Antique Lamps - Kung Hei Fat Choi
Article by Maurice Robertson
"Kung Hei Fat Choi!" or "Happy New Year!" - the great festival of the Chinese speaking world. It is unknown exactly when and how this event began, except to say that with China's 5000 years of history, not being able to recall the beginnings of such celebrations can be well understood.
In contemporary China, the New Year celebration is known as the Spring Festival and is considered one of the most important events in China. This important occasion carries with it certain obligations for people preparing for the New Year. All disputes must be resolved, so that the New Year can begin with a clean slate. Spring cleaning is done, so that the house can greet the New Year clean and tidy & all clothes have to be cleaned and pressed.
The date of the Chinese New Year is established by the lunar calendar, so the first day of the lunar year marks the date of the Chinese New Year. This places the date of the New Year between late January and early February. Finally at midnight, on New Years Eve, the fun begins!
At the stroke of twelve the New Year is greeted by the explosion of fireworks, bells, drums and gongs. In traditional China, or, Imperial China, the midnight cannonade was designed to drive away evil spirits and so cleanse the infant New Year.
It is at this time, that every city witnesses one of China's most ancient cultural events, the dragon and lion dance. Through the streets of every town and village the dragon, to the sound of fireworks, drums and gongs, snakes his way across China.
The dragon is the most ancient of Chinese cultural symbols and is highly revered and honored by the Chinese people. Unlike in the West, the Chinese dragon is a totally benign creature, the deity of water, rivers and streams and offering assurance from the threat of drought. The lion, the symbol of power and courage, protects and wards off mischievous spirits.
With the tradition of New Years celebration so deeply embedded in the Chinese psyche, no effort is spared in traveling! vast di stances to bring gifts and spend this important holiday with the family. Known in China as the "Spring Movement", it is, in fact, the largest mass migration on the planet!
The week long holiday is filled with entertainments and special New Year dishes. House window frames and doors are freshly painted and the houses brightly decorated with lights and red lanterns, red being the symbolic colour for wealth and good fortune. Children receive the traditional red envelope, containing money, quickly spent on treats and sweets!
With a major tradition being the exchanging of gifts, the focus of this article is the traditional gift of "New Year" or "Cracked Ice" blue and white Chinese porcelain.
Oriental porcelain was introduced to the West as early as the mid 15th century, when precious examples appearing in Lisbon, Portugal being the first to acquire trading rights from Imperial China.
Prior to this, porcelain, both Chinese and Japanese, was seen in Europe as a mystical substance with almost magical properties, from a place that very few knew of, let alone, had been to. Most information was still based on the visit made by Marco Polo in 1275.
The "secret" of blue and white porcelain is cobalt, a natural mineral ore which gives the blue. Cobalt was then confined to Persia, today's modern Iran. This trade between China and Persia undoubtedly propelled the Chinese decoration of ceramics into a new direction, with the first truly blue and white porcelain made around 1290 AD.
The production of porcelain in China has had a history of thousands of years and is the very reason we call porcelain "China" because that's where it came from!
Not only porcelain, but all traditional Chinese art is filled with symbolic meaning and has always played a highly important role, as with gifts offered for auspicious occasions, like birthdays, births and weddings, with good wishes offered for long life and a comfortable old age.
If we randomly choose just four symbols and their mean! ings, sy mbols frequently found in Chinese art, these could be -:
Dragons - a symbol derived from ancient traditions. This celebrated symbol ranks first among all. The five-clawed dragon was reserved for the Emperor from ancient times until the end of the last dynasty. The four-clawed dragon associates with royalty and the three-clawed dragon with the Chinese people.
Bamboo - standing for longevity and courage in adversity. As bamboo is evergreen and because it grows straight, it was a popular symbol for an honest mandarin official.
Bats - the homonym "fu" stands for both "bat" and "happiness", hence the bat is a popular symbol. Five bats shown together signify the Five Blessings: longevity, health, wealth, virtue and a natural death.
Crane - the crane is another longevity symbol as the bird was thought to live for two thousand years. A bird flying or looking towards the sun represents a desire to rise high in the government hierarchy.
In traditional China, New Year, or, cracked ice decorated porcelain was a popular gift with its message of spring and new beginnings. The decoration consists of a rich blue ground to simulate ice, or, frozen water. This effect is produced, sometimes with heavy brush strokes, or fine white lines produced by exposing the underlying white porcelain. This frozen ice ground is broken up by branches of plum blossom flowering on old wood, again, the decoration achieved by exposing the underlying white porcelain. The symbolism here speaks of the winter's ice giving way to the welcome arrival of spring, with budding plum blossom about to break through.
Chinese traditional art is filled with symbolic meaning and has always played a highly important role as with gifts offered for auspicious occasions. The gift is one thing, the message is something else!
