Brief Introduction： Chinese traditional painting is an art that expresses the essence of Chinese culture. With brush-pens, ink, paper, and ink-stones as tools, traditional painting has its own unique system for portraying people, landscapes, flowers, birds and animals. This show follows the trail of influential artists in the Chinese painting world. It also describes the spiritual framework that developed Chinese traditional painting through their works, techniques, and individual life experiences. In this program, you will not only enjoy the landscape paintings of Song Dynasty masters, but you will also have the opportunity understand the developing direction of Chinese traditional painting as it bridges artistic traditions from east to west. = Chinese traditional painting dates back to the Neolithic Period about six thousand years ago. The coloured pottery with painted animals, fish, deer, and frogs excavated in the 1920s indicate that during the Neolithic Period the Chinese had already started to use brushes to paint. Chinese traditional painting is highly regarded throughout the world for its theory, expression, and techniques. According to the means of expression, Chinese painting can be divided into two categories: the xieyi school and the gongbi school. The xieyi school is marked by exaggerated forms and freehand brush work. The gongbi school is characterized by close attention to detail and fine brush work. Xieyi, however, is the fundamental approach to Chinese painting. It constitues an aesthetic theory which, above all, emphasizes the sentiments. Even in ancient times, Chinese artists were unwilling to be restrained by reality. A famous artist of the Jin Dynasty Gu Kaizhi (c. 345-406) was the first to put forward the theory of "making the form show the spirit". In his opinion a painting should serve as a means to convey not only the appearance of an object, but express how the artist looks at it. Gu's views were followed by theories such as "likeness in spirit resides in unlikeness" and "a painting should be something between likeness and unlikeness". Guided by these theories, Chinese artists disregard the limitations of proportion, perspective, and light. Take Qi Baishi, the modern painter, for example. He does not paint shrimps, insects, birds, and flowers as they are in nature; only their essence has shown as a result of the artist's long-term observation and profound understanding of the subjects. Different from Western paintings, a Chinese painting is not restricted by the focal point in its perspective. The artist may paint on a long and narrow piece of paper or silk all the scenes along the Yangtse River. It can be said that the adoption of shifting perspective is one of the characteristics of Chinese painting. Why do the Chinese artists emphasize the shifting perspective? They want to break away from the restrictions of time and space and to include in their pictures both things which are far and things which are near. Also, the artists find that in life people view their surroundings from a mobile focal point. As one walks along a river or in a garden, one sees everything on the way. The shifting perspective enables the artist to express freely what he wants. Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting are closely related because lines are used in both. Chinese people have turned simple lines into a highly-developed form of art. Lines are used not only to draw contours but to express the artist's concepts and feelings. For different subjects and different purposes a variety of lines are used. They may be straight or curved, hard or soft, thick or thin, pale or dark, and the ink may be dry or running. The use of lines and strokes is one of the elements that give Chinese painting its unique qualities. Traditional Chinese painting is a combination in the same picture of the arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving. In ancient times most artists were poets and calligraphers. Su Dongpo (1037-1101), Ni Yunlin (1306-1374), and Dong Qichang (1555-1636) were such artists. To the Chinese, "painting in poetry and poetry in painting" has been one of the criteria for excellent works of art. Inscriptions and seal impressions help to explain the painter's ideas and sentiments and also add decorative beauty to the painting. Ancient artists liked to paint pines, bamboo, and plum blossoms. When inscriptions like "Exemplary conduct and nobility of character" were made, those plants were meant to embody the qualities of people who were upright and were ready to help each other under hard conditions. For Chinese graphic art, poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving are necessary parts, which supplement and enrich one another. Since the turn of the century, China has experienced great political, economic, and cultural changes, and the art of painting is no exception. While traditional Chinese painting still occupies an important place in the life of modern Chinese, many painters now desire to express their experience of new times. By combining new modes of expression with traditional Chinese painting techniques, they are opening up a vast, new world of artistic expression. Form and Content The principal forms of traditional Chinese painting are hanging scroll, album of paintings, fan surface and long horizontal scroll. Hanging scrolls are both horizontal and vertical. They are mounted and hung on the wall. For an album of paintings the artist paints on a certain size of xuan paper, then binds a number of paintings into an album, convenient for storage. The surface of both folding fans and round fans is painted. Before people had electric fans or air-conditioning, they used fans made of bamboo strips pasted with paper or silk. Artists painted the fan's surface as recreation. In time this developed into a form of painting that has been handed down to the present. Folding fans, usually made of paper, are used by men, while round fans, generally of silk, are used by women. When artists paint on the silk, the fan appears fine and elegant. The long horizontal scroll is also called a hand scroll. It is less than fifty centimetres high, but several to a hundred metres long. Pictures on long horizontal scrolls are not restricted as to time, whether seasons or decades. A hundred or a thousand human figures can be portrayed in one painting. After being mounted, it can be appreciated section by section. Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival (Qingming Festival, when Chinese people visit ancestral tombs, falls on April 5 or 6 each year) is a famous horizontal scroll from the Song Dynasty (960 -1279). The painting is 52.5 centimetres long. Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival (part) by Zhang Zheduan (Song Dynasty) Fans Traditional Chinese paintings can be classified according to subject matter into figure paintings, landscapes and flower-and-bird paintings. Landscapes represent a major category in traditional Chinese painting, mainly depicting the natural scenery of mountains and rivers. Characteristics of the Technique The technique of traditional Chinese painting is divided into two major styles: meticulous (gongbi) and freehand (xieyi). Meticulous style requires great care and grace; the strict composition has fine elaboration. The effect is highly decorative. Freehand style generalizes shapes and displays rich brushwork and ink technique. It is easier for beginners, hence this book introduces the techniques of freehand painting, covering brush techniques and the use of ink and colour. Brush techniques Lines play a decisive role in the formation of images in traditional Chinese painting, and the variations in lines are, in the main, determined by the method of using the brush. Consequently, in learning the basic techniques of traditional Chinese painting, you should first grasp the basic techniques of using the brush. For instance, you need to pay attention to how you hold the brush, to start a stroke, continue it and come to an end, how you move your brush quickly or slowly, lightly or heavily, and how you vary lifting or pressing your brush. In general, the brush can be divided into three parts: tip, belly and root. Their properties and functions differ from one another. Sometimes you paint with the tip of the brush, as light as gossamer on the paper. Sometime^ you press the root of the brush heavily on the paper. Sometimes you use the belly of the brush to bring out charms full of vitality. There are also times you use several parts of the brush in one stroke. This depends entirely on how flexibly you use your brush to present an object. If you succeed, your lines will be vivid and forceful, and you will bring out the spiritual characteristics of the object you're portraying. The use of the brush in freehand painting allows for a full range of variations. You should paint flexibly and freely. Do not mechanically copy strokes, or your painting will be stagnant and insignificant. How can you make your painting unconstrained? To begin with, you should observe carefully physical and spiritual changes in objects and the state of mind you intend to present, then you have a clear conception of what you wish to paint. When you paint in this way, your painting will be vivid, interesting and lifelike. There is a saying in Chinese about having a picture of bamboo in your mind. It means that before an artist paints, he must carefully observe the growth and shape of the bamboo and have them clearly in mind. Then in painting the bamboo will be finished at one go and depicted vividly. In freehand painting you should pay attention to how you hold the brush. Do not move your fingers only. It is important to coordinate them with your wrist, elbow and shoulder. You should practise until you are able to paint with your wrist suspended. Thus you may paint with ease the longest line, the roundest circle, and bamboo poles or willow twigs several feet long. The use of ink Ink occupies an exceedingly important position in traditional Chinese painting, whether it is figure painting, landscape painting or flower-and-bird painting, pure line drawing, ink-and-wash, light colouring or heavy colouring. Black is the main colour of traditional Chinese painting, and black has five shades (see p. 10). Th.e use of ink involves four processes: outlining showing the shades and texture of rocks and mountains by light ink stroke, applying dots and colouring. In the use of ink you should stress that "colour does not impair ink" and "colour does not destroy the shape." Images are primary. Brushwork and ink depict the images, and colours only enrich them. You should also understand the relationship between water and ink. What gives ink-and-wash paintings their unique flavour is that they make use of darkness or lightness, density or dilution to present the light and colour possessed by various objects, especially the particular effect formed between water, ink and unprocessed xuan paper. Even a painting executed a long, long time ago still looks refreshing and full of vitality today. Hence, in learning traditional Chinese painting, you should grasp the use of water and ink. If water and ink are well used, a painting is already halfway done. If they are not well used, it will not be a traditional Chinese painting. In using ink, you must pay attention to the following points: 1) When grinding an ink stick on an ink slab, grind slowly rather than quickly, thickly rather than thinly. 2) Before painting, always wash the brush and ink slab, so as to prevent impurities or sediment in the ink. 3) Old ink, namely, ink ground the previous day, cannot be used to paint, especially for flower-and-bird painting in the meticulous style. Such ink easily oozes or becomes light when it comes into contact with water. This defect becomes more serious when painting on silk. Old ink sometimes can be used for landscape painting, but the painting will not be sufficiently bright and pure. Sometimes you may blend old and new ink for use. The use of color The use of colour in traditional Chinese painting stresses the intrinsic colour of the object, varying the shades on the basis of the intrinsic colours. Very early in ancient China the principle was set forth: "Colours should be presented in accordance with the requirements of different categories of objects." Colour in Chinese painting is mostly used after finishing the basic modelling with brushwork and ink. It involves variations of brightness of the intrinsic colours, mutual contrast and harmonious relations between various intrinsic colours, coordination of brush-work and ink technique and consideration of colours' textural functions on paper and silk. Traditional Chinese painting does not depict the complexities of light and colour, but, all the same, it achieves truthful effect with exceedingly artistic appeal. The method of colouring in traditional Chinese painting, stressing mainly the intrinsic colours, does not aim at naturalistic imitation. It proceeds from content and is subordinate to the requirements of the theme. It can exaggerate to the fullest extent and boldly change the intrinsic colours of the object, bringing out the theme prominently and expressing the artist's ideas and feelings to achieve ideal artistic effect and producing direct, pure, and bright aesthetic appeal. We shall illustrate specific methods of colouring in the plates, so shall not explain further here. But beginners should be reminded to pay attention to one point: When you paint on raw xuan paper, you must pay attention to dryness and moist-ness, thickness and thinness of the ink. Generally, when the painting is moist, the colour looks heavier, and after the painting dries, the colour is lighter. Hence, when you paint, the colours should be slightly heavy. Then they will be appropriate after the painting has dried. Chinese Painting - Tools and Materials Traditional Chinese painting has its special materials and tools, consisting of brushes of different The four treasures of the study--brush, ink stick, paper, and ink slab-and other things types, ink and pigments of different textures, xuan paper, silk and various kinds of ink slabs. Chinese people have called writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink slabs the four treasures of the study since ancient times. Brushes There are three types of brushes for traditional Chinese painting:soft, stiff, and