(Photo made by Basharat Ali)
(Photo made by Basharat Ali)
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How many people fancy the Silk Road
(Photo made by Basharat Ali)
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2.400 to 2.800 years old leather polo balls found in Yanghai Tombs near Turfan
Archaeologists working in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have found three leather polo balls that are 2,400 to 2,800 years old, indicating polo was being played in China up to 800 years earlier than previously thought.
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Archaeologists working in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have found three leather polo balls that are 2,400 to 2,800 years old. [Photo/People.cn] |
The balls, discovered in the ancient Yanghai Tombs in Turpan, are each about the size of a fist, with a red cross painted on the bottom. They were made of sheep skin and stuffed with leather scraps and wool, said Chen Xinyong of Chinese academic institution Academia Turfanica on Monday.
They are a very similar design to ones unearthed from a Western Han Dynasty (202BC-9AD) tomb in Dunhuang City of northwest China's Gansu Province, Chen said.
Archaeological team leader Lyu Guo'en said the polo balls dated back to the Spring and Autumn Warring States period (770BC - 221BC), even earlier than China's first record of the sport, in the Han Dynasty (202BC - 220AD).
Along with the polo balls, the archaeologists also found eight long-handled mallets that are clearly recognizable from paintings of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when polo was popular and frequently depicted in art.
Similar mallets were also seen in the hands of terra-cotta polo players excavated from the Astana Tombs in the region.
The new items are further evidence of a thriving polo culture in Xinjiang. In recent years, a polo field measuring 6,600 square meters has also been found in the region's Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County.
Dating back 3,000 years, the Yanghai Tombs are the grandest tombs discovered in the Turpan Basin and nearby regions. Since digs began at the site in the 1970s, archaeologists have found large numbers of well-preserved items.
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Life along the Silk Road
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015
Publication: Life along the Silk Road
SUSAN WHITFIELD
Second EditionPaperback, 312 pp., colour, B&W images and line drawings
ISBN: 9780520280595
March 2015
$29.95, £19.95
Order online: University of California Press
For a 30% discount (US and Canada shipping only) use source code 15M4426 at checkout.
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Gold-Filled Tomb of Chinese 'Survivor' Mom Discovered
  A brick tomb from the Ming Dynasty held gold treasures and the skeletal remains of a woman named Lady Mei. The tomb, with its vaulted roof, was excavated in 2008.Credit: Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics |
From: LiveScience 13 May 2015 by Owen Jarus
A Ming Dynasty tomb containing gold treasures has been discovered at a construction site in Nanjing, China. However, the real treasures may be two stone epitaphs that tell the story of the person buried there — Lady Mei, a woman who went from being a concubine to becoming a political and military strategist.
![A gold hairpin, decorated with a mix of sapphires and rubies, found inside the Ming Dynasty tomb of a woman named Lady Mei.]()
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A gold hairpin, decorated with a mix of sapphires and rubies, found inside the Ming Dynasty tomb of a woman named Lady Mei.
Credit: Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics
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A Ming Dynasty tomb containing gold treasures has been discovered at a construction site in Nanjing, China. However, the real treasures may be two stone epitaphs that tell the story of the person buried there — Lady Mei, a woman who went from being a concubine to becoming a political and military strategist.
The epitaphs, found inside the brick tomb, reveal that Lady Mei was a 21-year-old "unwashed and unkempt" woman who "called herself the survivor." Later she became the mother of a duke who ruled a province in southwest China. Lady Mei came to wield much power, providing her son with "strategies for bringing peace to the barbarian tribes and pacifying faraway lands," according to the epitaphs, which were translated from Chinese.
The treasures in her more than 500-year-old tomb include goldbracelets, a gold fragrance box and gold hairpins, all inlaid with a mix of gemstones, including sapphires, rubies and turquoise. [See Images of Lady Mei's Tomb and Gold Treasures]
Archaeologists from Nanjing Municipal Museum and the Jiangning District Museum of Nanjing City excavated the tomb in 2008, and their findings were recently translated into English and published in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics. Lady Mei's coffin was damaged by water, but her skeletal remains were found.
From "survivor" to "dowager duchess"
A gold hairpin, decorated with a mix of sapphires and rubies, found inside the Ming Dynasty tomb of a woman named Lady Mei.Credit: Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics
Researchers say that Lady Mei was one of three wives of Mu Bin, a Duke of Qian who ruled Yunnan, a province in southwest China on the country's frontier.
Born in 1430, she probably would have been about 15 years old when she married the duke, who would've been more than 30 years older than her, researchers say.
She probably didn't enjoy the same status as his other two wives. "Lady Mei was probably a concubine whom he married after he went to guard and rule Yunnan," wrote researchers in the journal article.
But while Lady Mei was a concubine, her own family appears to have had some wealth: Her great-great grandfather "Cheng" was a general who "won every battle" and was granted a fiefdom over "1,000 households," read the epitaphs.
Lady Mei's life changed when she gave birth to the duke's son, Mu Zong, who was 10 months old when the duke died. The newly widowed Lady Mei "was only 21 years of age. She was unwashed and unkempt, and called herself the survivor," the epitaphs say.
She took charge of Mu Zong's upbringing, grooming him to be the next duke.
"She raised the third-generation duke. She managed the family with strong discipline and diligence, and kept the internal domestic affairs in great order, and no one had any complaint," the epitaphs read.
Lady Mei "urged him to study hard mornings and evenings, and taught him loyalty and filial devotion, as well as services of duty."
When Mu Zong came of age, he and Lady Mei traveled to meet the emperor, who charged him with controlling Yunnan, the province his father had ruled. The emperor was pleased with Lady Mei and, sometime after the meeting, awarded her the title of "Dowager Duchess," according to the epitaphs. [Photos: Ancient Chinese Warriors Protect Emperor's Secret Tomb]
As Mu Zong began his rule over Yunnan, he relied on his mother for advice.
"Every morning when the third-generation duke got up, after taking care of official business![]()
, he returned to pay respect to the Dowager Duchess in the main hall," the epitaphs read.
, he returned to pay respect to the Dowager Duchess in the main hall," the epitaphs read."The Dowager Duchess would always talk to the third-generation duke about her loyalty to the emperor, and kind concerns for the people under the rule of the departed former duke, and strategies for bringing peace to the barbarian tribes and pacifying faraway lands."
Lady Mei's death
Lady Mei died at age 45 in the year 1474. The epitaphs say that she passed away of illness in southern Yunnan and was brought to Nanjing for burial.
"On the day of her death, the people of Yunnan, military servicemen or civilians, old and young, all mourned and grieved for her as if their own parents had passed away," the epitaphs read.
"When the obituary reached the imperial court, the emperor sent out officials and ordered them to consecrate and prepare for the funeral and burial."
The epitaphs praise her role in nurturing the young duke and preparing him for the responsibilities of ruling Yunnan. "Using her love and her hard work, she raised and educated the child, and brought him up to be a man of ability and good moral character …" the epitaphs read.
