People make history, and labor creates the future.
Labor is the fundamental force that promotes the progress of human society.
Labor has created the Chinese nation,
Created the glorious history of the Chinese nation,
It will also create a bright future for the Chinese nation.
On the occasion of International Labor Day,
Let's open it from the perspective of labor
The Palace Museum's exhibition "Why China",
Together in the cultural relics to find the figure of the ancestors,
Walk into the excellent traditional Chinese culture created by the working people.
The Chinese civilization has a long history and is broad and profound
Like a great river;
And to push civilization forward,
There are agriculture, handicrafts, commerce, etc
social labour engaged in the production of material products,
There are also cultural education, scientific and technological research, artistic creation, etc
Social labor engaged in the production of spiritual products.
The spark at the beginning of civilization - the source
The first unit, "Source", is divided into three sections: "Between Heaven and Earth", "Birth is in Place", and "Foundation of Enlightenment", which begins with the analysis of Chinese geography, explains the motives of the productive forces of Chinese civilization, and uses China's unique material culture to show its philosophical ideas, values, and institutional systems, thus laying the foundation for the unification of a multi-ethnic country.
In the "Chronicle of Guan Yan lie", it is said: "Cangmiao knows etiquette, and when there is enough food and clothing, it knows honor and disgrace." This means that only when the people have enough food will they understand etiquette; only when they wear and eat well will they know honor and shame. It can be seen that agriculture and textile industry play an important role in social development. Therefore, the part of farming and weaving shows the labor creation and wisdom exploration carried out by the ancestors to feed and wear warm.
agriculture
With rattan bone hinge Neolithic
The Hemudu culture is distributed in the Ningshao Plain and Zhoushan Islands on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay, and its discovery is considered to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries on the mainland in the twentieth century. Bone rivets are the most important agricultural tools of the Hemudu people, and are chiseled from the shoulder blades of even-ungulate mammals such as deer and buffalo. The upper end of the skeleton is thick and narrow, with a slightly square section, a transverse square mow at the shoulder mortar, 16 circles of rattan and the end of the wooden handle bound by the rattan remain on the outside of the horizontal brass, and the lower end of the blade is thin and wide, and friction marks in different directions are visible.
This bone is the only well-preserved prehistoric bone with a rattan-bound wooden handle found in China so far, which is a microcosm of the level of agricultural development of the Hemudu culture.
agriculture
Stone Sickle Neolithic
The stone sickle collected by the Palace Museum was excavated in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. The blade of the stone sickle is machined into a fine serrated shape, which has obvious cutting ability. At the same time as the discovery of the stone sickle, a small amount of carbonized grain seeds was also found, proving that millet had been widely cultivated in the Yellow River Basin before 7,000 years. When the stone scythe is used, it will be tied to the rear of the vertical handle, and people will grasp the millet straw in the field into a bunch with one hand, and cut the corn straw into a bundle with the handle in the other hand.
agriculture
Stone Axe Neolithic
The stone axe collected by the Palace Museum was excavated from the site of Chengziya in Licheng District, Jinan City, Shandong Province. This small "stone axe" is sharpened very evenly on both sides, symmetrical left and right, and obviously carefully polished.
Agriculture and textile industry
Spinning wheel Neolithic
Weaving refers to weaving cloth. The great Tang Dynasty poet Yuan Shu wrote in the poem "Sacrifice to Hanlin Bai Scholar's Wife Wen": "See the fireflies and the industry, know the taste of weaving wisps." "Silk is an important specialty of ancient China, one of the main materials of international trade between the East and the West before the Industrial Revolution, and an important communication road named after "silk" connects the East and the West. At that time, because its production technology was very complicated, silk products were monopolized by China for a long time.
As the first spinning tool of mankind, the spinning wheel records the wisdom of the ancestors. The ancients first found an oval stone, peeled the surface, then ground into a circle, and then drilled through both sides, and the stone spinning wheel was made. It was accompanied by a rotary rod inserted in the middle of the hole, usually made of wood, bamboo or bone, which was only a straight rod in the early days, and later added a flex hook at the top. With the development of textile technology, the requirements for yarn fineness are gradually increasing. Ceramic spinning wheels made of clay firing appeared and replaced stone spinning wheels.