mixed. Beginners should acquire both large and small sizes of each type. If you do not have such brushes, you may substitute ordinary brushes, two of the larges, medium and small sizes. There are three types of brushes used in traditional Chinese painting: soft, stiff, and mixed. The soft brush is made mainly of fleece, with the addition of bird feathers. It absorbs a large amount of water and is suitable for painting flowers and leaves and applying water and colours. For instance, there are large and small soft ti brushes, large tai brushes for painting wider objects such as bamboo, and colouring brushes. The stiff brush is made mainly of weasel hair. The artist uses a stiff brush to give the effect of strength, elasticity and resilience. It is convenient for contour lines or painting hills, rocks or tree trunks. Such brushes include brushes for painting the veins of leaves and folds of garments, large and small brushes for calligraphy and painting, brushes for painting plum blossoms and large lanzhu brushes for drawing the bold lines of bamboo or orchids. The third kind of brush is a mixture of soft fleece and weasel hair. The artist uses this kind of brush for the combined effect of strength and grace. For instance, the baiyun brush, made of a mixture of soft fleece and stiff weasel hair, can also be used for painting flowers and leaves. In addition, there are specially made stiff brushes, such as a brush made of short pig bristles or mouse whiskers. Choosing the right brush for painting depends on your requirements or the circumstances in which you are painting. It is better for beginners to use the mixed brush. When buying brushes, it is better to buy in special stores for the four treasures of the study, as they have a complete assortment. Before you start to use a new brush, soak it in cold or warm water. After using the brush, you must wash it clean, squeeze it dry, arrange the brush hair neatly and hang the brush up. The brush can then be used for a long period. Ink Ink:Either and ink stick or prepared ink, duan ink slab and pigments. The ink used for painting is made by grinding an ink stick on an ink slab. You can also buy prepared ink in bottles. The ink sticks consist of pine soot ink and tung-oil-soot ink. In general, tung-oil-soot ink is used, because it is of fine quality and the black has a bluish-purple lustre. Ink sticks with light glue are of top quality. Ink sticks made long ago that have lost their lustre and brightness should not be used. Pine-soot ink, which is black but lustreless, is used only occasionally when painting birds or butterflies in meticulous style. It may also be used when you wish a special effect. Ink sticks should be well protected against dampness, or sun, so that the glue will not be lost and the stick will not become dry and cracked. Pigments are used in addition to ink for colouring in Chinese painting. They are mixed with water, instead of oil. Pigments for Chinese painting are classified as transparent or opaque. Transparent colours are made with plant pigments, including mainly vermillion, gamboge, ochre, cyanine, rouge and carmine. Opaque colours, made mainly of minerals, are also called mineral colours, which include mineral blue, mineral green, titanium white, mineral yellow and cinnabar. Mineral colours have strong covering capacity, but fade easily. Hence, it is necessary to mix mineral colours with an appropriate amount of liquid glue (animal and plant glue). In addition, there are gold and silver powder, made of real gold and silver. Pigment stores in China's Suzh-ou add glue to gold and silver foil, grind them into a fine paste and glue them onto a small porcelain cup, hence the name, gold or silver cup. You can use a clean brush soaked in water to dip up the gold powder in the cup. Gold and silver powder are used mainly to trace leaf veins and on metal objects, giving a sense of splendour in green and gold. However, they are rarely used. Paper and silk Xuan paper is the special material for traditional Chinese painting. It is so called because it is produced at Xuancheng in Jing County, An-hui Province. Xuan paper may be processed or unprocessed. Unprocessed xuan paper absorbs moisture and ink, and colours sink in easily when water is added. When using this kind of paper, pay attention to the moisture of the brush and the speed with which you move the brush. If there is too much moisture and you move the brush too slowly, ink and colours will sink in easily. Processed paper (treated with the proper amount of soybean milk or liquid glue) does not let ink and colours sink in. This kind of paper is suitable for doing paintings in the meticulous style. Chinese artists also like to paint on silk fabric. In general, it is used after being treated and is used mostly for paintings in the meticulous style. Raw silk is used for freehand painting. There are many kinds of xuan paper, each with its own properties. Beginners in traditional Chinese painting should grtsp and make use of these properties through constant practice. Only in this way can they succeed in painting well. In addition, there are ancient xuan paper and imitation ancient xuan paper, each with its own properties and able to produce a particular artistic effect. Xuan paper should be protected against moisture. Ink Slab The ink slab is the tool for grinding the ink stick. A good ink slab is a beautiful handicraft. Many materials are used for ink slabs. The most famous are duan stone, produced at Duanxi in Zhaoq-ing, Guangdong Province, and xie stone, produced at Longweishan (Dragon Tail Hill) in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province. Both are aqueous rock, fine, even and hard in texture. It is easy to grind the ink fine, even and thick, and the ink does not dry quickly. Ink slab for painting should be large (20 to 26 cm in diameter) and deep and have a lid to keep it clean. It can be either square or round. Color-mixing tray Colour-mixing box(dish), and brushwashing jar. This is a dish or plate for mixing colours. White porcelain is best, because the white reflects colourscorrectly. It is not suitable to use a coloured dish or plate or one with decorative designs to mix colours. Brush wash untensil This is equipment for washing brushes. It can be made of glass, porcelain or enamelware. It holds water for washing brushes. Its mouth should be wide, smooth and not rough, so that it will not impair the brush's hair. Instructions Ink shades Ink is divided into five shades; burnt, thick, heavy, light and clear. 1. Burnt ink: The liquid ink is ground very thick. When used in a painting, it is black and glossy. 2. Thick ink: Next to burnt ink in blackness, but since a little moisture has been added, it is not glossy. 3. Heavy ink: Slightly blacker than light ink. 4. Light ink: Moisture is added until it becomes grey. 5. Clear ink: Only a light-grey shadow. In contrast to other ink shades it appears clear and vivid. 