A Pinch of
China
Snuff Bottles
- mirror of
the Chinese Soul
Böhlau
Publishers, Vienna/Austria, English and German text in one volume, hardcover,
192 pages
including 47 photographs, approx. $ 29.00 ISBN
3-205-89761- 6
Blurb
These small bottles made of a variety of materials and often delicately
painted, are a charming and much sought after collector's item. The reader is
introduced not only to these exquisite objects d’art but, almost imperceptibly,
to the culture of China as well, to the myths and her long and ancient history.
The author explains the Chinese astrology, the symbolic meaning of animals and
plants, and the objects of everyday life. This book will fascinate all those
interested in the mysteries of Asia, and even the specialists will find their
appetite whetted. Excellent collectors‘ photographs accompany the concise text.
First
Press Reviews
..
beautifully written and beautifully translated... - ... it is a book for
everyone – that is, everyone interested in cultures. It is clearly written with love and with humor and has the great
quality of being both fascinating and informative. - ... The book is beautifully produced... (Europublic)
... The author takes us on a
tour through the history of the Chinese civilization. He offers a deep insight into the Chinese way of thinking and knows
how to inspire the reader with his enthusiasm for the culture of the Middle
Kingdom... Numerous small anecdotes
and beautiful collector’s photographs... (Free Asia)
The Author
Dr.
Klaus G. Müller was a lawyer in international banking, working in Dusseldorf,
Paris, New York, Brussels, Luxemburg and Rome. Since retiring, he has traveled
widely, and his successful book, „Surviving your Holidays – 1001 Globetrotter
Tips on easy, cheap and safe Travel“ (Beck publishers, ISBN 3-406-37424-7, first edition sold
in 7 months) details his experiences as a
globetrotter. He has a special interest in ancient civilizations, particularly
those of Asia, and his trips to China were inspired by his deep affection for
the country.
Excerpt
Jade – a symbol of Chinese civilization
Jade
or "yu" has been a symbol of Chinese civilization since prehistoric
times, and was the most highly valued precious stone. It had that status in
Chinese culture even before the Bronze Age. The emperor’s seal wasn‘t made of
gold or silver, but of the more valuable jade. It was seen as the most noble of
materials and symbolized nobility, perfection, beauty, purity, virtue,
continuity and immortality. Jade was the "essence of the strength of the
mountains", which enabled man to communicate with the gods. The earliest
Chinese dictionary, put together by Xu Shen in the second century A.D., defined
jade as jadeite, nephrite, jasper, serpentine and crystal. It said: "Jade
is beauty in stone. It symbolizes rectitude because the translucence reveals
the
colour
and markings within; wisdom because of its pure and penetrating note when
struck; courage because it breaks but doesn’t bend; equity because it can have
sharp edges which don’t however injure." By the eighteenth century it was
mined, but before that had to be found in mountains and riverbeds. According to
legend, women searched for it in the rivers with their bare feet. Their skin
was sensitive to the jade’s special surface, particularly because the yang of
the one attracted the yin of the other. Jade was considered as the essence of
heaven and earth. The purest and most costly jade is lychee-pulp white. Olive
green tones are most commonly found. Different minerals in the stone cause the
varieties of colour. The oldest artifacts found are ritual axes, flat discs called “bi“ and
“cong“. According to Chinese cosmology the sky is round. The earth is square
and reflects the five spatial directions: east, south, west, north and center.
The “bi“ was a round disc with a round hole in the middle, a kind of broad ring.
Notwithstanding the difficulties of working with jade, it was always cut and
polished carefully in order to honour the gods of the heavens. The “cong“ was a long,
hollow ornament with square sides, resembling a pipe rounded inside but with a
square exterior. It was supposed to appease the good and evil spirits of the
earth. Ritual objects, amulets to chase away evil spirits, lucky charms and
official emblems were usually made of jade. The living wore jade as sign of their
moral integrity. The dead were provided with it to preserve their bodies and
comfort their souls. Shrouds made of around 2.500 small jade plates were
supposed to radiate life-preserving forces and protect the body from decay.
After
the Song (or Sung, 960-1279) and Yuan dynasties (1279-1368) jade was
increasingly used for everyday articles, rather than just for ritual objects.
The magical beauty of the material meant, anything made of jade was highly
prized. That is true too of the snuff bottles of the Manchu or Qing reign (1644-1911)
and the period of the Republic, i.e. from the revolution of Sun Yatsen (1911)
to the present day.
