Two Years in the Forbidden City (2): At The Palace
WHEN we reached the City gates, which were about half way between our house and the Summer Palace, they were wide open for us to pass. This quite surprised us, as all gates are closed at seven o’clock in the evening and are not opened except on special occasions until daylight. We inquired of the […]
A Ming Dynasty Painting Treasure: Departure Herald and Return Clearing
Painting Anime: Departure Herald and Return Clearing
Two Years in the Forbidden City
First Lady In Waiting To The Empress Dowager TO MY BELOVED FATHER LORD YU KENG FOREWORD THE author of the following narrative has peculiar qualifications for her task. She is a daughter of Lord Yu Keng, a member of the Manchu White Banner Corps, and one of the most advanced and progressive Chinese officials of […]
The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors
The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors offers a glimpse of an iconic and long-hidden era of Chinese cultural history. For five centuries Chinese emperors called the Forbidden City (1416–1911), located in the heart of Beijing, their home. With only the emperor, his household and special visitors allowed inside its walls, this immense […]
Mid-Autumn Festival, the Most Romantic Holiday of The Middle Kingdom
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest traditional festival, after the Lunar New Year. It is one of the most humane and poetic traditional Chinese festivals, and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years, long before the Chinese Communist Party took control the Mainland China. Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival According to historical […]
Year of the Dragon: Paint the Dragon, Dot the Eyes
In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is a sacred creature. It is generally believed that the dragon is one of the divine creatures in the heavenly realm, responsible for controlling the rain, lakes and seas, and other waters. Therefore, in Chinese folklore, there are stories about the Dragon King of the Four Seas, as well […]
Storm in a Teacup: A Visual History of Tea (I)
by Anne Wallentine To dunk or not to dunk, that is the question. Tea is quite a conundrum: it is an uplifting social drink that has caused all manner of chaos,from devastating colonial exploitation to mere ‘violent disputes’ over its brewing methods, as George Orwell wrote. Tea fuelled centuries of imperial expansion, exploitation and industrialisation. […]
Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China
By Department of Asian Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art The long period of the Bronze Age in China, which began around 2000 B.C., saw the growth and maturity of a civilization that would be sustained in its essential aspects for another 2,000 years. In the early stages of this development, the process of urbanization […]
The Garden of Perfect Brightness, part 2
Comes from part one In order to create a private retreat near the Forbidden City but away from its formality, the Kangxi emperor created a villa with gardens to the northwest of Beijing which was named the Garden of Joyful Spring (Changchunyuan 暢春園). The emperor had taken frequent excursions to this area at the foot […]