6. Dry ink and moist ink: The dryness and moistness of ink is the so-called ink charm. The dryness and moistness of the ink represents the dryness and moistness of the brush technique. The two are inseparable. The brush technique and the use of ink are closely linked. Both a moist brush and a dry brush can produce dark and light shades. In addition, before light ink becomes dry, some thick or moist ink may be added, or before thick ink becomes dry, some light ink may be added, giving the painting liveliness and variety. Although the painting is dry, it is endowed with a sense of moisture. Structure of the brush Holding the brush To paint well, you should, first of all, learn how to hold the brush. The correct method of holding the brush is: keep the fingers firm and the palm relaxed. the thumb pressed the brush handle inward and the index finger presses it outward. Hold the hourth and little finger against the middle finger. Thus you will paint fairly fexibly. Using the brush The tip of the brush is where the hair is most pointed. There are six ways of using the brush: 1.Central brush-point technique: The brush handle is perpendicular to the paper. When drawing a line, you should keep the brush tip in the middle of the line. 2.Side technique: In holding the brush, tilt the brush toward the paper. When drawing a line, keep the brush tip on one side of the line. 3.Revering th direction taken by the brush tip: Move the brush upward or toward the left. Though inconvenient when you paint in this way, your line will show richer variation. 4.Duo technique: This technique in freehand flower painting requires dipping the brush tip in ink or colours, very often one colour after another, so that one stroke can paint both dark and light colors. 5.Applying dots: Horizontal dots, vertical dots, round dots adn slanting dots. 6.Turn and twist:Turn the brush tip inward and outward. Chinese calligraphy is an Oriental art. But what makes it an art? It is very much like painting. It uses Chinese characters to communicate the spiritual world of the artist. Just as one thousand persons will have as many faces, one thousand persons will have as many differences in handwriting. Through the medium of form, way of handling the brush, presentation, and style, calligraphy as a work of art conveys the moral integrity, character, emotions, esthetic feelings and culture of the artist to readers affecting them by the power of appeal and the joy of beauty. Calligraphy is not only a practical technique for writing Chinese characters, but also a unique Oriental art of expression and a branch of learning or discipline as well. As a branch of learning it is rich in content, including the evolution of writing styles, development and rules of technique, history of calligraphy, calligraphers and their inheritance in art, and evaluation of calligraphy as a work of art. This branch of learning is wide ranging and deep, forming an important part of Chinese culture. Like chopsticks, this calligraphy used to be wholly Chinese. As Chinese culture spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore, calligraphy became a unique feature of Oriental art. A Japanese friend once remarked with pride that Oriental culture has one more art than Western culture, by which he meant that language in the East is not mere symbol, but a lofty art-Oriental calligraphy. Recently knowledgeable friends in the West have discovered the unique beauty of Chinese calligraphy. They say every character is written like a beautiful flower. Western scholars visiting China develop a keen interest in and love for Chinese calligraphy. They study Chinese characters, and from the construction of the characters .they seek to understand calligraphy. From calligraphy they seek to learn about Oriental culture. There are artists in the West who understand the abstract beauty of Chinese calligraphic art. They believe that Chinese calligraphy is the most ancient and most condensed of abstract arts. They praise this form of Chinese art as having the beauty of image in painting, the beauty of dynamism in dance and the beauty of rhythm in music. Thus abstract art-the ultramodern art of the West-takes cognizance of the most ancient art-calligraphy-of the East, establishing an intimate relationship between the two. Although calligraphy's home is China, it does not belong exclusively to China. It does not belong exclusively to the East, either. It's no exaggeration to say that calligraphy is a gem in the world's art treasury. With a history of four to five thousand years, the art of calligraphy is rich and profound in content and has attracted the attention of artists the world over. The author of this booklet finds it difficult to treat the subject adequately or well in the limited space available, so he will confine himself to a brief discussion of the method and rules of regular script in Chinese calligraphy. Book References Guo, Bonan 1995. Gate to Chinese Calligraphy. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. = The Art of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain The origins of Chinese pottery and porcelain go back to distant antiquity. And from the masterful excellence of Chinese ceramics, we can deduce the painstaking labor that went into making them. In the National Palace Museum in Taipei, you will find many outstanding examples of nearly translucent egg-shell china. Painted on the surfaces of these Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) and Ch'ing (1644-1911 A.D.) period pieces are delicate flowers, grasses, birds, and beasts that make one sigh and wonder how such fine work was ever produced. Four objective factors influenced the beginnings and development of Chinese pottery and porcelain: clay, fuel, river systems, and markets. Heavy clay and large quantities of fuel are required for pottery and porcelain making. Prohibitively high shipping costs made pottery production economically impractical in areas without these basic prerequisites. So a locale with plentiful supplies of both clay and lumber as fuel had the best potential for setting up a ceramics kiln. Once a large kiln has been set up, it often continues to produce for hundreds of years. The arts of preparing clay, glazing, and firing are often passed down from generation to generation; so each area will tend to develop its own individual glazes, clays, and decorating techniques, resulting in unique styles and designs. These special characteristics provide much of the basis of modern appraisal of ancient pottery and porcelain pieces: from the particular features of a piece, one can usually pinpoint definitively when and where it was made. Beginning with the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), and into the T'ang (618-907 A.D.), Sung (960-1279 A.D.), Yuan (1279-1368 A.D.), and Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) dynasties, large quantities of pottery and porcelain were exported from China to Korea, Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, the Southeast Asian Peninsula, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, the Middle East, the Eastern Coast of Africa, Continental Europe, Great Britain, and the United States. Pottery and porcelain pieces exported during these periods are an excellent source of research materials on the history of China's communications, trade, and economic relations with other countries. Clay suitable for pottery and porcelain making is produced in the