"Why did heaven bestow all the virtues upon her, while being so ungenerous as not to give her more years to live?" the epitaphs ask. "Although the will of heaven is remote and profound, it needs to be spread among millions of people."
The team's report was initially published, in Chinese, in the journal Wenwu. The excavation crew chief was Haining Qi.
Archaeologists in Nanjing, in China, have unearthed a Ming Dynasty tomb that belonged to Lady Mei. Inscribed stone epitaphs found in the tomb say that she died in the year 1474 at the age of 45. Within the tomb archaeologists found fantastic gold artifacts inlaid with gemstones. This image shows a gold hairpin with a flame design. The diameter of the hairpin is 11.2 centimeters (4.4 inches). It still has six sapphires and six rubies on its outer layer while there is a large ruby at center. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Detailed work
A side view of the hairpin with the flame design. The pin itself is 12.3 centimeters (4.8 inches) long and the weight of the artifact is 115.4 grams (about 4 ounces). (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
More beauty
A pair of gold bracelets found in the tomb. Both of them are about 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) in diameter. The bracelets have flower designs and the gemstones are a mix of sapphires, rubies and turquoise. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Assorted gems
This gold hairpin is decorated with a mix of sapphires and rubies. The hairpin is 14.2 centimeters (5.6 inches) in width and its weight is 148.7 grams (more than 5 ounces). (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Meticulous decorations
A fragrance box with gold chain. It is decorated with lotus petal decorations and seven characters written in Sanskrit. The remaining gems include four sapphires, five rubies and one turquoise. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Excessive wealth
A gold hairpin in the shape of a chrysanthemum (flowering plant). It has a large ruby at center and a mix of smaller sapphires and rubies on its petals. The diameter at the largest point is 11.7 centimeters (4.6 inches). The total weight of the artifact is 218.2 grams (more than 7.5 ounces). (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Amazing details
Two gold hairpins with branches and tendril patterns. The hairpin at left has three sapphires, three rubies, one crystal and one turquoise. The one at right has two sapphires, four rubies and one cat’s eye stone. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Beautiful accessories
A gold hairpin with a seven petal lotus design. A large ruby gemstone is still preserved at center. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
Ancient beauty
This image shows a black and white image of the tomb’s exterior. The tomb has a vaulted roof. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)
The diameter othe hairpin is 11.2 centimeters (4.4 inches). It still has six sapphires and six rubies on its outer layer while there is a large ruby at center. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chinese Cultural Relics)↧
“蒙古人和中国丝绸之路”现在也在中国语文 / "Mongols China and the Silk Road" now also in the Chinese Language
你若想用中文读此网页，请点击 Translate (翻译)按钮并选择Chinese (中文)。
If you would like to read this page in Chinese, please click on the Translate button and select Chinese.
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"Монголы Китай и Шелковый путь"в настоящее время в русском языке / "Mongols China and the Silk Road" now in Russian
Если вы хотите прочитать эту страницу на русском языке, пожалуйста, нажмите на кнопку "Translate"и выберите "Russian".
If you would like to read this page in Russian, please click on the "Translate" button and select "Russian".
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If you would like to read this page in Russian, please click on the "Translate" button and select "Russian".
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La Chine, une passion française– 法国的中国之恋
La Chine, une passion française : Archives de la diplomatie française XVIIIe-XXIe siècles Broché – 29 octobre 2014
Broché: 229 pages
- Editeur : Nouvelles Editions Loubatières (29 octobre 2014)
- Langue : Français
- ISBN-10: 2862667056
La Chine, une passion française–
法国的中国之恋
C’est au Moyen Âge que les premiers contacts entre la France et la Chine ont eu lieu, mais c’est dans la seconde moitié du XVIIe siècle, sous le règne de Louis XIV, et au XVIIIe siècle, que des relations suivies se mettent en place, avec la grande mission des jésuites et les activités commerciales de la Compagnie des Indes, puis la création du consulat de Canton en 1776. Puisant dans le très riche matériau des Archives diplomatiques, ce livre évoque les parcours des savants, diplomates ou interprètes, représentant la France en Chine depuis trois siècles, qui ont entretenu avec ce pays une relation particulière, perceptible dans leur œuvre publiée à leur retour ou restée inédite. De Chrétien Louis-Joseph de Guignes à André Malraux, en passant par Paul Claudel, Saint-John Perse et d’autres moins connus, à travers leurs écrits, savants articles ou rapports de mission, récits de voyage, dictionnaires ou recueils poétiques, dessins ou albums photographiques, c’est leur expérience de la Chine, littéraire ou scientifique, érudite ou inventée, qui se dévoile au lecteur.
中国与法国的最早接触可以追溯到中世纪，但直到17世纪下半叶路易十四统治时期以及18世纪，通过耶稣会的大规模传教活动和印度公司为欧洲市场提供中国商品而展开的商业活动，以及1776年在广州设立第一家法 国领事馆，两国才开始建立起真正的联系。 本书大量使用了外交部档案馆极其丰富的馆藏资 料，介绍了300多年来代表法国出使中国的学者、外交官或翻译的经历。在他们返法之后出版的或者未出版的作品中，我们仍然能够感受到他们与中国始终保持着特 殊的联系。 从小德金到安德烈·马尔罗，还有其间的保罗·克洛岱尔、圣-琼·佩斯以及其他一些名声稍逊的人士，他们的中国经历——无论是文学的还是科学的、学术的还是想象的，都通过他们的文字、学术文章或者出使报告、游记、词典和诗集，通过他们的绘画或者摄影作 品，在读者面前一一呈现。
Livre bilingue français-chinois. Voir extrait ci-dessous.
relié sous jaquette – 24,4 x 30,6 cm – 240 pages – 300 documents en quadrichromie – octobre 2014 – 60 euros – ISBN 978-2-86266-705-8
Pour consulter la liste des auteurs, le sommaire ainsi qu’un extrait de l’ouvrage, cliquer sur le pdf. ![Pour consulter la liste des auteurs, le sommaire ainsi qu’un extrait de l’ouvrage, cliquer sur le pdf]( "Pour consulter la liste des auteurs, le sommaire ainsi qu’un extrait de l’ouvrage, cliquer sur le pdf")
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Tea merchants retrace ancient Silk Road
All aboard the camel train! Tea merchants retrace ancient Silk Road on a year-long journey as China attempts to revive the glory of fabled trading route
- 15,000-kilometre journey to Kazakhstan will take over a year to complete
- Convoy comprises 136 camels, 8 horses and more than 100 merchants
- Thousands of residents swarm to see camel train in market town Zhangye
- Cultural journey began in central China and is due to return in March 2016
- China is hoping to revive Silk Road as modern trading route to Europe
Thousands of residents swarmed the streets of an ancient Chinese market town on Tuesday as a traditional camel train passed through the high streets on its year-long trip along the Silk Road.
The convoy, made up of 136 camels, 8 horses and more than 100 merchants, was on its way from Shaanxi province in central China to Kazakhstan to retrace the journey taken by tea traders along the fabled route more than 2,000 years ago.