Agriculture and textile industry
Jade silkworm Shang Dynasty
As one of the symbols of Chinese agricultural culture, silkworms appeared in the Shang Dynasty, indicating the long history of sericulture and textile industry in the mainland. Zhu Bailu, a famous theologian and educator in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, later became a household name and popular godson's classic family training for governing the family, "Zhu Zi Jia Xun", one of which was a warning: "A porridge and a meal are not easy to think about; half a thread and half a wisp, constant thoughts and material resources are difficult." "It has become a famous saying of thriftiness and thriftiness." Our current life is many times richer than that of the ancient people, but we still cannot forget the traditional virtue of saving, start from ourselves, and be a person who practices economy.
Handicrafts and metallurgy
Plate Hoban Commercial Fee
The Dish Fang wei from the Hunan Provincial Museum is the largest and most exquisite bronze fang wei excavated so far, and is known as the "King of Fang Wei". There are six words on the lid of the vessel, "The vessel is the father's own honor", from which we know its owner. In 1919, the vessel was revived in the chaotic world, but the body and the lid were separated for nearly ninety years. In 2014, Hunan people used the "crowdfunding" method to return to China with more than 20 million US dollars to negotiate and purchase the instrument, and finally let the national treasure merge.
Handicrafts and metallurgy
He Zun Western Zhou
Located in the C position of the "Why China" exhibition hall is He Zun from the Western Zhou Bronze Ware from the Baoji Museum. The word "China" first appeared in He Zun's inscription. This exquisite bronze piece from the early Western Zhou Dynasty, with a round mouth, is a kind of "heavenly round place" shape, which not only reflects the solemn and generous temperament, but also hints at the ancient people's understanding of the surrounding world in the pre-Qin period.
This sacrificial vessel cast by the royal nobleman "Ho" is 38.8 centimeters high, 28.8 centimeters in diameter and weighs 14.6 kilograms. The four hollowed-out large door shuttles throughout the body show a majestic and domineering posture. The whole is based on thunder patterns, and the abdomen and hoop feet are high-relief rolled horn feeding patterns. The most crucial point is that the inner sole is cast with 12 lines of inscriptions, totaling 122 words, describing a series of activities in which the Zhou Chengwang camp was built and sacrifices were held. The seventh line begins with the words "Zhaozi China", which is the earliest appearance of the word "China" known. As a result, He Zun's status surpassed that of other Shang Zhou bronzes.
What is more worth mentioning is that the Tinder Terrace of the Beijing Winter Olympics Ceremony is designed with the concept of "inheriting the heavens", and the creative inspiration comes from this.
The world knows China, and China listens to the world - flow
The second unit, "Flow", is divided into three sections: "Blood Dependence", "Harmony and Solidarity", which explains that Chinese civilization has built a Chinese national community, a community of human destiny and a community of earth life through the exchange and integration of various ethnic groups in the region, the reflection and mutual learning with civilizations outside the region, and the dialogue and interaction with natural things.
At the same time, the exquisite cultural relics created with exquisite craftsmanship in this unit also fully show the audience the vivid scenes of the ancestors' busy work and hard work.
Agriculture and handicrafts
Niuhu Copper Case Warring States - Han Dynasty
As a typical symbol of farming culture, the image of cultivating cattle often appears in ancient handicraft products. "Tiger eating cattle" is a common theme in Dian culture, the tiger symbolizes authority and power, and the cow symbolizes wealth and life.
The Niuhu copper case was excavated from Tomb No. 24, which has the largest pit and the largest number of burial items in the Lijiashan Tomb Group in Jiangchuan, Yunnan, and is a bronze ceremonial vessel for placing sacrifices in the Dian Kingdom during the Warring States period. The main body of the artifact is a standing bull, the horns are flying, the back naturally falls into the case, and the tail is a scaled tiger, the tiger climbs the body of the cow, opens its mouth to bite the tail of the ox; the big bull's belly is hollow, and a standing calf is wrapped horizontally. The tension of the tiger and cow fighting and the warmth of the old cow guarding the calf, the two distinct atmospheres have formed a wonderful balance in the cow and tiger copper case, and have reached a very high level in mechanics and aesthetics.
