By Michael Freeman, Ronald G. Knapp
A resource of fascination to the West, China's well known paintings items and conventional synthetic items have lengthy been sought by way of creditors. Things Chinese offers sixty unique goods which are commonplace of chinese language tradition and jointly current a window onto the folks, the background and the society of the world's biggest nation.
Featuring descriptions and full-color images, the background, cultural value and customs surrounding those items and their significance turns into transparent. goods lined include:
• Bamboo furniture
• Ivory carving
• Snuff Bottle
• Mooncake moulds
• Musical Instruments
• Mahjong sets
• Fengshui compasses
Read Online or Download Things Chinese: Antiques, Crafts, Collectibles PDF
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Extra resources for Things Chinese: Antiques, Crafts, Collectibles
Example text
Today, they are essentially showy ornaments. The Miao, who are found in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan Provinces, embroider their jackets with narrative tales. Using techniques employing two needles simultaneously as well as braids of multiple threads, their auspicious designs on jackets, bags, blankets, and baby carriers are quite bold in both color and texture. ABOVE Heavy metallic thread was used to embroider the scenes shown here. Arts and Crafts 49 Carved Ivory 㫝眖Yádiāo Excavations in northeast, northwest, and western China reveal that elephants and rhinoceroses once roamed widely throughout the country, although by the second millennium CE, elephants were only found in southern China, where there still was tree cover.
In recent years, Chinese authorities have highlighted the need to preserve such arts and crafts as embroidery, painting, and papercuts as noteworthy components of China’s intangible cultural heritage, which also extends to music, painting, dance, medicine, and rituals. 34 Things Chinese Arts and Crafts 35 Scroll Paintings 㽹रHuàjuǎn Hanging scrolls and handscrolls, as well as albums and fans, are distinctive forms of Chinese painting that can be conveniently stored yet quickly made available for viewing.
Before the discovery of paper early in the first millennium CE, tortoise shell, bone, bamboo slips, and silk, among other materials, were pressed into service for writing and painting. The fibers of ramie and hemp were probably the first materials used in making paper, followed by tree bark, cloth, rice, mulberry, and bamboo. Xuan paper, known for its strength, luminosity, texture, and durability was produced by the time of the Tang dynasty, eventually becoming the preferred medium for calligraphy and painting.