Food in Chinese Culture

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-shih Yü
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Major Aspect ◽  
Han Culture

This article summarizes virtually all of the articles of food and culinary methods and tools in ancient China in the Han Dynasty. It reveals a major aspect of Han culture through its food and culinary methods.

Exotica, Fashion and Immortality: The New Use of Gold in Han Dynasty China (206 bce–ce 220)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Shengyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Composite System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Eurasian Steppe ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Use

This article explores the use of gold in the elite tombs of Han dynasty China, the popular use of which originated outside the Chinese cultural milieu, and its integration into the Han portfolio of materials representing people's expectations for the afterlife, such as immortality and well-being. In contrast to jade, which had a long history of use in China, gold was in itself a ‘new’ element of Chinese culture. This article outlines the introduction of gold objects from Europe and Central Asia via the Eurasian Steppe and borderland of China from around the eighth century bce. The unprecedented use of gold in the Han-specific jade suits, and the process by which foreign types of zoomorphic motifs were adopted and connected with local motifs, are explored. In light of the political change from multiple competing states before the first unification in Chinese history in the third century bce, and the development in ideology and concept of an ideal and eternal afterlife, this article explains the reasons and meanings of the new use of gold in Han dynasty China and the composite system of motifs, materials and objects.

The excavation of the burial M8 at the Zhoujiazhai Cemetery in Suizhou, Hubei

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-114 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Western Han Dynasty ◽  
Bamboo Slips ◽  
Lower Ranking ◽  
Game Board ◽  
Grave Goods

Abstract The burial M8 excavated at the Zhoujiazhai Cemetery in Suizhou City, Hubei Province in 2014 was a vertical earthen shaft pit burial with one coffin chamber and one coffin. The grave goods unearthed from this burial were mainly lacquered and wooden wares, including flask, eared cup, lian-cosmetic case, figurines, bi-disc, ladder-shaped object, T-shaped object, liubo-game board, bamboo case, etc. The occupant of this burial is estimated to be a lower-ranking official in the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. In the bamboo case unearthed from the burial, ink-written “gaodishu (letter informing the underground)” on wooden tablets are found, and hundreds of bamboo slips with text of“ rishu (almanac) ” were also unearthed, which are significantly meaningful for the studies on the rishu of the Qin and Han Dynasties and the date-selecting system in ancient China.

scholarly journals A Study on the Origin and Evolution of Shape and Structure of ‘Gui-Yi’ in Ancient China

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Xiang Yang Bian ◽  
Aijuan Cao
Keyword(s):  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Warring States Period ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Warring States ◽  
Zhou Dynasty ◽  
Separate System ◽  
Southern And Northern Dynasties ◽  
Women's Dress ◽  
Eastern Han

Most of the existing studies on Gui-Yi, which is a kind of ancient women’s dress of China, are barely about the interpretation of Xian (ie. a long ribbon made of silk) and Shao (ie. a hanging fabric of cloth, shaped like a swallow tail, tied to the waist) of Gui-Yi, on whose origin, development and evolution of the shape and structure there are few discussions. Based upon summarizing the literature, this paper points out that Gui-Yi in Han Dynasty was originated from a relic of San-di (ie. three kinds of ceremonial dress worn by queens in The Rites of Zhou Dynasty-a classical book in ancient China on the bureaucratic establishment system of Zhou Dynasty and the system of states in Warring States Period). In the paper, Gui-Yi is divided into two kinds according to images in archaeological studies, namely, the ‘Gui-Yi in one-piece system’ (‘one-piece system’ is Chinese robe) and ‘Gui-Yi in separate system’ (‘separate system’ is a kind of suit that consists of blouses and skirts). The former was popular in Han Dynasty, and the latter was popular in Wei &Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties. The change of the shape and structure of Gui-Yi conforms to the historical trend that the ‘Gui-Yi in one-piece system’ entered a recession in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the ‘Gui-Yi in separate system’ became a popular mainstream in Wei &Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties. In addition, the paper points out female images wearing Gui-Yi in Gu Kaizhi's paintings influenced the expression of Gui-Yi image of Wei & Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties, and Gui-Yi were gradually brought into immortal statues during painters’ artistic processing of that time.