The art of painting
"Step Map" volume (reproduction) Tang Dynasty
We can see news photos every day, and in ancient times there were documentary paintings similar to news photos, especially court news photos, and it was the emperor's royal painter who served as a recorder of court news. Figure painters in the court often had a duty similar to that of today's news photographers, to realistically record the major events that took place in the court in a painterly manner. In history, among the painters who completed these "news photos", the highest position was the minister of a country, which was Yan Liben of the early Tang Dynasty.
This "Step Map" volume (silk color, 38.5 cm in length, 129.6 cm in width), there is no signature of the author on the painting, the canvas is inscribed with the three words "Step Map", after the famous identification of everyone, the Palace Museum Mr. Xu Bangda research, this picture is a facsimile of the Northern Song Court painters, that is, a handmade copy, which completely preserves the basic style of figure painting in the early Tang Dynasty. Thanks to this facsimile, we are able to learn the face of Yan Liben's paintings.
Commerce & Handicrafts
Hu people eat cakes and ride camel figurines in the Sui Dynasty
He had reason to be happy, eating bread on camels to hurry and transport goods, in order to trade large bowls of wine and eat meat in large mouths - the "Hu people eating cakes and riding camel figurines" recommended by the Shanxi Provincial Museum, a rectangular support board stood a camel with a high-headed hiss, and the camel's twin peaks were cushioned with blankets, and a huge bag was mounted on the blanket, and the bag was bulging and filled with bulk goods from trade. A Hu merchant with thick eyebrows, deep eyes and a high nose, and a felt hat, sitting firmly on the bag, holding a "hu cake" in his left hand and holding a "hu cake" in his right hand, was eating with relish, and his face was full of happy smiles.
Camels, big bags, hu cakes, and Hu merchants together show us a picture of cultural exchanges and commercial circulation on the Silk Road, and are also the best witness to the exchange and integration of the Chinese nation in that era.
handicraft
Changxin Palace lamp Han Dynasty
If the "C position" of the exhibition hall in the first part of the exhibition is He Zun, then the Changxin Palace lamp will be on the "C position" of the exhibition hall of the second part of the exhibition. Excavated in 1968 in Mancheng County, Hebei Province, the tomb of Dou Xian, the wife of Liu Sheng, the King of Jing in Han Zhongshan, Shanxi Province, this cultural relic, the lamp height is 48 cm, the palace girl is 44.5 cm high, and weighs 15.85 kg. Since its excavation, this cultural relic has been considered an important representative and peak work of Chinese national arts and crafts, reflecting the superb level of gilding craftsmanship in the Han Dynasty.
Li Jianye, the designer of the Beijing Winter Olympic torch, once said in an interview that the Changxin Palace lamp is a Western Han Palace lamp more than 2,000 years ago, with a light and gorgeous shape and a clever design that is environmentally friendly. "Long faith" is an eternal belief, representing people's pursuit and yearning for light and hope. In the design of the Tinder lights of this Winter Olympic Games, the design team modernized the Tinder lights on the basis of retaining the basic appearance of the Changxin Palace lights, and the flying red ribbons surrounded the top of the Tinder lights, visually unified with the torch "flying", symbolizing the Olympic spirit of hard work.
Created by the people and enjoyed by the people - the sink
The third unit, "Hui", is divided into three sections: "People's Ben Bangning", "Gewu Restoration" and "Convergence chengjian", which respectively explain the traditional concept of the Chinese nation of respecting benevolence and respecting courtesy and integrating the family and the country, the spirit of exploration that pursues the ultimate and the courage to innovate, and the Chinese wisdom of the chinese language that stretches in context and is full of culture and flowers, revealing that all civilization history is created by the people, enjoyed by the people, and inherited by the people.