Peitou and Nanshihchiao areas of Taipei. Beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pottery and porcelain kilns gradually became concentrated in the Yingke Chen area of Taipei County. Today, Yingke Chen is the main ceramic-producing area of northern Taiwan. Due to the accumulation of ceramic-making experience over the years, and the ceramic masters residing in Yingke Chen who have received their craft from previous generations, modern kiln facilities continue to come to Tingke Chen to set up shop. The pottery and porcelain producing centers of central Taiwan are in Miaoli and Nantou counties. Thanks mainly to the plentiful supplies of stoneware clay and rich forest resources of the Shihtoushan area. kilns have sprung up all over these two counties. Some of the kilns in the Miaoli area have begun using natural gas as a fuel for firing pottery. They also import high-quality porcelain clay, and have brought in modern facilities and technologies to further improve the quality of their products. The key to why ceramic art has been able to develop to such a high level in China lies in the spirit of Chinese craftsmen to strive for excellence. Ceramic and porcelain pieces dating back to various historical periods have demonstrated again and again how Chinese artisans overcame the shortcomings of the materials they used, and how craftsmanship can conquer the difficulties encountered in working with clay. For example, in the late Yuan (1279-1368 A.D.) and early Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) dynasties, the material used to produce porcelain in world-famous Chingte Chen, Kiangsi Province, was porcelain stone mixed with kaolin, a material with relatively poor plasticity. Faced with this difficulty, the porcelain makers of the time came up with the idea of grinding the raw material to an extremely fine consistency, then soaking it in water for several years. This process of hydrolysis increased its stickiness and plasticity. In this way the clay could be stretched and formed on a potter's wheel into beautiful porcelain articles. When half-dry, a special knife was used to shave it until extremely thin; this is how the famous Chinese ``eggshell'' porcelain-a product of the official kilns of the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties-was made. Modern porcelain makers would today be hard put to reproduce this unique process for treating porcelain clay, and the highly developed craftsmanship that accompanied it - even with their state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. Pottery and porcelain artisans of today have full access to modern technological knowledge, and can freely choose their equipment. But they all still carry on in the traditional belief that man can indeed conquer nature. Some imitate ancient designs, others produce avant-grade pieces. With their minds, their hands, and clay and fire, these potters express the artist's perception of beauty, his professional experience, his sensitivity, and his level of artistic cultivation. A senior potter of Taiwan, Lin Pao-chia , has over the past 40 years come to be known as the ``doctor'' of the Yingke Chen ceramics industry. He can usually come up with an answer to virtually any question or problem regarding ceramics that is brought to him, and he has also helped to cultivate uncounted creative talent in the area of ceramic making. Chiu Huan-tang and Shih Nai-yueh made their contributions by bringing in new ceramic making concepts from the United States, and by creating modern works of ceramic art. These masters have also helped train a new generation of ceramists in their art. Young artists who have distinguished themselves in their field include Lien Pao-chai , Chen Chiu-chi , Yang Wen-ne , Sun Chao , and Feng Sheng-kuang . All have their own richly expressive and creative styles. In the Republic of China on Taiwan, some ceramists have learned their craft on their own, others through study abroad; but most received their training from the National Taiwan Academy of Arts, the industrial arts department of National Taiwan Normal University, and the ceramics section, chemical engineering department of the Chinese Culture University. Accompanying the rise in the standard of Living in Taiwan, the number of people who enjoy ceramics and themselves like to throw pots is increasing every year. Those who have actually dug into clay with their own hands have the highest appreciation of the masterful creations of the ancient makers of pottery and porcelain. In meeting the challenge of modern art by merging it with traditional culture, Chinese ceramic art looks toward wholly new creative and innovative horizons. Chinese Embroidery What Are the Features and Categories of Chinese Embroidery? Embroidery is an excellent traditional technology with a long history in China. It is a handicraft to embroider various designs with different kinds of threads and materials on fabric. The unearthed silk painting and embroidery prove that as early as more than 3000 years ago, there was already splendid silk with veiled design and of various colors . At present, the piece of embroidery of the Shang Dynasty found in Henan Province is the earliest embroidery handicraft in China. The rhombus, folding waves design with twisted thread at the edge show that the technology had reached a rather developed level. In a Western Zhou Tomb in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, a piece woven by the braid-strand method was found, which is still used today. The smooth lines and neat stitches showed the skill. The production of embroidery products has not only promoted the productivity in China, but also influenced the international cultural life. In the Qin and Han dynasties ( 221 B.C. -220 A. D.), it had reached a fairly high level and had become an important mechandise for export. Being the homeland of silk, there was an old custom in China that the rich people took the "embroider boudoir" as their proof of loyalty and chastity while the poor people took the skill of embroidery and weaving as their profession. In the Qing Dynasty ( 1644-1911 A. D.), the folk embroidery of different provinces all had their own characteristics and formed the four famous categories of embroidery, i.e. suxiu in Suzhou, xiangxiu in Hunan, shuxiu in Sichuan and yuexiu in Guangdong. Beside these, there were jingxiu in Beijing, ouxiu in Wenzhou, guxiu in shanghai, miaoxiu of the Miao nationality, etc. Each had its own distinct styles. The methods included crisscrossing, mixing, netting, scattering, etc. The flowers, birds and beasts on the embroidery were all as vivid as real living ones. Since 1949, the art of oil painting, Chinese painting and photography have been applied to embroidery at such a terrific effect that they look like paintings from distance and embroidery at close range. The scope of usage also has expanded from theatrical costumes to pillow cases, table cloths, screens, wall hangings, clothes, etc. It is also a traditional exporting product, which is of high economic value. The four famous categories of embroidery embody the characteristics and artistic value of Chinese embroidery. Suxiu is famous for its neat stitches, elegant