The 15,000-kilometre trip is expected to finish in Almaty by the end of 2015, reported the People's Daily Online.
Glimpse of the past: More than a hundred camels paraded through Zhangye city in northern China on Tuesday
On the Silk Road: The convoy is travelling 15,000 kilometres to Kazakhstan as part of a cultural initiative. The camels are carrying boxes of specialist tea, which is being promoted along the way
Huge crowd: The convoy attract the attention of thousands of curious Zhangye residents
The journey started in Jingyang County in Shaanxi province in September. On Tuesday, the convoy reached Zhangye, an ancient market town near the Gobi Desert, where thousands of curious residents lined up the streets to witness the spectacle.
The camel train is sent by a tea company from Shaanxi province with the help of regional government in hope of promoting ancient trading culture along the legendary route.
Merchants are expected to promote on the journey Fuzhuan tea, a brew native to Jingyang county.
The camel train is sent by a tea company in hope of promoting ancient trading culture along legendary route
The camel train wound past sites in the city, which was once a large commercial town on the famous route
The convoy will carry specialties from Kazakhstan back to Jingyang in March 2016.
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes stretching across 7,000 kilometres, connecting China and European countries from around 100 BC.
In recent years the Chinese government has pushed to revive the ancient route by investing in high-speed train lines to improve trade links with central Asia.
Last November, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that £26 billion would be invested into the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.
Hoarders: Camels carried goods like silk and jewellery when the Silk Road was established 2,000 years ago
Old and new: The government is reviving the ancient route by building high-speed train links into central Asia
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Emperor Wu Zhao (Zetian) and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers
Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers
(The Sheng Yen Series in Chinese Buddhist Studies) Hardcover – 14 Jul 2015
MAIN
Wu Zhao (624-705), better known as Wu Zetian or Empress Wu, is the only woman to have ruled China over the course of its 5,000-year history. How did she rise to power, and why was she never overthrown? Exploring a mystery that has confounded scholars for centuries, this multifaceted history suggests that Wu Zhao drew on China's rich pantheon of female divinities and eminent women to aid in her reign.
Wu Zhao could not obtain political authority through conventional channels, but she could afford to ignore norms and tradition. Deploying language, symbol, and ideology, she harnessed the cultural resonance, maternal force, divine energy, and historical weight of Buddhist devis, Confucian exemplars, Daoist immortals, and mythic goddesses, establishing legitimacy within and beyond the confines of Confucian ideology. Tapping into deep, powerful subterranean reservoirs of female power, Wu Zhao built a pantheon of female divinities carefully calibrated to meet her needs at court. Her pageant was promoted in scripted rhetoric, reinforced through poetry, celebrated in theatrical productions, and inscribed on steles. Rendered with deft political acumen and aesthetic flair, these affiliations significantly enhanced Wu Zhao's authority and cast her as the human vessel through which the pantheon's divine energy flowed. Her strategy is a model of political brilliance and proof that medieval Chinese women enjoyed a more complex social status than previously known.
REVIEWS
"This is a fascinating study of the only female emperor in the whole of Chinese history. By delving deeply into the religious underpinnings of Wu Zetian's power in a way that not even the most dedicated approach to her utilization of Buddhist scriptures and doctrines alone could manage, this investigation illuminates the unique quality of Wu Zetian's reign far more effectively than previous studies. Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers is a solid piece of well-documented scholarship, yet it is vibrant and entertaining throughout."— Victor H. Mair, University of Pennsylvania
"Wu Zhao is one of world history's most fascinating figures and the most powerful woman in China's long past. N. Harry Rothschild sheds new light on the ideological underpinnings of Wu Zhao's rise to power and unprecedented female dynasty. The Buddhist prophesies justifying her rule are well known, but Rothschild uncovers a more complex story that includes wise mothers and potent goddesses drawn from the Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist traditions. In lively prose Rothschild reveals an ever-evolving pantheon of female paragons that Wu Zhao deployed strategically before and after claiming the throne."— Jonathan Karam Skaff, author of Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Neighbors
"With pain-staking research, unerring insights, rich prose, and a sense of humor, Rothschild lavishly illustrates the political genius of Wu Zhao, China's only female emperor. Along with her talented propagandists, she plumbed the depths of China's three faiths, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, to create a female pantheon of exemplars that legitimated her unprecedented rule. Indicative of her keen political instincts and expansive knowledge of China's cultural traditions, Rothschild adeptly delineates how, over the span of her fifty-year rule, Wu Zhao selectively made use of different goddesses and heroines to match the specific circumstances of her career's twists and turns."— Keith N. Knapp , The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
"Rothschild finally answers the question everyone has asked ever since Wu Zhao became the only female emperor of China in 690 CE: how on earth did she do it? He shows that she drew upon Chinese myth, religion, and traditional systems of thought to craft her image and support her unique claim to legitimacy as ruler. This book is a tour de force of textual analysis and historical detective work that leaves previous sensationalistic accounts of Wu Zhao's rise to power in the dust."— Suzanne Cahill, University of California, San Diego
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
N. Harry Rothschild is associate professor of Asian history at the University of North Florida. He specializes in Tang history and the study of women and gender in China and East Asia. He is also the author of Wu Zhao, China's Only Female Emperor.
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Dynasties and Rulers Through the Mid-Tang
Wu Zhao's Titles at Different Stages of Her Career
Reign Eras from 655 to 705
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Female Political Ancestors
I. Goddesses of Antiquity1. Wu Zhao as the Late Seventh-Century Avatar of Primordial Goddess Nüwa
2. Sanctifying Luoyang: The Luo River Goddess and Wu Zhao
3. First Ladies of Sericulture: Wu Zhao and Leizu
II. Dynastic Mothers, Exemplary Mothers4. The Mother of Qi and Wu Zhao: Connecting to Antiquity, Elevating Mount Song
5. Ur-Mothers Birthing the Zhou Line: Jiang Yuan and Wu Zhao
6. Wenmu and Wu Zhao: Two Mothers of Zhou
7. Four Exemplary Women in Wu Zhao's Regulations for MinistersIII. Drawing the Numinous Energies of Female Daoist Divinities8. The Queen Mother of the West and Wu Zhao
9. The Mother of Laozi and Wu Zhao: From One Grand Dowager to Another
10. Rejected from the Pantheon: The Ill-Timed Rise of the Cult of Wei Huacun
IV. Buddhist Devis and Goddesses11. Dharma Echoes of Mother Maya in Wu Zhao
12. Bodhisattva with a Female Body: Wu Zhao and Devi Jingguang
Conclusions
Appendix: Wu Zhao's Pantheon of Female Political Ancestors
Glossary of Chinese Places, Names, and Terms
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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Daliangjiang: an ancient village in North China
Xinhua, 14 May 2015
These photo's taken on May 12, 2015 show a corner of Daliangjiang, an ancient village in Jingxing county in North China's Hebei province.
A total of 162 residential yards with over 3,000 houses built in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are preserved in this village. [Photo/Xinhua]
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These photo's taken on May 12, 2015 show a corner of Daliangjiang, an ancient village in Jingxing county in North China's Hebei province.