From education, calligraphy, art, religion, to the "key scientific research achievements" - "four major inventions", our most proud spiritual and cultural crystallization is here!
Painting Art and Culture Education
The Three Icons of the Ming Dynasty
Some people say that the Three Icons are a painting and a miniature of the entire Analects.
Three Holy Icons, Ming Dynasty Silk Ink, Kongfu Old Collection. The picture depicts the three sages of "The Most Holy" Confucius, "Fusheng" Yanzi, and "Zongsheng" Zengzi. In the middle of the picture, the elder is Confucius, wearing a ceremonial crown and wearing a Xuan robe, the disciple Yan Hui stands on the left side, and the disciple Zeng zhan stands on the right side. Both of them wore their heads in scarves and long sleeves with crossed collars. Backed by pine cypress, combined with the Analects "years cold, and then know the pine cypress after withering", alluding to the virtue of a gentleman. The three people's clothes are filled with fly-headed small letters on the book "Analects", because the handwriting is so small that it can only be found if you look closely and carefully, which is amazing.
The whole painting has a unique intention, cleverly combining calligraphy, painting art and Confucian classics, which is unique in style.
Calligraphy Art and Culture Education
Yan family temple stele Tang Dynasty
This monument was erected by Yan Zhenqing for the Yan family to establish a family temple. According to the Tang Dynasty system, Yan Zhenqing, as a prince and young master, could set up a family temple to worship the four generations of Gaozu Yan Silu, great-grandfather Yan Qinli, grandfather Yan Zhaofu, and father Yan Weizhen. The source of the Yan clan is engraved on the stele, and the names and official positions of celebrities and Yan Zhenqing's fathers, ancestors, brothers and other people in the past. The stele records the transformation of the ancestral house of the Yan clan into a temple kitchen. The inscription was written and written by Yan Zhenqing himself, which is one of his later calligraphy masterpieces, which is of great significance to the study of the Yan Zhenqing family and the Tang Dynasty family temple system.
Yan Zhenqing was upright in nature and was known as a righteous martyr. This inscription describes the "virtues, books, articles, and knowledge" of the ancestors of the Yan clan, "all of which give play to the ancestral virtues and perform the family's voice", which is the embodiment of the traditional Chinese nation's ritual intention of posthumously raising filial piety, respecting the deceased, and receiving the family newspaper, and also has the meaning of an annunciation and a country.
China is one of the four ancient civilizations
The only country that has not had a cultural interruption,
In the process of civilization development that has lasted for more than 5,000 years,
The Chinese nation has created world-renowned scientific and technological achievements,
Especially in agriculture, medicine, astronomy, arithmetic and so on
A systematic body of knowledge has been formed.
And the greatest contribution to the process of promoting world civilization,
It must be four great inventions
Papermaking, printing, compass and gunpowder
represented by a large number of inventions.
The exhibition is in the form of pictures, text and objects,
It presents the results of the four major inventions of the mainland.
Painting art and papermaking
"Life Map of the Tomb Owner" Jin Dynasty
Collected in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum, the "Life Map of the Tomb Owner" excavated in 1964 in the Eastern Jin Dynasty of Astana, Turpan, Xinjiang, is the earliest well-preserved and era paper painting seen on the mainland.
"Life Map of the Tomb Owner" most intuitively shows the people's funeral concepts, ideological consciousness and aesthetic tastes of the people at that time, and also reflects the influence of funeral customs in the Central Plains on the Western Regions, and reflects the historical fact that the culture of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang has been marked with Chinese culture from the historical origin.
Religious art and printing
Vajrapani Prajnaparamita Sutra of the Tang Dynasty
This diamond sutra in the British Library's collection is a copy with the date of reproduction on its last page: 868 AD. It was this time that made it a rarity, as it was the earliest printed book in the world.
Scientific research, printing, compass
"Mengxi Pen Talk" Northern Song Dynasty
The Mengxi Pen Talk written by Shen Kuo of the Northern Song Dynasty is a comprehensive notebook work involving natural science, technological technology and social and historical phenomena in ancient China. The book is also highly regarded internationally, and the British historian of science Joseph Needham has described it as "a milestone in the history of Chinese science". In this book, the method and process of Bi Sheng's invention of movable type printing and compass improvement are recorded.
