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As a fashionable gemstone known for its rich heritage, jade has held a special place in Chinese history. Known for its aesthetic beauty, as well as its practical use and social value, jade is significant to many cultures, especially that of ancient Central America.[1] The Chinese definition of jade, “yu,” translates to “any stone suitable …
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Although I used my free pass for the initial post this week, I was particularly intrigued by reading about Chinese ethics, as well as Americans’ great appreciation for Japanese art. To begin with, after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882, immigration of all Chinese labors was prohibited. The act was known as a …
Traditional Chinese ceramics dated from the Song period are known for their historical significance, as well as their aesthetic beauty and elegance. While their origin is a determining factor of the value in which they hold, Ming dynasty buyers would take into account where and when specific pieces were made. During the Ming era, antiques …
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Jade Paper Outline Introduction (Paragraph 1): Special place jade holds in many civilizations Great beauty and value in many cultures; significant to the culture of ancient Central America Practical use and social value Metaphorical value: purity, indestructibility Define “Yu” (Chinese for jade); “means any stone suitable for carving” (22) Composition of the gemstone (unique color …
As it is commonly known that the past shapes Chinese cultural production, ancient Chinese collectors were known for obtaining valuable objects essential to the Chinese materialistic culture. More specifically, objects included “bronzes and jades from the period up to the Han dynasty, certain types of ceramics from the Song period, and the special category of …
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Although I used my free pass for the initial post this week, I gained a lot of insight into the lives of the artisans through reading my classmates informative blog posts. During the Han and Qin dynasties, artisans were included in a rigid social hierarchal system that consisted of four occupational groups that originated from …
As Jingdezhen was known for producing the finest and whitest clay, this high quality clay originated in the Song and continued throughout the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The great amount of workers served the responsibility of shaping the clay into bowls and vases, as well as painting the cobalt and judging the temperature of the …
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Keverne, Roger. Jade. Springer Science Business Media, 1991. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3922-3. Keverne’s book, specifically “Jade: A Special Gemstone,” “Hang to Song Chinese Jades,” and “The Glorious Age of Chinese Jades,” include insight into the unique characteristics and properties of the gemstone, jade, as well as its scientific nature. Through exploring how jade evolved throughout the different dynasties …
Pottery and porcelain are both objects known for being made from clay and for being fired at high temperatures. While the kilns used to make the objects required a various array of skills and differed in their quality, “the imperial kilns often did not succeed at producing enough items, both in terms of quantity and …
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Inkstones served a great influence on East Asia as they occupied “a conspicuous place in the early Qing political project” (3). Not only were emperors of the time very materialistic and would do anything to obtain certain materials, but the ink was used by members of the imperial family in their daily transactions. My classmate, …