colors and fine quality. Smooth, bright, neat, even, fine and tight are its features. The subjects are mostly little animals like cats, fish and shrimps. The double-sided embroidery, with the two sides either identical or different, is of exquisite workmanship. For example, the cat's eyes are of different colors on the two sides, which is done by superb skill. Xiangxiu has bright colors. With Chinese paintings as its background, clouds, mountains, rivers, pavilions, birds and animals are embroidered realistically. The techniques of xiangxiu is manifested fully especially in the embroidery of tigers and lions , with their hair embroidered in fine bold lines. There goes a saying: On xiangxiu, birds can sing, tigers can run, flowers are fragrant and people are lifelike. Shuxiu is characterized by its simple structure, bright colors, well-knit stitches, smooth surface and traditional decorator designs like squares and stripes. Its subjects are mostly butterflies, carps, pandas, etc. Yuexiu is done by embroidering with gold and silver threads, which are neat and bright. It has a tight layout, decorator designs and a gorgeous surface. Yuexiu is mostly used in theatrical costumes and wedding gowns. Lychee and peacocks are its traditional subjects. Chinese Jade art - Jade ---- the stone of China Many countries have jadeware culture, but none of them has as long a history as China has. China's jadeware culture has undergone a long process of development from the New Stone Age 10,000 years ago to the present. The earliest jadeware found in China was a piece of serpentine stoneware unearthed in the site of the lmmortal Cave in Haicheng of Liaoning Province dating back to the New Stone Age, more than 12,000 years ago. The second was a small hanging jade article excavated in the site of Hemudu in Zhejiang Province dating back more than 7,000 years. Jadeware in that period was mainly used for personal decoration. A large number of exquisite jade objects were produced 4,000 years ago. Jadeware at that time was mainly used for witchcraft and as an emblem of privileges. During the Shang Dynasty (B.C 1600--B.C 1066,) craftsmen used metal tools to make new progress in jadeware models and sculpture. Round jade articles increased in number and jadeware was often given as gifts. The jade-carving technique developed fast in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (B.C 770--B.C 221.) The Spring and Autumn period was known for its well- carved and exquisite jadeware. The coherent and undulating patterns of dragon, phoenix and Panli (a figure of Chinese folklore) on the jade decorations are still treasured today. In the periods of the Qin and Han dynasties (B.C221--A.D220), jadeware became more practical and objects such as jade tablets fell out of use. At that time, people began to believe in the power of jadeware to increase longevity. They thought they would live forever like gods if they had jadeware. Therefore, the practice of burying the dead with jadeware became common. Invaluable jade figures and clothes sewn with gold threads have been found in tombs dating back to the Han dynasty. During the periods of the Three Kingdoms (A.D220--280) to Song and Yuan dynasties (A.D 960--1368), there was no great development in the jade-carving technique. This changed in the Ming Dynasty when many still famous craftsmen emerged. White jade vessels with gold holders and white jade bowls with gold covers, which were unearthed in the Ming Tombs, reflected the dynasty's peak level in jade carving. The jadeware technique peaked in the Qing Dynasty ( A.D 1644--1911) under the advocacy of Emperor Qianlong . The patterns of China's jadeware have rich connotations showing strong auspicious colours. Bats and gourds were often used as a basis for more than 100 patterns because the Chinese words (bat and gord) sound like "good fortune" in the Chinese language. When a bat was carved on an ancient coin with a hole, it meant fortune was at hand. When many bats were put with birthday peaches, they referred to fortune and longevity. If bats were mixed with sika, birthday peaches and magpies, they also had a good meaning. All these reflected the ancient Chinese people's yearning for a happy life and revealed the essence of China's traditional culture. Jade in China is varied and can be divided into two categories: hard and soft. Good materials provide strong basics for jadeware carving, but the value of a jade object depends on the skills and reputation of craftsmen, the dates of carving, peculiar modelling and the owner's status. Certainly, different people will have various views on the value of the same jade object. It is difficult to have a unanimous standard. Due to the high value of ancient jadeware, there is an equally long tradition of fake jadeware, which looks much like the real thing. Jadeware collectors should be careful and seek the opinions of professionals before making any major purchases. The Chinese Traditional Art of Lacquer In ancient times, man fashioned implements from natural raw materials which he acquired from his environment, such as stone, wood and pottery. The chief difference between lacquerware and other ancient implements is that lacquerware must have a mold. Once coated with lacquer, the material of the mold, whether made of wood, ceramic or bamboo, can no longer be distinguished. Thus experts on ancient implements categorize such implements as lacquerware. The Chinese character for lacquer, pronounced ch'i, is pictographic. One of its components, pronounced mu (meaning wood), forms the top part of the word. In the middle two side strokes protrude downwards like taps that have been sunk into a tree. The lower part of the word is formed by a component, pronounced shui (meaning water), which signifies the flow of sap from the wood. Regions producing varnish trees (cashew) are spread out far and wide especially in the midstream and basin areas of the Yellow River in mainland China. Here naturally grown varnish-tree forests can be seen everywhere. According to credible archaeological records, the Chinese had discovered the sap in varnish trees as early as 7,000 years before, much earlier than the historical Huangti period of legendary history. The sap of these varnish trees had a strong adhesive quality and beautiful gloss. It could be used as a protective, adhesive and beautifying agent for implements. As early as the Neolithic Age, the Chinese already knew how to use lacquer to coat eating utensils, ornaments and implements for sacrificial offerings. Sometime between the 8th and 3rd centuries B.C., lacquerware first appeared in its most exquisite form, and suddenly became the darling of upper-class society. At that time the use of lacquer was already wide-spread; everything from writing implements, musical instruments, eating and drinking utensils, weaponry, furniture, funeral articles and even transportation vehicles were lacquer-coated. The pictures and patterns ranged from symbolic dragons, snakes, phoenixes, and birds, to scenes of court singing and dancing, or gardening and hunting. Since the patterns were sophisticated, the workmanship exquisite, and colors marvelously beautiful, they were well liked