Scientific and technological research and gunpowder
The General Outline of the Martial Classics of the Northern Song Dynasty
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Zeng Gongliang, Ding Du and other Fengshu wrote the "General Outline of the Martial Classics", which is the first new type of military book in China, which includes two major parts of military theory and military technology, and has high academic value. In the military technology section, it includes gunpowder production methods and military weapons using gunpowder, such as tribulus fire harrier, iron-billed fire harrier, and artillery.
Scientific and Technological Research and Printing
Wooden movable type poke Qing Dynasty
There is also a large box of wooden movable type stamps in the exhibition hall. Movable type printing began in the clay movable type of the Song Dynasty, and in the second year of the Yuan Dynasty (1298), Wang Zhen used wooden movable type to print books. Method: First engrave the words on the wooden board, saw it word by word, trim it consistently, and then type it in the wooden frame, and the lines are spaced with bamboo pieces, which can be printed after plugging. In 1899, in the Dunhuang Thousand Buddha Cave, the Uyghur wooden movable characters of the Yuan Dynasty were also found.
In the history of mainland printing, the importance of wooden movable type is second only to engraving, and it has been widely popular in all generations from the Yuan to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Scientific and Technological Research and Printing
"Imperial Rejuvenation First Immortal Elixir" prescription wood carving version of the Qing Dynasty
Engraving printing is an important invention of the ancient Chinese people, is the engraving of graphics on the plate for printing technology, its development in China has gone through several stages from seals, inkstone tablets to engraving plates, and then to movable type plates. Engraving and printing of the plate material, generally choose a fine and solid wood, such as jujube wood, pear wood and so on. Then the wood is sawn into pieces of wood, the words to be printed are written on thin paper, and then pasted on the wooden board, and then according to the strokes of each word, the strokes of each word are carved into Yang chinese with a knife, so that the strokes of each word protrude on the board. After the wooden planks are carved, the book can be printed.
The wood carving version of the Qing Dynasty's "Imperial Rejuvenation First Immortal Elixir" on display proves that the ancient skills have been passed down in an orderly manner.
Scientific and technological research
The Four Medical Codes of the Qing Dynasty
The "Four Medical Classics" collected by the Potala Palace Management Office of the Tibet Autonomous Region is an authoritative tool book for Tibetan medicine that integrates the medical practice and theoretical essence of Tibetan medicine, and is known as the encyclopedia of Tibetan medicine, which is the most systematic, complete and fundamental set of theoretical systems in Tibetan medicine.
The woodcut Edition of the Four Medical Codex is the best-preserved edition in the world, and the Golden Juice Manuscript is the only surviving manuscript of the Golden Juice Manuscript. In May 2015, the Four Medical Codex was selected into the fourth batch of the Chinese Archives and Documentary Heritage List in the name of cultural relics and documents. In June 2018, the Four Medical Codex was inscribed on the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific List.
Science and Technology Research Compass
Copper gilded inlaid enamel sundial Qing Dynasty
Copper gilded inlaid enamel sundials, decorated with white enamel on the time plate, painted with time lines. The azimuth plate decorated with emerald blue enamel is marked with the words "east, south, west and north".
When using, the compass is used to determine the direction first, and after the level of the horizontal tube is adjusted, the projection of the dial on the dial is the time at that time.
Today
Chinese people than at any time in history
All are closer, more confident and capable of achieving
The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
It is created by labor,
We have the glory of history;
It is precisely because of the creation of labor,
We have what we have today.
Every Chinese has a reason
Proud of China's excellent traditional culture,
It is more necessary to shoulder responsibilities,
For the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
Contribute.
When future generations look back on our cause,
Hopefully, it's just like us
Gazing at the achievements of predecessors,
Proudly say:
"This is China!"
END
China Literature and Art Network New Media
Source | The official website of the Palace Museum and the on-site commentary of the exhibition "Why China"
Edit | Angela Bai
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