Chinese & Japanese antique Porcelain
Chinese Ceramics: From the Paleolithic Period through the Qing Dynasty (The Culture & Civilization of China)
This lavishly illustrated catalogue is a comprehensive historical review of Chinese ceramics covering newly excavated discoveries from the Paleolithic era thousands of years ago to the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911. Throughout China's history there has been an ongoing practice of invention and innovation in the forms, materials, decorations, and functions of ceramics made in China, both for the domestic market and for its ever-growing trade with foreign markets. The creation of ceramic ware holds a special and very important place among the many arts and inventions that characterize Chinese culture, society, and civilization.
The product of a ten-year collaboration among eminent American, Chinese, and Japanese scholars, Chinese Ceramics offers a new perspective in interpreting the oldest and one of the most admired Chinese art forms, from its technological aspects to its aesthetic value. The volume includes a chapter on Chinese export ceramics that delves into Chinese trade activities and ceramic wares made for export as well as a chapter about the authenticity of Chinese ceramics, discussing issues related to connoisseurship of this Chinese art.
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Yixing Pottery: The World of Chinese Tea Culture (Arts of China)
Yixing ware elevates something as simple as a teapot or cup into a work of art accessible to all collectors. Its history is rich and vigorous, offering something for just about everyone interested in pottery, tea, or Chinese culture.
The Dynasties of China: A History
Yuan Mei: Eighteenth Century Chinese Poet (China: History, Philosophy, Economics)
First published in 1956. Arthur Waley here presents an engrossing account of the works and life of Yuan Mei (1716-1797), the best-known poet of his time. Gaiety is the keynote of his works and the poet was a friend of the Manchu official with whom Commodore Anson had dramatic dealings at Canton in 1743. Yuan Mei gives an account (not previously translated) of Anson's interview with the Manchu authorities. The book contains many translations of Yuan Mei's verse and prose.Fascinating Stage Arts (Culture of China) (Chinese Edition)
An overview of Traditional Chinese theater and Opera. Color Illustrations.Chinese Classical Furniture (Images of Asia)
Chinese hardwood furniture of the Ming dynasty is known the world over for its classical beauty and ingenious design. This beautifully illustrated introduction to Ming furniture opens with a short history of Chinese furniture styles; goes on to discuss the many varieties of chairs, tables, beds, cabinets, and stands included among Ming pieces; and uses woodblock prints of the time to explore how the pieces were arranged and used.The Rough Guide to China 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
The Rough Guide to China is the definitive guidebook to one of the world's most fascinating and rapidly changing travel destinations. The full-colour introduction gives an inspiring insight into many of China's highlights, from the awesome scenery down the Yangzi River to the incredible Great Buddha at Leshan and the lavish Confucius Temple. Read expert background on everything from the treasures of the Forbidden City to the Buddhist art of the Mogao Caves as well as comprehensive information on China''s history, politics, cultures and peoples. This fully- updated fifth edition includes an extended chapter on Shanghai and new colour inserts throughout allowing you to chose where to go and what to see, inspired by over 150 photos. Rely on our selection of the best places to stay and eat, for every budget with place names, accommodation and restaurants invaluably translated into Chinese script. Featuring over 140 detailed maps plus vital Chinese characters, this indispensable guide takes you from cutting-edge clubs in Shanghai to holy mountains in Tibet and from ancient temples to gleaming new skyscrapers.
Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to China
The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century (Asian Security Studies)
The Chinese Army Today is a comprehensive study of the Chinese military, examining its ground forces in a level of detail not found in any other contemporary works. This new, revised edition has been fully updated to take account of recent changes in the institution.
In 1999, the military modernization program of the Chinese People's Liberation Army increased in intensity and achieved a focus not seen in the previous two decades. Based primarily on actual Chinese sources, this book details these changes and puts them in the context of the many traditions that still remain.
Written by a retired professional military officer who has served in China, the text uses first-hand observation of the Chinese military and three decades of military experience to weave many disparate threads from official Chinese statements, documents, and media reports into an integrated whole. The author also conducts an in-depth exploration into the many forces that constitute the People's Liberation Army.
This is an essential book for all students of Chinese military and security affairs, and highly recommended for students of Chinese Politics, Asian Security, and International Relations and Strategic Studies, in general.
Art in China (Oxford History of Art)
About the Oxford History of Art Series:"An impressively challenging and ambitious series intended to rewrite no less than the whole history of art in terms of new ideas and new scholarship."--Christopher White, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
"A welcome introduction to art history for the twenty-first century....The best of the past and future."--Robert Rosenblum, New York University
The last twenty years have witnessed profound changes in art history, the greatest of which stem from the social and cultural perspectives now attached to art scholarship. Written by scholars at the forefront of new thinking, many of whom are rising stars in their fields, theOxford History of Art series offers substantial and innovative texts that clarify, illuminate, and debate the critical issues at the heart of art history today. Providing a fresh new look at art that moves away from traditional elitist approaches, the series makes use of new research and methodologies, as well as newly accessible and non-canonical works to offer comprehensive coverage of the art world from archaic and classical Greek art to twentieth-century design and photography, from the artistry of African-American and Native North Americans to the masterpieces of Europe, Polynesia, and Micronesia. Lavishly illustrated and superbly designed, the Oxford History of Art brings new substance and verve to the exciting and ubiquitous world of art.