Fine
ground jade powder was swallowed to ward off diseases and evil spirits. The
tradition is reflected incidentally in it‘s western name. Jade is deducted from
piedra de la ijada = Spanish: stone of softness, i.e. to soften a kidney stone.
The Daoists (Taoists) hoped to attain immortality by regular consumption of
powdered jade.
According
to an old Chinese belief, jade reaches its full beauty only after long
caressing. After years of stroking with the hand the stone reveals all its
liveliness and transparency. Thus every object of jade (and bronze for that
matter too) destined for the emperor underwent long and careful rubbing. Presenting
a piece to the “Son of Heaven“ shortly after mining or polishing would have
been an insult to his imperial dignity. And so these jade bottles made for
well-to-do customers owe part of their perfect beauty and their enigmatic
luster to the many hours in which they were affectionately contemplated in the
hand, touched, felt, fingered, stroked and caressed.
Should
you buy a jade bottle in a shop, to evaluate its authenticity note whether the
material feels cool, smooth and hard. Don’t hesitate to pull out a knife. It
might upset the shop owner, but genuine jade can’t be scratched with a blade.
Confucius
"The pen is
mightier than the sword." No emperor, no warlord, no general has
influenced China more than "Master Kong of the Apricot Hill", as
scholars used to call him affectionately. Kongzi, the Chinese political and
moral philosopher, lived around 500 B.C. He came from an impoverished rural
noble family and preached a sense of family, veneration for ancestors and
respect for elders. One had also to respect the reigning government, as long as
it fulfilled the "Mandate of Heaven" and brought happiness and
prosperity to the people. The essence was filial love, piety or “xiao“ in
Chinese. It bound together not only the family as the smallest unit of society
but also the whole nation. The emperor was the Son of Heaven to which obedience
was owed, but he was also the father of the Chinese people that should show him
respect. The teaching of Confucius was a reaction to the lax spirit of his
time, which was characterized by the decay of traditional morals and conflicts
between
feudal
provincial princes. His views were based on the belief that there had been an era of perfect
virtue in the distant past, brought about by the rule of wise emperors. They were
the models of his doctrine. Confucius and his pupils went from princely court
to princely court, laughed at and chased away by the rulers who liked to hear
about their subjects‘ duty to obey, but not about their own duties under the
“mandate of heaven“. He died poor and unhappy. His writings were destroyed in
the burning of the books under the "Great Emperor" Quin Shihuangdi 213 B.C.
During the following Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) they were transcribed,
i.e. reconstructed from memory or from fragments which had been hidden in walls
or buried in the ground, and became official state doctrine. Only later, during
following dynasties, were the teachings of the master developed into a general
system of values, a law of ethics to everybody. This condemned
"exaggerated" individualism and emphasised the importance of
family, education, hard work, propriety and thrift. Confucius' teachings, as a
corner stone of society, have influenced the culture, life and ethics of China.
They have also spread to countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam over the
centuries, so that he has exerted more influence than any other person in any
other country of the world. Confucius and his doctrine were always highly
respected. His writings, particularly the "Analects" or "Lun Yu",
the conversations of the master as recorded by his pupils, belong to the
classics, and were the main subject in state examinations for future mandarins
for over two thousand years. They reflect the cardinal virtues of Confucian
society: humanity, justice, morality and loyalty. The palace of the Confucius
Family in Qufu was granted the special privilege of a yellow roof (the imperial
colour) and was richly endowed by emperors of all dynasties. The granite
columns, still visible today, are so beautifully carved with dragon motifs that
they were covered with cloth when the emperor was visiting, lest the Son of
Heaven, whose palace in the Forbidden City was not so richly decorated, should
be envious. Unfortunately many treasures of the palace were destroyed by hordes
of Mao's Young Guards during the Cultural Revolution.
Recently
even China‘s communist rulers have rehabilitated the master. The government now
recommends a reconsideration of the old values of Confucianism, in an attempt
to discipline the newly rich profiteers and smugglers of the "socialist
market economy".