by people. From the 8th century B.C. to the 3rd century A.D., the lacquer industry developed like never before--techniques advanced and sales extended far and wide. This was the very period in history when items made of bronze were in decline and lacquerware was widely valued. Following this period, the appearance of yet another high point in the development of the lacquer industry should be ascribed to the start of the 15th century, lasting until the mid-to-late 18th century. Every period prior to this had produced its share of outstanding works, and artifacts from each of these periods had been handed down over the years. Precisely because this kind of craft technique had extended down through the ages uninterrupted, and a great deal of experience had been accumulated, by the start of the 15th century, this kind of lacquered artifact was much loved by the imperial household, resulting in the creation of a special office and posts to produce it. This invariably caused eunuchs and imperial officials to curry to the wishes of the royal household; the people also followed suit, creating a production fad for lacquerware. For a time, the country's lacquerware manufacturing industry flourished, the uses for lacquerware expanded, and the number of patterns and designs increased as well. By the 15th through 18th centuries, the lacquer industry had accumulated a great deal of manufacturing technique and art. Both replicas and originals impart a sense of being highly ornate, bright and stylish. The whole evolutionary process also brought along with it a plethora of new methods and new substances to serve as molds, thus allowing lacquer products to not only have a cultural appearance, but also commercial potential. In the latter decades of the 18th century, oil-based paints were brought to China from the West. And since raw materials for producing them were cheap and the coating process was laborsaving, they quickly supplanted the use of Chinese lacquer coating on utensils for daily-use. After the Second World War, the invention and development of chemical- based paints lead to the production output of chemical-based paints exceeding that of all various other coating materials. Among these three kinds of paint, Chinese lacquer is the sturdiest and most lasting. It doesn't deteriorate, even after one to two hundred years. Oil-based paints, however, flake off in less than ten years and chemical-based paints cannot maintain their original appearance beyond twenty to thirty years. Furthermore, Chinese paint can be applied layer after layer for dozens of times, while oil- or chemical-based paints, after several layers of coating, cannot retain enough strength to be carved. The art of lacquer ornamentation is a purely home-grown Chinese art. It has continued for thousands of years uninterrupted. Even in the highly industrialized Republic of China on Taiwan, this traditional art is still fondly cherished and lovingly nourished by the people. After all, these various lacquer products have been a part of Chinese life for thousands of years and have become an indispensable part of Chinese spiritual life as well. However, how to maintain their indelible brilliance under the impact of modern mechanical civilization is a problem worthy of deep and sober consideration by people from various sectors of society in Taiwan. Cloisonne - The Art of Decorative Enameling Cloisonné, also known as cloisonne enamel, is the decorative art of applying enamel of all colors to the surface of a copper or bronze object which is then fired to become a bright and colorful work of art. This artistic technique was transmitted to China from the West and reached its peak of perfection as a result of the concerted efforts of Chinese artisans. Chinese cloisonné thereupon became the standard by which to measure the quality and appraise the beauty of cloisonn¦ world-wide. This ranks as one of China's major contributions to the world's fine arts. The technique for cloisonne enameling was passed onto China by missionaries from central Asia sometime in the early to mid-14th century. After mastering the skill of manufacturing enamel products, Chinese constantly improved and enhanced this special technique, making it a distinctly Chinese art. During the mid-15th century reign of Ming Emperor Ching T'ai, cloisonné production was extremely prosperous--many cloisoné works of the most delicate quality were produced. These works were mostly fused with a kind of special blue enamel as the base color, hence the term for cloisonné in Chinese: ching-t'ai-lan (``Ching-t'ai Blue''). The main reason that such stunning achievements were possible in so short a time after cloisonné technique had been transmitted to China was that the Chinese nation of the time possessed excellent conditions for developing cloisonn¦ enameling art--it already had metallurgical technology, such as bronze casting; glass and glaze production techniques were well-known; and how to accurately control the firing temperature was already understood. Another reason was that the enamel was as soft and smooth as jade, as glittering as jewelry, and as delicate as china--satisfying many sorts of Chinese likings. The general method for making cloisonné involved first soldering brass wires to the surface of a copper object to form a pattern or illustration, then, according to the requirements of each pattern, colored enamels were filled in. Enamel was made by melting different materials such as red lead, boric acid borate, and glass powder together to become an opaque or translucent glistening substance. A variety of oxidized metals are added, and the substance then changed into enamels of different colors, or enamel coloring. After the melted enamel cooled and became solid, it was then ground into powder and mixed with water prior to the filling in process. After the spaces delineated by brass wires on the copper object were filled in with enamel paste, the object was then fired. After every firing, the enamel would contract, producing an uneven surface. It was then necessary to fill in the uneven places with enamel paste of the same color many times over. This procedure had to be repeated many times until every filled-in space became thoroughly smooth without any depressions. Only then was the firing process complete. Enamelware that had been fired then needed to have its surface polished smooth so that the soldered brass wire pattern and the enamel substance were melded into one. Finally, the exposed brass wires between parts of the patterns as well as the rim and the bottom of an object, to which enamel had no been applied, were gold plated. Thus, a work of cloisonn¦ art was finished. An exquisite piece of cloisonné must have colors that are moist and glossy, fresh and bright, a body that is substantive and sturdy, a wire inlay that is neat and well-proportioned, and gold plating that glitters. Its delicate appearance and splendid patterns should emit a classical warmth that rivets the gaze, and leaves one too infatuated to part with it. In Beijing, most shops in hotels as well as tourist stores sell Cloisonnearticles, which can be as big as sacrificial utensils, screens tables and chairs, and as small