China boasts a history of art spanning 5,000 years and embracing a wide diversity of images and objects--from jade tablets, painted silk handscrolls and fans to ink and lacquer painting, porcelain-ware, sculpture, and calligraphy. But this rich tradition has not, until now, been fully appreciated in the West where scholars have focused their attention on sculpture, while largely ignoring those art forms most highly prized by the Chinese themselves, such as calligraphy. Now, in Art in China, Craig Clunas marks a breakt! hrough i n the study of the subject. Taking into account all the arts practiced in China, and drawing on recent innovative scholarship, this rich text examines the production and consumption of art in its appropriate contexts. From art found in tombs to the state-controlled art of the Mao Zedong era, Art in China offers a novel look and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Chinese art.
Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art
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Chinese Calligraphy (The Culture & Civilization of China)
Chinese calligraphy, with its artistic as well as utilitarian values, has been treasured for its formal beauty for more than three millennia. This lavishly illustrated book brings to English language readers for the first time a full account of calligraphy in China, including its history, theory, and importance in Chinese culture. Representing an unprecedented collaboration among leading Chinese and Western specialists, the book provides a definitive and up-to-date overview of the visual art form most revered in China.
The book begins with the premise that the history of Chinese script writing represents the core development of the history of Chinese culture and civilization. Tracing the development of calligraphic criticism from the second century to the twenty-first, the fourteen contributors to the volume offer a well-balanced and readable account of this tradition. With more than 600 illustrations, including examples of extremely rare Chinese calligraphy from all over the world, and an informative prologue by Wen C. Fong, this book will make a welcome addition to the library of every Western reader interested in China and its premiere art form.
In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix
The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.List Price: $ 0.99 Price: $ 0.99BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint
- Vintage
- China
- Red / Gold
- 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese painted fancy food basket with carved images of bats of happiness and deer on lid and other Chinese symbols on the bottom rim. Reed handles and red lacquered finish.Price:Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set
- Great starter set
- 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
- Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
- Size: 8.5" x 6"
- Made in China
Chinese character writing is a highly evolved discipline that relies as much on artistic craftsmanship, as it does on literary composition. Our basic writing set comes with two brushes, a black ink stick, ink stone and red ink for the "chop" or signature stamp. The ink is made by gently rubbing the ink stick in a small pool of water in the ink stone. This ancient method allows for very little waste. The same bushes and inks may be used both for writing and painting, as the two art forms are so closely linked. Our writing set comes from Shanghai, the literary capital of China. Also available on Amazon from REORIENT, is the traditional rice paper used for painting and writing.List Price: $ 14.94 Price: $ 14.94
In the Realm of the Flower Phoenix
The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappeared forever.Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.The Flower Phoenix is an ancient handscroll which has been created through generations of women artists. The original page of the handscroll was created by China's Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. The Tang Dynasty is considered by many to be the height of Chinese artistic culture, and Li Bai is China's most renowned ancient poet. Li Bai was inspired by the beauty of Yang Mei. Yang Mei inspires the master painter Wu Daozi. Wu Daozi creates the second page of the Flower Phoenix handscroll. Legends say that Wu Daozi was a mystical painter, who at the end of his life painted a doorway in the side of a mountain, opened the door and disappe! ared for ever.
Each generation creates panels in the book. By telling the story, the storyteller creates a portal into the Realm of the Flower Phoenix. The "storybearer" reads the story and summons the power of the energy of all the generations.
The story opens with Mable "Peach Blossom" Yang's one hundredth birthday celebration. She is going to pass the book on to the next generation. Mable is the most potent storybearer in the family line.
Hand scroll paintings were rolled from one side to the other and as each painted section was revealed, the story of the imagery was viewed and discussed. The book unfolds over many generations and the lives of the long line of women artists who created the Flower Phoenix are brought to life by the telling.
BK0271Y-Chinese Painted Fancy Basket , Vintage, China, Wood (Mu), Antique Asian Decor: Chinese Paint
- Vintage
- China
- Red / Gold
- 13" wide x 13" deep x 16.5" high
Chinese calligraphy writing and brush painting / sumi set
- Great starter set
- 5 brushes, ink well / stone, ink stick, signing ink, stone chop, brush rest, & water well
- Nicely presented in chinese brocade gift box
- Size: 8.5" x 6"
- Made in China
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