Respect
for one’s elders was a sensible attitude in an agrarian land where older people
knew better the complex system of cultivation and irrigation. They were taken
notice of, consulted and honoured. This respect for old age goes so far that in
good Confucian tradition young men today still take off their spectacles when
talking to their elders, so that these can look unhindered into their eyes. A
story in Bette Bao Lord's beautiful book "Spring Moon" seems to me a
good example of Confucian influenced attitudes to life: "A blind
storyteller describes a family of four fleeing the scourge of the barbarians
from the north. Soon the son and the nephew were too weak to walk. The father could
carry only one and asked the mother to choose who should be left behind. The
virtuous mother said, “Let it be our son. We can have another. But your brother
is dead, and his only son must live to feed his spirit in the other
world."
The
representation of Confucius in fig. 17 is purely artistic fantasy. No pictures
were handed down from his lifetime. Glass with painted interior, 7 cm.
12 signs of the zodiac and the five elements
The
age of a Chinese is counted from the day of conception. Thus he is nine months
old when born. But according to Chinese belief, it is only at the moment of
birth that the sign of the corresponding animal of the zodiac is burnt into the
heart of the newly born and determines his character. The Chinese begin their
new year at the new moon, approximating our fifth of February. Age was once
reckoned in moon years; sun years were taken over from the Europeans. The years
are named after the twelve animals whose names in ancient China were also given
to each of the two-hour divisions of the 24 hours of the day: rat, water
buffalo, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and
pig. Some animal signs, their years and those born in them are considered
especially lucky.
The
years are counted in cycles of 60, comparable to our centuries. This stems from
a combination of the twelve animal signs and the five elements, metal, water,
wood, fire and earth. These elements form the chain of life. Metal (container)
collects water, water allows wood to grow, wood feeds the fire’s flames, fire
turn into ash, or earth, the earth contains metal. Like Yin and Yang they
complete the great harmony of the world. Just as the animal cycle of the years
affects the character, according to Chinese astrology the elements do too. The
rays of the earth are thought to make a person independent, uncompromising,
resolute, energetic, ambitious and unerring, as far as the characteristics of
his zodiac sign allow. People born under the water sign have usually the gift
to influence other people, pushing forward developments in the same versatile
and flexible way as their element, motivating fellow combatants. They are
helped by their capacity for precise analysis and their stamina. If you are
born in a year of wood, a Chinese astrologer will certify you self-confidence,
intuition, power to convince, high moral and open-mindedness. People born in a
year of fire are considered dynamic, ambitious, strong of purpose, creative;
the born leaders. A fire cycle began 1996 with a rat-year etc. This system is
the oldest but one in the history of mankind (after the “long count“ of the
Mayas). It starts in our year 2637 B.C.
The
months were simply called first, second etc. to the twelfth month. The same
system was applied to the days of the week. There was no need to emphasise any particular day
as there was neither a Sabbath nor a Sunday, i.e. no rest day or day of
prayers.
It
is interesting to note the exactness of the Chinese calendar and the precise
measure of time, particularly since the thirteenth century. Three hundred years
before the introduction of our Gregorian Calendar the duration of the
circulation of the earth around the sun was only nine seconds out. The end of a
year is always the occasion to repay debts, clean the house and hang red good
wish banners at the doors. On the first day of the New Year friends and
relatives are visited and given the famous red envelopes with money gifts.
God's money, i. e. printed-paper is also burnt, incense sticks are lit and
fireworks are let off in order to chase away evil spirits.
Rat
There is a nice
legend about the naming of the animals of the zodiac. When Buddha entered Nirvana, all the
animals were called to render a last homage. They were promised that the first
twelve to arrive would have the years and the double-hours of the day named
after them. Shortly before arriving, they had to cross a large river. The
buffalo swam fast and steadily. In the middle of the river the rat, which was
falling behind, asked the buffalo whether it might have a rest on its head. The
rat then quickly jumped ashore and reached Buddha first. A variant says, that
the rat clung unnoticed to the back of the buffalo from the very beginning
without asking and jumped off at the crucial moment. That was how it became the
first animal of the zodiac. The first double-hour of the day, i.e. that of the
rat, is from 11 pm to 1 am by our reckoning.
Should
you be born in a year of the rat, every Chinese fortuneteller will inform you
about your favourable qualities. You are charming and attractive to the opposite
sex, hardworking, thrifty, ambitious and successful.
Mozart
and Shakespeare were born in years of the rat.
Fish/Carp
Fish means
"yu" in Chinese, which sounds the same as yu for abundance or
riches. The image
of a child with a fish, for example, expresses the wish, "may you have
numerous children", preferable boys, of course. A representation of two
fishes is a popular wedding gift. It signifies marital harmony. A combination
of lotus (which sounds like “successive“), fish (abundance) and a boy means
abundance and sons for many successive years.