A total of 162 residential yards with over 3,000 houses built in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are preserved in this village. [Photo/Xinhua]
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Dunhuang Research Academy releases paintings that depict work scenes
China Daily 5 May 2015
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Dunhuang Research Academy has released a series of photos of grotto paintings that depict work scenes, such as farming on WeChat during the three-day May Day holiday. The academy is an institution responsible for conservation, management and research at the Mogao Grottoes (a World Cultural Heritage site at Dunhuang), the Yulin Grottoes (a nationally protected key cultural heritage site at Guazhou), and the Western Thousand-Buddha Grottoes at Dunhuang. [Photo/Ecns.cn]
Dunhuang Research Academy has released a series of photos of grotto paintings that depict work scenes, such as farming on WeChat during the three-day May Day holiday. [Photo/Ecns.cn]
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Restoration on 800 year old Buddhist statue from the Tang/ Song Dynasty
CCTV.com 7 May 2015
The restoration of a famous ancient Buddhist stone-carving statue in Chongqing has come to an end. The project lasted eight years and costs 50 million yuan.
The Qianshou Guanyin, or the Thousand-Hands Buddha, is located at Baoding Mountain in Chongqing. The statue was first carved in the early Tang Dynasty and during the Song Dynasty, more than 800 years ago.
Over the centuries, the sculpture's color has faded, some of the gold foil covering it has peeled off, and cracks have appeared. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake caused more damage.
Experts say such a large-scale restoration is unprecedented in China.
The restoration of a famous ancient Buddhist stone-carving statue in Chongqing has come to an end. The project lasted eight years and costs fifty million yuan.
"We spent more than three years on research and project planning. We found solutions and put them into the restoration in the latter four years. This is unprecedented in China and even abroad," expert Zhan Changfa said.
Specialists say that the statue had 830 hands, with one eye carved in each palm, but there were only 403 left. The restoration staff used high-tech, such as X-ray and 3D print to restore it.
"Many fingers are severely damaged, some are broken. We have to use an X-ray machine and other high-tech equipment to fix them. We have to not only maintain its original shape and color, but also reproduce the missing parts," said expert Huang Kezhong.
The restored statue is expected to open to the public June 13, the Chinese Cultural Heritage Day.
Specialists say that the statue had 830 hands, with one eye carved in each palm, but there were only 403 left. The restoration staff used high-tech, such as X-ray and 3D print to restore it.
"Many fingers are severely damaged, some are broken. We have to use an X-ray machine and other high-tech equipment to fix them. We have to not only maintain its original shape and color, but also reproduce the missing parts," said expert Huang Kezhong.
The restored statue is expected to open to the public June 13, the Chinese Cultural Heritage Day.
The restoration of a famous ancient Buddhist stone-carving statue in Chongqing has come to an end. The project lasted eight years and costs fifty million yuan.
The restoration of a famous ancient Buddhist stone-carving statue in Chongqing has come to an end. The project lasted eight years and costs fifty million yuan.Spectacular 800-year-old Buddhist statue of goddess with a thousand hands restored to former glory after eight-year conservation project
- Guanyin statue carved during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 to 1279)
- Known as the 'Goddess of Mercy', the sculpture has more than 1,000 arms
- After eight-year restoration project, it will be on public display from June 13
- Project to repair statue, which started in 2008, cost tens of millions of yuan
A Buddhist statue that is more than eight hundred years old has been restored to its former glory and will soon be on public display in China after an eight-year conservation project.
Cultural experts gathered in Dazu, near Chongqing, to see the unveiling of the UNESCO-listed Guanyin statue in Baoding Mountain yesterday, the People's Daily Online reported.
The Dazu Thousand-hand Bodhisattva was carved during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 to 1279).
The Category 1 National Relic - of a deity known as the 'Goddess of Mercy' - has 1,007 arms and an eye in each palm.
An 800-year-old Buddhist statue will go on public display next month after being restored to its former glory
The UNESCO-listed Guanyin statue, also known as the 'Goddess of Mercy', was carved some 800 years ago
The statue's bright golden colour lost its lustre over the centuries, cracks appeared in the sculpture and part of one of its many fingers fell off in 2007.
A restoration project, which began in 2008 and cost tens of millions of yuan, is finally complete and the statue will be on display to the public from June 13.
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Zhan Zhangfa, the China Academy of Cultural Heritage Project's team leader, said: 'This stone statue is a rarity anywhere in the world and rightly deserves its classification of Category 1 National Stone Relic Conservation Project.'
The conservation team used the most advanced X-ray and infra-red technology to analyse the statue and found various factors that have affected its structural integrity.
Experts gathered in Dazu to see the statue's grand unveiling after an eight-year restoration project
The Dazu Thousand-hand Bodhisattva was carved during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 to 1279)
Over the years, the statue's bright golden colour lost its lustre, cracks appeared in the sculpture and part of one of its many fingers fell off in 2007
Researchers found that the intense heat of Chongqing summers, which have a particularly oppressive humidity, which results in the surface of the Guanyin statue being covered in moisture.
Mr Zhan added that the condensation forming and evaporation process has aged the statue and attacked the gold plating, leading to some bits flaking off.
Dazu rock carving expert Chen Huili explained that the process is similar to the damage caused by condensation in the home, which results in deterioration of walls and clothing.
He added it was a tricky problem for the team.
The 841-year old statue has had four recorded restoration projects which took place in 1570, 1748, 1780 and 1889.
The colour of the golden statue, pictured during restoration, had faded after centuries of deterioration
By 2007, one of the statue's many fingers had partly broken off and it had developed moisture on the surface
But the project team were hindered as there were no records from past restoration efforts of what was done and no similar restoration projects in or outside of China for them to refer to.
The team studied the Tongnan Buddha and the caves in Sichuan and Chongqing to find out the best techniques and methods to use in the restoration.
Dazu Rock Carvings museum director Li Fengyin told the People's Daily Online that the previous restorations used gold gilding and applied mud and even twine to repair the statue.
Mr Zhan said that many people have raised their concerns over how long the repairs will last as the previous restorations had intervals that ranged from decades to centuries.
He said that this is a very difficult question to answer.
Despite being the most comprehensive restoration project for the statue, environmental issues are a cause for concern, including the condensation as well as the dust from the incense that is burned on a daily basis.
The most comprehensive restoration of the 7.7m high and 12.5m wide statue took eight years to complete
Mr Li explained that these issues are being tackled from two different angles.
The first is that the statue will be ventilated to rid it of the build-up of condensation.
Second, academics at Tsinghua University are looking into using the principles of aerodynamics to create a 'curtain' in front of the statue which will allow visitors to see the statue, but prevents dust from reaching it.
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Zheng He's shipyard in Nanjing found?
Builders unearth 'ancient shipyard of China's Columbus'
Zheng He, China's most famous maritime explorer, and his "Treasure Fleet" plied the oceans during the early 15th century
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Construction workers in Nanjing have unearthed what experts believe could be an ancient shipyard that supplied vessels to a legendary explorer known as "China's Columbus".
