The conch is a gastropod mollusk that prefers to live on coasts, beaches, reefs, etc., with a wide variety of species distributed all over the world. For humans, in addition to conch meat to eat, conch shells of different colors and shapes can also be made into exquisite ornaments, utensils and even musical instruments and religious instruments.
Changes in conch culture
The development of Chinese conch culture has roughly gone through several major stages: the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han periods, the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Tang and Song periods, and the Ming and Qing dynasties. The material of the conch is fragile and difficult to preserve for a long time, so the number of surviving is relatively limited.
In 1995, archaeologists excavated the Cayo Cultural Cemetery in Dahuazhongzhuang in Huangyuan County, Qinghai, and found a Neolithic conch. This conch has a perforation in the middle and is used as an ornament. In 1972, in the ancient tombs M51 and M68 of Lijiashan Ancient Tombs in Jiangchuan, Yunnan, conch conch was found in the Qin and Han period, and the conch was processed and ground into round flakes ornaments, 5.7-7.7 cm in diameter, with perforations in the middle, some inlaid with turquoise, and inlaid with other artifacts such as gold belts for decoration, a total of 26 pieces.
The Hezheng Museum of Paleozoological Fossils houses Aurora conch fossils
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was once a vast ocean, and in a series of shallow seas running east-west, marine paleontology such as corals, sponges, and conchs lived. Later, with the movement of the earth's crust, the sea water retreated and the plateau rose, leaving precious conch fossils, such as the Aurora conch fossils now in the Linxia Hezheng Zoological Fossil Museum in Gansu.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, conch figures frequently appeared in cave paintings. Guzi was the first stop for the introduction of Buddhism to China. Buddhism became popular in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, followed by unprecedented cave building. In the murals of the Guizi Grottoes, Cave 251 in the early Northern Wei style, the Tiangong music trick on the north wall is playing a conch. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes have also been found to have images of snail-blowing tricks. Cave 272 of Mogao Grottoes depicts the Tiangong tricks side by side under the four roofs of the caves, especially the conch on the west wall is arranged in a prominent position in the center, highlighting the function of the conch as a "magic weapon" in Buddhism, and the performance may be Buddhist music. The Eastern Jin Nautilus Cup, unearthed in 1965 in the tomb of Wang Xing of Xiangshan in Nanjing, is 13.3 cm long, 9.9 cm wide and 10.2 cm high. This device uses the natural curled shape of the screw shell, and the gilt copper edge is set at the mouth of the screw shell and the middle ridge of the screw shell, and the gilded copper edge of the mouth extends out both ears, and the ear pattern is the same as that of the ear cup in the same period, indicating that the use of this cup is similar to the ear cup. The gilt-inlaid copper edge is not only for aesthetics, but also adds strength to the fragile shell. The nautilus is a rare shellfish mollusc that lives in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean in the Philippine Sea, and is also inhabited in the South China Sea on the mainland.
The popular "Tianzhu Music" and "Guizi Music" in the court music of the Tang Dynasty have records of "Bei" as a musical instrument, and the instrument named "Bei" or "Fan Bei" is a conch.
Qing dynasty silver tire enamel set with jewel conch, the mouth is connected to the silver tire enamel cover, and the top cover has a button. The all-over blue glaze is lotus petal-shaped, full of entwined lotus patterns inlaid with precious stones. On October 28, the 45th year of Qianlong, Panchen Erdene presented this treasure to congratulate the Qianlong Emperor on his birthday, and it is now in the Palace Museum
The conch heirloom of the Ming and Qing dynasties is relatively rich. The imperial supervisor, one of the "Twenty-four Yamen" of the Ming Dynasty, was responsible for purchasing and producing, according to Liu Ruoyu's "Zhizhongzhi" of the Ming Dynasty: "Its character utensils, the imperial superintendent; Pond fish and shrimp, internal officials and supervisors; Fence the tent drapery, and the division also sets up a supervisor; Big gongs and drums, cane bureaus also. "The image of the conch also appears in the Bogu diagram, such as the conch painted on the Kangxi blue flower pot and the vase, scroll, ding and other antique plays, reflecting that the conch has entered the vision of the boya good ancient people. The spread of conch in the Qing Dynasty was not limited to the upper classes, but was also widely known in folk art, mostly as decorative elements.
The function of the conch
From living vessels to military horns, from religious instruments to public life, the conch has undergone a spiral cycle, showing tenacious vitality.
Vessel function
The use of conch shells as utensils is recorded in "Erya", "Cormorant spoon, parrot cup, 36,000 days in a hundred years, 300 cups a day", Li Bai's "Xiangyang Song" is popular, and Zhang of the Tang Dynasty also said through "Liucup Channel": "Green wine and white screw cup, go back with the flow". The conch is also regarded in Europe as a symbol of wealth and beauty, such as the gold-inlaid silver conch wine glass now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, made around the end of the 16th century. The cup body is a complete conch inlaid with gold-plated silver ornaments, and the handle is for a man riding a sea monster to support the cup with his hands, with a turtle-shaped base, unique shape and beautiful shape. These conch are found in waters off Australia and the East Indies and reach Europe through trade.
When playing the white conch, the lips are against the mouthpiece, and the four fingers are extended into the snail, and the breath is blown to vibrate the sound. Although the snail has a loud and penetrating sound, a conch can only play a single tone, which is limited by the number of sounds and cannot be used as a melodic instrument, but can only be regarded as a color and complementary instrument in the orchestra. Its appearance and disappearance reflect, to some extent, the natural selection of the process of musical development. Because of the loud sound of the conch and the far-reaching transmission, the conch was used as a clarion call in the army to order the three armies, gather people, and give orders. The loud conch trumpet represents the bravery and victory of the soldiers in battle, and is a symbol of strength, authority and domination. There is a record in the "Ji Xiao Xinshu • Order" about Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Yan hero of the Ming Dynasty, "Whoever blows the snail is to ask all the soldiers to get up."
Religious function
In Buddhism, the conch has the function of promoting the Dharma, exorcising demons and demons, making the Dharma heard from afar, eliminating the inner fears of sentient beings, and is a magic instrument played by monks when engaging in Buddhist activities and preaching scriptures, and can also be used as an offering. As a magic vessel, there are many kinds of conch, different materials, ingenious production ideas, and high artistic value. According to Buddhist scriptures, when Shakyamuni preached the sutras, his voice was as loud as the sound of a sea conch, resounding in all directions, and the conch was used to represent the sound of the Dharma, reflecting the believers' great devotion to Buddhism. People in some parts of the mainland believe that the white conch from the sea is a magic weapon to communicate with the dragon king, and often use the white conch to pray for smooth agricultural production and abundant grains. In India, the white conch is also regarded as a vessel for worship, the embodiment of a god and worshipped by the people.
Aesthetic function
As a kind of ornamentation, conch is commonly found on porcelain, gold and silverware, bronze, lacquerware, and enamelware. Such as the image of a conch streamer entangled, and used in groups with China, symbolizing auspicious peace.
(This article was published in the 2023-03 issue of Popular Archaeology, and the author is a <金陵佛教文化博物馆>cultural museum librarian of Nanjing Niushoushan Cultural Tourism Zone)