Universality in Chinese Culture

1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-229
Author(s):  
Tsung-I Dow ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
World View ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Computer Language ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Creative Mind

Chinese culture may be identified as Confucian in that the ideas initiated by Confucius and reinterpreted by Confucius' defenders have overwhelmingly molded the Chinese way of life since the Han dynasty. There are elements which, in the long evolutionary process in both theory and practice, can be considered universal in terms of sustaining, enjoying and searching for the meaning of life. This paper attempts to single out such characteristics in Chinese culture for references for universality. They are: 1) the twofold complementary and contradictory world view, 2) the concept of self-realization of the creative mind to practice reciprocity in resolving human relations, and 3) the attempt to establish a universal state, and 4) the potential of Chinese written characters as a universal computer language.

Astral Sciences in Ancient China

2018 ◽  
pp. 128-144
Author(s):  
Xu Fengxian
Keyword(s):  
Empty Space ◽  
Han Dynasty ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Space Theory ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Star Catalogue ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The People ◽  
Solar Eclipses ◽  
Celestial Sphere

The chapter studies ancient Chinese astronomy, which focused on computing and predicting the movements of the heavens (天 tian), the sun, moon, stars, and asterisms, which was the duty of the rulers, in order that the people be well-regulated. Heavenly bodies were allocated to terrestrial zones, especially 28 constellations roughly along the equator or the ecliptic, the seven stars of the Big Dipper (regarded as the carriage of heaven), and the five planets. Unusual celestial phenomena were recorded, such as solar eclipses, comets, and meteorites. The 盖天 gai tian theory (celestial dome theory), the 浑天 hun tian Theory (celestial sphere theory) and the 宣夜 xuan ye theory (infinite empty space theory) were the three primary theories of the structure of the heaven and the earth, in the Han dynasty (202 bce—220 ce). The earliest extant Chinese star catalogue of the whole sky was composed in the 1st century bce, and the definitive constellation system of 283 constellations, 1464 or 1465 stars was composed in the 3rd century ce.

Study on the Hand Spinning Wheel in a Copy of the Mural Painting Collected by Mr. Liu Xianzhou

2011 ◽  
Vol 282-283 ◽  
pp. 497-504
Author(s):  
Qiang Li ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Xiao Ming Yang
Keyword(s):  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Mural Painting ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Image Information ◽  
Art Works ◽  
History Of ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Complete Investigation ◽  
Shape Changes

Many scholars have too much ignored the studies on the hand spinning wheel in ancient China, they drew some wrong conclusions based primarily on the hand spinning wheel in a copy of the mural painting collected by Mr. Liu Xianzhou. We aim to explain the history of hand spinning wheel in ancient China objectively. We made a complete investigation on the image information on the hand spinning wheel from the art works of the Han Dynasty, at the same time we analyzed referenced materials about the hand spinning wheel in ancient China. It is concluded that the mural painting itself is a counterfeit, and the process of shape changes of the hand spinning wheels in ancient China experienced three stages: the finger spinning wheel rotated by the spokes, the crank spinning wheel rotated by the spokes, the hand spinning cord wheel.

scholarly journals Principle of Number Six in Ancient Indian and Chinese Philosophy

2020 ◽  
pp. 64-67
Author(s):  
Vladimir Yurievich Yurinov ◽  
Artur Ravilevich Karimov
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Indian Philosophy ◽  
Chinese Philosophy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Special Significance ◽  
Ancient India ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Ancient Chinese

The paper discusses the role of the principle of the number six in the Vedic corps of ancient Indian phi-losophy and in the philosophy of ancient China. It is shown that number, counting, numerology in the culture of Ancient India and Ancient China played an important, metaphysical role. It justifies why in an-cient Indian philosophy there could be exactly six darshanas, since they exhausted the body of Vedic philosophy (astics). The rest of the schools of an-cient Indian philosophy, therefore, could not claim the status of darshan. The special significance of the number six for Chinese philosophy is also asso-ciated with the presence of six schools and with the Yin symbolism. Since the link «yin» – «yang» is im-portant for the ancient Chinese culture, the number «nine» (the symbol «yang») also acquires special significance for the ancient Chinese culture. It is assumed that together the numbers «nine» and «six» in Chinese culture mean «the number of the Sage».

scholarly journals The Spread and Integration of Painted pottery Art along the Silk Road

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Kai Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Mutual Exchange ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Cultural Exchanges ◽  
Painted Pottery ◽  
The Silk Road

The Silk Road is a product of the mutual exchange of material culture and spiritual culture among ancient China and other countries, regions, and nations. It is the result of the contact and collision between Eastern and Western civilizations. Historically, the Silk Road served as a bridge of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, closely linking ancient Chinese culture with the cultures of Central Asia, West Asia, and even ancient Siberian. In various areas along the Silk Road, all kinds of painted pottery art were integrated and developed.

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