The Longjiang Shipyard helped build the fleet of Zheng He, a eunuch admiral whose epic voyages in the early 15th century made him China's most celebrated maritime voyager.
The admiral's "Treasure Fleet"– a gigantic navy with junks that had up to nine masts and were sometimes 400ft long – carried cargos of porcelain, silk and tea as far afield as Africa until the emperor pulled the plug on China's maritime ambitions following Zheng's death.
"It was a unique armada in the history of China – and the world – not to be surpassed until the invasion fleets of World War I sailed the seas," Louise Levathes wrote in When China Ruled the Seas, a book on the period.
Zheng He's armada was partly built at the Longjiang Shipyard in Nanjing, China's then capital, around 160 miles west of Shanghai. At its peak its docks were home to an army of between 20 and 30,000 shipbuilders who came from as far afield as Hunan and Guangdong provinces, according to Ms Levathes.
A full size replica of Zheng He's treasure ship at the site of the shipyard where original ship was built in Nanjing (Alamy)
However, the Yangtze River shipyard was lost under Nanjing's urban sprawl as it swelled into today's city of nearly four million residents. That began to change in September last year when a local antiques collector got word that workers on a riverside building site had unearthed and then sold what they thought was a large door.
Wang Shiqing, the collector, tracked the door down and discovered it was actually the rudder of an "ancient ship".
Subsequent excavations in the same area uncovered what are believed to be iron anchors and shipbuilding tools such as axes, stone hammer, nails and knives.
Items unearthed at the construction site in Nanjing
"When I first saw these shipbuilding tools I realised that this was not your average archaeological site," Mr Wang told Nanjing's Jinling Evening Post. "It is very likely to be an ancient shipyard."
Speaking to The Telegraph on Monday, Mr Wang said: "I am 80 per cent sure that this is the site of the Longjiang Shipyard but we still need to wait for the results of its excavation."
Zheng He was born in what is today Yunnan province in 1371. He rose to prominence under the Yongle emperor, the Ming Dynasty's third ruler, and made seven naval expeditions into the Indian Ocean with his 27,000-sailor team between 1405 and his death in 1433.
A controversial 2002 book by a British historian claimed that the Chinese admiral had discovered the Americas more than 70 years before Columbus.
Despite his exploits, Zheng He was largely forgotten until just over a decade ago when Beijing began to revive his story as an example of China's peaceful interaction with its neighbours.
Items unearthed at the construction site in Nanjing
China has also used the admiral's adventures to promote renewed attempts to extend its reach over the seas by building a powerful "blue water navy".
Zhao Zhigang, a Nanjing-based maritime expert, told the Jinling Evening Post the recent discovery was "very likely" to be the Longjiang Shipyard.
Wang Shiqing said that although the shipyard's existence had been widely documented in Ming Dynasty literature no trace of it had ever been found.
If the find was confirmed, authorities "should build a museum above the original site to protect and display these relics", he said.
Additional reporting Ailin Tang
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Two-Day conference in Leiden: Gender Issues in Tibetan Buddhist Societies, 17th-20th Centuries
Current and Upcoming Events
Gender Issues in Tibetan Buddhist Societies, 17th-20th Centuries: A Conference in Memory of Anne Chayet
This two-day conference on gender in Tibetan societies is organized jointly by the research project groups 'Social History of Tibetan Societies' and 'Buddhism and Social Justice'. More details will be made available shortly on this website.
A Short Description of the Original Aims of the Project
Buddhism has a reputation in the modern West as a tradition of peace and justice. It is this romantic prejudice that leads to consternation when confronted with vivid, inescapable scenes of Singhalese Buddhists making war on Tamils, the Burmese junta shooting down monks, or Thai families selling their daughters into sexual slavery. We understand such things as injustices, just as we see racial or gender discrimination as unjust. And as we struggle to understand how such actions could coexist with Buddhist ideals, we wonder what our incomprehension says about our ability to understand historically Buddhist societies of Asia.
The current NWO project explores key aspects of the historical roots and present-day situations of Buddhism and historically Buddhist societies in Asia through the lens of social justice, precisely through questions of the relation between Buddhist ideas and ideals on the one hand, and the realities we discover in Buddhist societies on the other. In these societies, inequalities, prejudicial discrimination and exploitation are every bit as present as they are anywhere else. Therefore, it is not a serious scholarly question to ask why Buddhists do not uphold the ideals of their tradition. What is interesting, however, is the question of how the dynamic tension between ideal and practice is negotiated in historically Buddhist societies, that is, in Asian cultures heir to the legacy of Buddhist teachings and practices.
While much investigation and thought has gone into exploring how Western (predominantly Christian) societies create and negotiate their moralities, from Israelite days to the present, very little comparable work has been done in Asian Buddhist cultures. Our project seeks to address this lack through simultaneous, conjoined investigations of both Buddhist ideologies, based on scripture and developed over the centuries by great thinkers, and social practices engaged in, encouraged, or discouraged, by Buddhist institutions and individuals.
The applicant’s work explores the Indian background of Buddhism, the fount of all later tradition, focusing on questions of labor, especially slavery, and caste. This provides the pivot around which revolve the other projects, which by engaging the interaction between theory and practice refer back both historically and conceptually to the Indian sources of all Buddhist traditions. One of the key questions we seek to answer is how Indian sources (themselves multiple and diverse) have been appropriated and transformed as the tradition spread. Four satellite projects coordinate symbiotically with the applicant’s research, and among themselves. These projects deal with medieval Korea and the slaveholding of Buddhist monasteries, exploring this almost completely ignored aspect of Korea’s past, the roots of discrimination against burakumin (‘outcastes’) in Japan, monastic regulations and their influence on justice inside monastic institutions and in relations with the outside world in pre-modern and modern Tibet, and the roots of hierarchy and Buddhist identity in Sri Lanka. The dual focus on (unfree) labor and economic exploitation and social status frame and provide the evidence for broader conversations about the role of the idea of karma and conceptions of personal identity (‘self’) which appear to have played a significant role in shaping Buddhist attitudes.
The overall theme of ‘Buddhism and Social Justice’ is nothing other than the question of freedom and justice, and the relationship between them, which rests in local economic and social contexts. We therefore aim to challenge commonly held notions of Buddhism as largely defined by and virtually embodying a path to liberation. Simultaneously, we aim to ascertain the inner dynamics of Buddhist traditions as they mold, and are molded by, their social environments. ‘Buddhism and Social Justice’ therefore both highlights the tension between historical reality and scripturally expressed ideology and reaches beyond, drawing a picture of a Buddhism simultaneously part of, structured by and challenging its social environments.