as chopsticks, earrings, candy boxes, toothpicks and smoking tools. They are works of art as well as articles with use value. Handicraftsmen have of late developed a multi-coloring technique for the making of Cloisonne which has resulted in more refined and gorgeous products. The Art of Chinese Bronzes - ancient Chinese bronze artwork There is a symbolic design used in Chinese sacrificial bronzes 3,000 years ago that combines all sorts of animal characteristics found in the natural world into one ferocious creature--the t'ao-t'ieh , or ``beast of gluttony.'' Set in a fiercely blazing fire, the beast's bulging eyes glared straight at the observer, his great mouth gaped in a wide grin, flashing saber-like teeth. His stiletto claws were exposed and poised for action, and a pair of ears or horns protruded from his head. Ferocious a sight as it was, it conveyed mystery and beauty. The t'ao-t'ieh design is one of the most fantastic and imaginative to be found among Chinese bronze designs. It uniquely communicates the religious and ritual spirit of ancient Chinese bronze vessels. Bronze is an alloy of copper, tin, and a small amount of lead. Its appearance signaled the advancement in human culture from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. For the approximately 2,000 years between the 17th century B.C. up until the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-200 A.D.), the Chinese people used rare and precious bronze to cast large quantities of ritual vessels, musical instruments, and weapons that were elegant in form, finely decorated, and clearly inscribed with Chinese characters. They affirm the artistic achievement of ancient China, and demonstrate how early Chinese used their ingenuity to create works incorporating both science and art from resources in nature. In the ritualistic society of ancient China, bronze was employed primarily for the casting of ceremonial temple vessels used in sacrifices to the goods of heaven, earth, the mountains, and rivers. They were also used in vessels for banquets, honor awards, and funerals for the nobility. Because bronze is a durable material resistant to cracking and breakage, it was used by kings to cast inscribed vessels honoring the ancestors of dukes, princes, and ministers who had made a great contribution to their nation or sovereign, to establish a model and reminder for alter generations. The world-famous Mo Kung Ting , for example, a bronze tripod on display at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, was imperially commissioned. On the tripod interior is an inscription 497 characters in length, divided into 32 lines and two halves, extending from the mouth of the vessel to the bottom interior. The inscription is the imperial mandate for the casting of the vessel, written in a stately and powerful tone. The inscription on this particular vessel is the longest among bronzes that have been unearthed so far. Bronzeware of " Tigher eats man" (Click to Zoom In) Bronzes can be classed into four main types, based on function: food vessels, wine vessels, water vessels, and musical instruments. Within each type, endless variation is to be found in form and design, fully demonstrating the rich imagination and creativity of the Chinese of the time. The kuei, for example, was a container for cooked millet that came in many different styles, equivalent to today's containers for cooked rice. Some had a circular base to stabilize the vessel belly; others had a heavy square base added onto the circular base, in a graceful contrast of geometrical form. The ting was a tripod vessel used for cooking, with a pair of knobs protruding from the mouth to facilitate handling. The three legs held the vessel at just the proper distance from the fire for cooking meat. The ch¹eh was a vessel especially designed for heating and drinking wine; it had a pour spout and side handles. The three legs facilitated warming the wine. The tsun was a major type of wine container that was either round or square in shape, or had a round mouth and square base. Ancient Chinese bronzes stressed balance and symmetry of form, and communicated solemnity and ceremony. In most of the line designs used on bronzes, a main motif combines with a border design, pointing up its three-dimensional character. The ``beast of gluttony'' design was the most prominent in Shang Dynasty (16th-11th centuries B.C.) vessels. A side view of two separate symmetrical beasts was embossed on the vessel; when viewed together from the front, they combined their features into one beast. After the Western Chou period (11th century B.C. to 771 B.C.), bird designs gradually came to be used for decorative main designs, still maintaining the principle of symmetry. After the mid and late Western Chou period, chain link patterns, fish scale patterns, and wave patterns for the most part superseded animals as subject matter for the main design of bronze vessels. The principle of symmetry began at this point to be broken, and substituted by repeating chain link or band designs that encircled the vessel body. After the mid-Spring and Autumn period (770-476 B.C.), the most frequently used design was a vertically interlocking geometrical animal band design. In the Shang Dynasty, the border design used to complement the main design was usually clouds and lightning. Beginning in the mid-Western Chou, the designs became increasingly spare, and border design eventually fell into disuse. After the Spring and Autumn period, the ``sprouting grain'' and other designs began appearing in borders. The techniques used in executing the various bronze designs went from the engraved lines and embossed designs used in the earlier periods, to deep relief and three dimensional sculpture-like designs, and eventually even to inlaid designs. Materials used for inlaid work included gold, silver, copper, and turquoise. Subject matter for inlaid work included animals, along with interlocking geometrical shapes based on straight lines, diagonal lines, and whorled lines. These were all added purely for decorative purposes, and were intricately and handsomely crafted. Over the millennia, bronze articles exposed to high humidity or buried underground undergo a natural change in which they develop a bright and beautiful coating, or patina. The patina serves to protect the metal underneath from further damage. The color itself, however, which may range from rouge red to emerald green to sapphire blue, imparts added beauty and elegance to the vessel. Chinese are particularly fond of this colorful coating, and preserve it intact. In the Republic of China today, the beauty of traditional bronze art is still to be found in incense burners and sacrificial vessels in temples, in statues on display in schools, or in decorative pieces in homes; all have been influenced by the art of China's ancient bronzes. Free application of traditional bronze designs has become an indispensable element of modern architecture, apparel, and furniture design. This is one way that the brilliance and artistry of the early Chinese continue their everlasting shine into the lives of Chinese today and of the future. |
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