Once
upon a time a carp was on its way upstream to the western hills of the Dian
Lake near Kunming. The current was strong and the fish had to swim hard on
account to its size. There were also many dangers lurking in the water and
these had to be avoided. At the highest point, the "Hills of the Sleeping
Beauty", a big rock barred the passage. Gathering its last strength, it
took a huge leap over the rock and into the lake. While still in the air it
turned into a dragon. Ever since, this rock has been called "Dragon
Gate". There’s another Dragon Gate, based on a similar legend, at the
rapids in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The carp thus symbolizes to
the Chinese strength, and great effort and persistence in reaching a goal. Carp
depicted in all manner of materials and designs were a typical gift to someone
who had passed an examination, particularly of the strenuous kind a mandarin
had to undergo before becoming a member of the imperial administration and
being entitled to wear a dragon on his robe.
Fig 26 shows a
particularly lovely example of a carp leaping out of the waves. It is carved in
semi-relief on black horn coral. The eyes are inset in red. 6,5 cm.
Crane
Cranes are deeply symbolic.
They stand for conjugal happiness because they remain faithful to one partner
throughout their life. These stork-like migratory birds with their red crests
also stand for wisdom and long life because they have inhabited the world for
the last sixty million years, enjoy longevity (living often as long as seventy
years) and because they create an illusion of eternal return by their annual
migration. Young cranes usually respond very quickly to the call of a parent,
and so they also symbolize filial devotion, that so important Confucian virtue.
A white crane, beating his wings on the breastplate of a scarlet red robe,
showed the high rank of a mandarin of the ninth degree, corresponding to a
modern secretary of state. Fig. 28 shows a pair of cranes in a glass bottle
with painted interior, 6 cm, signed “painted in the year o the rat“ with the
usual re (luck!) seal of the artist and perhaps the future owner.
Weaver Girl and Cowherd
A sentimental story
is connected to the stars Altair and Vega. A celestial weaver girl, who weaves
the colourful clouds into beautiful brocade fabric, and a poor cowherd fall in
love. They are so happy together, that they neglect their work. To punish them,
the gods exile them each to one of two different stars, separated by the silver
sky river (our milky way). Once every year on the seventh day of the seventh
month, magpies form a bridge so that the lovers can meet. On this day, the
Chinese Valentine's Day, it often rains so that the lovers are protected from
our curious looks. Their two little children live with the cowherd. He carries
them in two baskets suspended from a shoulder pole. They are the two small
stars on both sides of Altair.
Contents
Foreword: The
European Chinese
Introduction:
Numerous initial mistakes
Materials
Jade - a symbol of
Chinese civilization
Quartz -
semi-precious and other stones
Ceramic –
“artificial stone“
Porcelain - the
"china" of China
Glass - the lost
secret
Ivory – always warm
to the touch
Bone and horn - from
oxen and "children of heaven"
Mother of pearl
Shells - beauties of
the seas
Lacquer – a sap that
only dries in humid conditions
Metal and a
Mediterranean beauty
Seals – restricted
to the classical arts
Stoppers -
appreciated "en suite"
Great themes -
everything under the sky
Cosmos
Pangu
Lady in the Moon
Thought
Ancestor cult
Yin and Yang
Confucius
Laotsi (Laotse) and
Daoism (Taoism)
Buddha and his
teachings
Meeting the occident
Limited victory of
Islam
Government
Dynasties
Republic
Mandarins
Jiang Taigong
Animals
12 signs of the
zodiac and the five elements
Rat, buffalo, tiger,
hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep/goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig
Phoenix
Tortoise
Elephant
Eagle
Fish/carp
Lion
Leopard
Cat
Crane
Cricket
Cicada
Magpie
Duck
Deer/stag/gazelle
Butterfly
Panda
Cormorant
Plants
Tree
Flower
Lotus
Bamboo
Peony
Gourd
Myths and Legends
Meng Jiang/Mrs. Wan
Mirror of truth
Weaver girl and
cowherd
Islands of the
blissful
Everyday Life
Writing
Hutong
Basic professions
Scholars
Inventions
Golden lilies
Zen and Kung Fu
Children
Upbringing
Tea
Door gods
Health
Death
Grave Goods
Birds
Epilogue: A
Mongolian Adventure