believe comes from the ancient proverb: keep your eye on the sun and rise high." The background is filled with clouds, bats, water, mountains and other auspicious symbols. From the Bower's Docent Library: Dragons and Silk, From the Forbidden City. Odyssy. Cat.: 920-1508 8
Peoples Republic of China (1911 CE - Present) (some of the items mentioned are/ are not) in the picture below). Mau book (written in English) Mau button Lacquered Box Dragon hand Puppets Abacus sets Terracotta Soldiers (2) Paints sets (3); small scrolls; Calligraphy Brush and page of Calligraphy Cloisonné Vase Silk If these materials are not on the cart, the Land of the Dragons team may have put them in the cupboards under the ant counter. The key for those cupboards is in the box with the Mao buttons. 9
Life cycle of the silk worm (eggs on leaf, caterpillar, cocoon with moth breaking out, and moth). Silk cocoons Fabric samples (raw silk, brocade, taffeta and satin) The Silk Worm Song (sung to "I'm a little Teapot Short and Stout") I'm a little silkworm Small and White I eat leaves Day and night. Mulberry is yummy It tastes good I spin silk threads Like I should. A cocoon surrounds me And I hide Till I'm a pretty moth Then I fly. My cocoon is useless Then to me Weavers make fabric Beautiful to see. 10
CHINESE BRUSH PAINTINGS BY ANNE OLYMPIUS (See the originals which are part of the cart inventory. Please, handle with care) 11
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The following item(s) were added after July 21, 2011. In later revisions these will be within the document. The bells. 19