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Цвет фото от Монголии в 1913 Color photo's from Mongolia in 1913
If you want to read this in your own language, click on the "Translate" button next in the right hand corner and select your own language (if English does not show up immediately, try any other language first and then English will finally show up as well on top of the list)
From: Prophotos-ru.livejournal.com 29 April 2012
From: Prophotos-ru.livejournal.com 29 April 2012
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visualhistorywrote in ![]()
prophotos_ru- 29 апреля, 2012
Продолжаем путешествие в волшебный мир Альберта Кана. Очередная часть его великой коллекции посвящена Монголии, которую фотограф Стафан Пассе посетил в 1913 гг.
Напомню, что независимость (внешней) Монголии от Китая была провозглашена только в конце 1911 г. Богдо-гэгэн VIII, буддийский лидер страны, 29 декабря был возведён в Богдо-ханы, стал теократическим правителем нового государства. Под руководством русских военных советников была создана 20-тысячная монгольская армия. 3 ноября 1912 г. в Урге было подписано монгольско-российское соглашение, обозначавшее признание Монголии отдельной страной с одновременным установлением над ней российского протектората. Однако уже 5 ноября 1913 г. Россия признала сюзеренитет Китая над Монголией при сохранении за последней прав автономии.
Таким образом, Стефан Пассе запечатлел Монголию в тот момент, когда она была (по крайней мере, в широком смысле) частью Российской империи. При этом страна продолжала оставаться настоящим заповедником дремучего феодализма, "парком тимурского периода". И всё здесь было диковинным для европейца.
В журнале National Geographic этот снимок был опубликован с подписью: "монгольская женщина, приговорённая к голодной смерти":
![]()
Хотя этот ящик мог использоваться просто как переносная тюрьма, известная у кочевых народов.
"Два солдата казака в Урге", 1913 г. - представители ограниченного контингента, наглядный символ российского протектората:
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Посмотреть в высоком разрешении без цветокоррекции.
Найздено здесь.
Самый лучший снимок - охотник в окрестностях Урги, 1913:
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Крупное разрешение
Экипаж Стефана Пассе между Кяхтой и Ургой (видны флаги Франции и России):
![]()
Столица Монголии Урга (ныне Улан-Батор) 23 июдя 1913 г.:
![]()
Крупное разрешение
Урга в 1913:
![]()
Улочка в Урге:
![]()
Храм в Урге:
![]()
Ступы монашеского квартала Гандан в Урге:
![]()
Лама около ступы:
![]()
Ламы у Желтого дворца:
![]()
Замужняя женщина в Урге:
![]()
Триумфальные ворота Желтого дворца в Урге:
![]()
Badamdorj в окрестностях Желтого дворца, Урга, 1913:
![]()
Юрты монголов:
![]()
Поселение кочевников во Внутренней Монголии. Китай, 1912 (снимок из предыдущей экспедиции в Китай):
![]()
Два всадника-бурята в Троицкосавске (уездный город Забайкальской области, в 4 верстах от китайской границы):
![]()
В 1921 г. в Монголии начнутся совсем другие времена.
Напомню, что независимость (внешней) Монголии от Китая была провозглашена только в конце 1911 г. Богдо-гэгэн VIII, буддийский лидер страны, 29 декабря был возведён в Богдо-ханы, стал теократическим правителем нового государства. Под руководством русских военных советников была создана 20-тысячная монгольская армия. 3 ноября 1912 г. в Урге было подписано монгольско-российское соглашение, обозначавшее признание Монголии отдельной страной с одновременным установлением над ней российского протектората. Однако уже 5 ноября 1913 г. Россия признала сюзеренитет Китая над Монголией при сохранении за последней прав автономии.
Таким образом, Стефан Пассе запечатлел Монголию в тот момент, когда она была (по крайней мере, в широком смысле) частью Российской империи. При этом страна продолжала оставаться настоящим заповедником дремучего феодализма, "парком тимурского периода". И всё здесь было диковинным для европейца.
В журнале National Geographic этот снимок был опубликован с подписью: "монгольская женщина, приговорённая к голодной смерти":
Хотя этот ящик мог использоваться просто как переносная тюрьма, известная у кочевых народов.
"Два солдата казака в Урге", 1913 г. - представители ограниченного контингента, наглядный символ российского протектората:
Посмотреть в высоком разрешении без цветокоррекции.
Найздено здесь.
Самый лучший снимок - охотник в окрестностях Урги, 1913:
Крупное разрешение
Экипаж Стефана Пассе между Кяхтой и Ургой (видны флаги Франции и России):
Столица Монголии Урга (ныне Улан-Батор) 23 июдя 1913 г.:
Крупное разрешение
Урга в 1913:
Улочка в Урге:
Храм в Урге:
Ступы монашеского квартала Гандан в Урге:
Лама около ступы:
Ламы у Желтого дворца:
Замужняя женщина в Урге:
Триумфальные ворота Желтого дворца в Урге:
Badamdorj в окрестностях Желтого дворца, Урга, 1913:
Юрты монголов:
Поселение кочевников во Внутренней Монголии. Китай, 1912 (снимок из предыдущей экспедиции в Китай):
Два всадника-бурята в Троицкосавске (уездный город Забайкальской области, в 4 верстах от китайской границы):
В 1921 г. в Монголии начнутся совсем другие времена.
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New Gandhara Site Unearthed in Pakistan
Largest Buddha Death Scene in South Asia
The recent excavation aimed to expose the remaining portions of the site and to reconfirm that it dates back to the 7th century AD.
A 14-meter-tall statue depicting the death of Buddha made of kanjur stone was discovered last month during a 12-week excavation at the World Heritage Site of Bhamala in northwest Pakistan.
Bhamala is a historical village in the Taxila valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in northwest Pakistan.
The archeological site, which was erected by the ancient Gandhara Kingdom, is located along the northernmost part of the right bank of Haro River.
Taxila valley was included on the list of World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1980.
The Bhamala Buddhist complex enjoys an important geographical position in the Taxila valley and is one of very few sites to have a cruciform stupa.
Stupas are mound-like Buddhist complexes that contain Buddhist relics. They are used as places of meditation. The cruciform stupa is cross-shaped and is usually built and reserved for Buddha himself or for a chakravartin: a great and wise Buddhist man.
Abdul Hameed, lecturer of archeology at Hazara University in Mansehra district, says archeological excavations began in the area in 1930 by a British archeologist named John Marshall.
According to Abdul Hameed, the latest excavation unearthed a main stupa surrounded by votive stupas – a type of stupa constructed to gain spiritual benefits according to Buddhist beliefs – as well as some chapels and a monastery complex to the east of the main stupa.
The excavation was conducted under the supervision of archeologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (U.S.), Baroda University of India, the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums of KP, in addition to the archaeology department at Hazara University.
Discovering Buddha’s Death Scene
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“During the joint venture, some other parts of the monastic complex have been exposed and the death scene of the 14-meter-tall Buddha was discovered. Now it’s the largest sculpture of Buddha in South Asia,” says Abdul Hameed, who worked as a field director with the Directorate of Archeology and Museums of KP during the excavation.
The Pakistani archeologist told OnIslam that the parinirvana (death scene of Buddha) found in Bhamala is the largest sculpture in the world made from kanjur stone.
He says that the pieces of this huge sculpture include the right leg of the Buddha and a portion of his left leg covered with drapery, in addition to the feet and shoulders.
“The statue was placed facing the east. The upper side of the left leg and the arms were found damaged to the east of the sculpture due to unknown reasons. The death scene of Buddha in stucco is now on display in the museum of Taxila city, Punjab province,” he says.
Abdul Hameed explained that after Marshall’s initial excavations, no major works were carried out at Bhamala until now.
The recent excavation aimed to expose the remaining portions of the site and to reconfirm that it dates back to the 7th century AD.
Priceless Artifacts Found
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During the current excavation, about 510 antiquities, including terracotta sculptures, have been unearthed.
Among the items discovered were iron nails, hooks, door fittings and hairclips. The excavations also uncovered 14 copper coins belonging to the 3rdcentury AD Kushan Empire.
Balqees Durrani, an archeologist at Peshawar Museum, explained that a cruciform stupa was found behind the death scene of Buddha during the recent excavations.
Bhamal’s cruciform stupa is unique, she says, because all the other stupas belonging to the ancient Ghandara Kingdom all the way up to present day Peshawar are mostly square in shape.
“Nine chapels were exposed during the current investigation. In the newly excavated chapels, the images of Buddha are provided with double halos, which are very unique and don’t exist in the rest of the Buddhist sites of ancient Gandhara,” Durrani explains.
The Pakistani female archeologist said that such successful excavations of ancient sites show the rich heritage of Pakistan and the KP province in particular.
“We have similar sites in different areas of KP that belong to Ghandara and similar ancient kingdoms. If the Pakistani government showed further interest in excavating and exploring more of these historical sites, tourists and archeologists from all over the world will certainly visit these historical landmarks and the Pakistan will easily generate huge revenue,” she says.
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1500 years old stolen Buddha head of white jade returned
CCTV May 23, 2015
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An ancient jade Buddha statue has been reunited with its stolen head after an 18-year separation. A reunion ceremony was held at the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. After the ceremony and an exhibition in Taiwan, the statue will be sent back to the mainland.
Highlights:
* Made of white jade, the sculpture dates back to the North Qi of the South and North Dynasties, between 550 AD and 557 AD.
* It was originally worshipped in North China’s Hebei Province, where the Buddha’s head was stolen in 1996.
* Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, received a donation of a White Jade Buddha head in May 2014.
* To celebrate the reunion of the head and the body, an art exhibition of Buddhist statues from Hebei province is being held in Foguangshan.
CCTV’S Ian Mickanau filed this report.
Highlights:
* Made of white jade, the sculpture dates back to the North Qi of the South and North Dynasties, between 550 AD and 557 AD.
* It was originally worshipped in North China’s Hebei Province, where the Buddha’s head was stolen in 1996.
* Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, received a donation of a White Jade Buddha head in May 2014.
* To celebrate the reunion of the head and the body, an art exhibition of Buddhist statues from Hebei province is being held in Foguangshan.
CCTV’S Ian Mickanau filed this report.
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Call mummified remains 2.500 years old Altai Princess to be reburied
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Sacrificed Humans Discovered Among Prehistoric Tombs in China
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| The skeleton of an adult female who is facing toward the northwest was discovered among the prehistoric tombs in China. Much of her skeleton below the abdomen is destroyed. Credit: Courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics. |
A prehistoric cemetery containing hundreds of tombs, some of which held sacrificed humans, has been discovered near Mogou village in northwestern China.
The burials date back around 4,000 years, before writing was developed in the area. In just one archaeological field season — between August and November 2009 — almost 300 tombs were excavated, and hundreds more were found in other seasons conducted between 2008 and 2011.
The tombs were dug beneath the surface of the ground and were oriented toward the Northwest. Some of the tombs had small chambers where finely crafted pottery was placed near the deceased. Archaeologists also found that mounds of sediment covered some of the tombs, which could have marked the location of these tombs. [See Images of the Ancient Tombs and Artifacts in China]
Within the tombs, archaeologists found entire families buried together, their heads also facing the Northwest. They were buried with a variety of goods, including necklaces, weapons and decorated pottery.
Human sacrifices were also evident in the burials. In one tomb, "the human sacrifice was placed on its side with limbs bent and its face toward the tomb chamber. The bones are relatively well preserved, and the individual's age at death is estimated at around 13 years," archaeologists wrote in a paper published recently in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics.
Predicting the future
A pot found in one of the tombs is decorated with a string of o's.Credit: Courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.
The goods found in the tombs included pottery decorated with incised designs. In some cases, the potter made numerous incisions shaped like the letter "O," with the O's forming patterns on the vessel. Sometimes, instead of making O's, the potter would incise wavy lines near the top of the pot.
The researchers also discovered artifacts that could have been used as weapons. Bronze sabers were found that researchers say could have been used for cutting. They also found stone mace heads. (A mace is a blunt weapon that can smash a person's skull in.) Axes, daggers and knives were also found in the tombs.
Archaeologists also found what they call "bone divination lots," or artifacts that could have been used in rituals aimed at predicting the future. Bone divination was practiced widely throughout the ancient world. In fact, when writing was developed in China centuries later, some of the earliest texts were written on bones used for divination.
Qijia culture
Most of the tombs belong to the Qijia culture, whose people used artifacts with similar designs and lived in the upper Yellow River valley.
"Qijia culture sites are found in a broad area along all of the upper Yellow River as well as its tributaries, the Huangshui, Daxia, Wei, Tao and western Hanshui rivers," Chen Honghai, a professor at Northwestern University in China, wrote in a chapter of the book "A Companion to Chinese Archaeology" (Wiley, 2013).
Honghai wrote that people from the Qijia culture lived in a somewhat arid area. To adjust to these conditions, the Qijia people grew millet, a cereal suited to a dry environment; and raised a variety of animals, including pigs, sheep and goats.
People from the Qijia culture lived in modest settlements (smaller than 20 acres), in houses that were often partially buried beneath the ground. "Remains of buildings are mainly square or rectangular, and they are usually semi-subterranean. The doors usually point south, identical to the current local custom of building houses, as rooms on the sunny side receive more light and warmth," Honghai wrote.
Scientists aren't certain why the Qijia people engaged in human sacrifice or whom they sacrificed. They may have conquered other groups, enslaving and sacrificing them, Honghai said.
The team's report was initially published in Chinese in the journal Wenwu and focused on discoveries made between August and November 2009. Their report was translated into English and was published in the most recent edition of the journal Chinese Cultural Relics.
A cemetery dating back around 4,000 years has been discovered near Mogou village in northwestern China. Archaeologists have excavated hundreds of tombs containing burials of entire families. This image shows part of one tomb the archaeologists found. The skeleton is of an adult female who is facing towards the northwest. Much of her skeleton below the abdomen is destroyed. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
In this tomb a small chamber filled with pottery was found beside the skeletons. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.
This pot, found in the tomb with the small chamber, contains o-shaped incisions that form an elaborate design. It is handmade and made of red clay. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
Another pot, found in the same tomb, has two lines of o's encircling it. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
Different artifacts were found in other tombs. This image shows animal bones that would have been used for divination – rituals aimed at trying to predict the future. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
This ceramic vessel was found in another tomb and has two lines of o-shaped incisions near its narrow center. The lines encircle the vessel. (Photo courtesy Chinese Cultural Relics.)
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From Mulberry Leaves to Silk Scrolls
New Approaches to the Study of Asian Manuscript Traditions
Justin Thomas McDaniel and Lynn Ransom, Editors
Nov 2015 | 288 pages | Cloth $49.95
University of Pennsylvania Press
Cultural Studies | Asian Studies | Religion
Cultural Studies | Asian Studies | Religion
View main book page
From Mulberry Leaves to Silk Scrollslooks closely at a wide variety of Asian manuscript traditions with a special focus on both their history and the ways in which scholars have employed digital technology to make their cataloguing, comparative study, and aesthetic appreciation more accessible to scholars and students.
Table of Contents
Preface
—Lynn Ransom
Introduction
—Justin Thomas McDaniel
—Lynn Ransom
Introduction
—Justin Thomas McDaniel
PART I. THE ART OF THE BOOK
Chapter 1. The Characteristics of Elephants: A Thai Manuscript and Its Context
—Hiram Woodward
Chapter 2. Representations of Space and Place in a Burmese Cosmology Manuscript at the British Museum
—Alexandra Green
Chapter 3. Stories Steeped in Gold: Narrative Scenes of the Decorative Kammavaca Manuscripts of Burma
—Sinead Ward
Chapter 1. The Characteristics of Elephants: A Thai Manuscript and Its Context
—Hiram Woodward
Chapter 2. Representations of Space and Place in a Burmese Cosmology Manuscript at the British Museum
—Alexandra Green
Chapter 3. Stories Steeped in Gold: Narrative Scenes of the Decorative Kammavaca Manuscripts of Burma
—Sinead Ward
PART II. INSCRIBING RELIGIOUS PRACTICE AND BELIEF
Chapter 4. Drawn to an "Extremely Loathsome" Place: The Buddha and the Power of the Northern Thai Landscape
—Angela S. Chiu
Chapter 5. Shifting Modes of Religiosity: Remapping Early Chinese Religion in Light of Recently Excavated Manuscripts
—Ori Tavor
Chapter 6. Living with Ghosts and Deities in the Qin ? State: Methods of Exorcism from "Jie ? " in the Shuihudi ??? Manuscript
—Daniel Sou
Chapter 4. Drawn to an "Extremely Loathsome" Place: The Buddha and the Power of the Northern Thai Landscape
—Angela S. Chiu
Chapter 5. Shifting Modes of Religiosity: Remapping Early Chinese Religion in Light of Recently Excavated Manuscripts
—Ori Tavor
Chapter 6. Living with Ghosts and Deities in the Qin ? State: Methods of Exorcism from "Jie ? " in the Shuihudi ??? Manuscript
—Daniel Sou
PART III. TECHNOLOGIES OF WRITING
Chapter 7. Spoken Text and Written Symbol: The Use of Layout and Notation in Sanskrit Scientific Manuscripts
—Kim Plofker
Chapter 8. Abbreviations in Medieval Astronomical and Astrological Manuscripts Written in Arabic Script
—Sergei Tourkin
Chapter 9. Creating a Codicology of Central Asian Manuscripts
—Susan Whitfield
Chapter 10. Providing Access to Manuscripts in the Digital Age
—Peter M. Scharf
Chapter 7. Spoken Text and Written Symbol: The Use of Layout and Notation in Sanskrit Scientific Manuscripts
—Kim Plofker
Chapter 8. Abbreviations in Medieval Astronomical and Astrological Manuscripts Written in Arabic Script
—Sergei Tourkin
Chapter 9. Creating a Codicology of Central Asian Manuscripts
—Susan Whitfield
Chapter 10. Providing Access to Manuscripts in the Digital Age
—Peter M. Scharf
Notes
Contributors
Index
Contributors
Index
Excerpt [uncorrected, not for citation]
Preface
This collection of essays inaugurates a new series for the field of manuscript studies: the Lawrence J. Schoenberg Studies in Manuscript Culture. The Schoenberg name has a long history of use at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries due to the generosity and vision of Larry Schoenberg (C'53, WG'57), who sadly passed away in 2014 before seeing the first volume of the series published. The impact of Larry and his wife, Barbara Brizdle, on manuscript studies at Penn has been felt through the establishment of the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image in 1996 and the creation of the Schoenberg Initiative in 2006 to assist the Libraries in purchasing new manuscripts, and the annual Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age, which began in 2008. In 2011, Larry and Barbara donated their collection of manuscripts to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, which led to the founding of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies in 2012. Consistent with Larry's vision of sharing his collection and the knowledge gained through studying manuscripts, this new series will bring together scholars from around the world and across disciplines to present research related to the study of premodern manuscripts and to consider the role of digital technologies in advancing manuscript research. Whether relying on traditional methods of scholarship or exploring the potential of new technologies, the research presented in each volume will highlight the value of the manuscript book in understanding our intellectual heritage.
Several of the essays in this volume were first presented at the Fourth Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age, "Writing the East: History and New Technologies in the Study of Asian Manuscript Traditions," which was held October 21-22, 2011, at the University of Pennsylvania and the Free Library of Philadelphia. The symposium covered a range of issues relating to Asian reading and writing cultures, especially as they pertain to the manuscript source. The success of the event inspired the editors to invite contributions from other scholars. The resulting collection of essays explores such topics as best practices for preservation and cataloging; demonstrates the value of collaboration among scholars who work on different aspects of codicological, paleographic, orthographic, and material culture studies; and reveals how these material objects were used for religious, political, cultural, and pedagogical purposes. Whereas manuscript studies in the West have benefited from a long history of scholarship, scholars of Asian manuscript traditions have only recently begun to excavate this rich field of study. As their work continues, their research can only enhance our understanding of manuscript culture. It is fitting, then, that the first volume of the Lawrence J. Schoenberg Studies in Manuscript Culture begins its work in the area of Asian manuscripts by giving scholars the opportunity to share their work and advance our knowledge.
We also acknowledge here our gratitude to those who made the publication of this volume possible. Our first thanks go to the volume's co-editor, Justin McDaniel, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, who first approached us with the idea to devote an entire symposium to Asian manuscript traditions. We would also like to thank H. Carton Rogers, Vice Provost and Director of Libraries at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jerome Singerman, Senior Humanities Editor at the University of Pennsylvania Press, who through their generosity and good will make possible the continued publication of volumes in this series. In gratitude for everything that the Schoenbergs have done, we dedicate this volume to the memory of Larry Schoenberg and to Barbara Brizdle, whose ongoing support ensures the continuation of the good work that Larry began. We can repay his generosity only by spreading his vision as widely as possible. We offer this series as a small contribution toward that enormous debt.
Lynn Ransom
Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
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