Chinese Writing A Family Guide to The Chinese used a method of writing made not of letters which represented sounds, but of “characters” which represented things or ideas. This sort of writing appealed to seventeenth century scholars who searched for a universal language Imagining China: The View from Europe, 1550-1700 that people of every country could write and understand. Because Chinese writing looked like representational pictures, scholars thought that this could be the September 18, 2009 – January 9, 2010 language they were searching for and studied Chinese characters, hoping to unlock Have you ever imagined visiting foreign lands fi lled with people, places, and ancient mysteries. things that are very different from your own country? Do other countries seem exotic and exciting to you? As Europeans began traveling further PLAY! Unlike English, Chinese characters are written vertically (instead of horizon- distances and trading more frequently with other countries, stories about tally), and from right to left (instead of left to right). Look at the Chinese characters China as being a land of wonder and riches were circulated throughout that Ricci uses in his essay on friendship in Case 2. Copy some in the box below. Europe. Some of these accounts were accurate and some had become distorted by the time they reached Europe. However, one thing was true: China remained vividly present in the European imagination. This exhibition focuses on the Europeans’ views of China and the friendships that emerged between China and European countries 300-400 years ago. Right: Abraham Ortelius. Theatrum orb is terrarum. [Antwerp, 1595]. Bottom: Willem Blaeu. Appendix Theatri A. Ortelli et Atlantis G. Mercatoris. Amsterdam, 1631. All images Folger Shakespeare Library.

One China, Many Names China has been called Zhongguo or “the Middle Kingdom” for almost as long as records exist, but outside China it has been known by Above: Wu Hsing-kuo as King Lear in solo jingju (Beijing opera) produc- tion Lear Is Here, 2007. Right: Bible Polyglot. Walton. 1657. London, many other names for over two thousand years. Greek and Roman 1657, i.e. 1654-1658 (Detail). All images Folger Shakespeare Library. geographers knew China as Regio Serica, or “Land of the Silk People,” because of the beautiful silk that came from China. Marco Polo, a famous explorer from Italy, called it Cathay, and Europeans arriving in Shakespeare and China the sixteenth century were introduced to Cina or China. As a result One of the reasons Shakespeare is still performed today is because his stories are timeless – we can of all the different names, maps from the period often include both relate to the situations even 400 years later. He set his plays in several countries (Italy, Denmark, Cathay and China as though they were two different countries. Scotland, and more), but modern adaptations have set his stories everywhere from the American West to outer space. His work has been translated into many other languages, including Chinese. You can see Friendship between Countries FIND! Can you fi nd the following names a translation of Hamlet on display in the glass case between cases 13 and 14. Shakespeare’s characters Do you have a best friend? How would you describe him of China on the maps shown in and around appeal to actors and audiences around the world. or her? In the sixteenth century, there was a great deal of friendship and collaboration between Europeans and Chinese Case 3? Circle the names below when you FIND! Watch some of the videos of Shakespeare and China on the installation by the intro panel. Which in areas such as science, philosophy, and literature. Matteo fi nd them. production would you most like to see? Ricci, an Italian scholar living in China, became famous for Cathay Serica Regio translating sayings on friendship into Chinese. One of the Answers to the True and False Questions: sayings in Ricci’s book describes friendship in this way: “The China 1. False. Sails were attached to wheelbarrows to make pushing heavy loads easier. But reports seem to have been exaggerated, old word for friend is simply a double, ‘another.’ The other is transforming these wheelbarrows into large horseless coaches that transported people. another me, and I another other.” Some of Ricci’s translations 2. True. The use of trained birds (called cormorants) for fi shing had been practiced in China for centuries and can still be seen in parts of China today! may be found in Case 2. 3. False. Despite extravagant claims, Chinese porcelain was merely made from very fi ne clay, mixed and fi red into a hard substance. IMAGINE! 4. False. A type of tortoise called the lumoa gui or “green haired tortoise” was known for the long strands of algae that grew on In what ways are you like your best friend? In its back. However, the Chinese character for “hair” was mistranslated as “wings,” which resulted in the confusion over the fl ying what ways are you different? creatures. 5. True. The puoluomi or “jackfruit” is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, growing up to eighty pounds.

For more cool games and activities, including special exhibition pages for kids, visit our website at www.folger.edu/kids. For information about “China” our other education materials and programs, visit us at www.folger.edu/education. Eastern Treasures Letters Lost Travelers visiting China found many items they considered very Elizabeth I was England’s longest ruling Tudor monarch (1559-1603). valuable. These treasures were sent back as wonders from the Around the same time, the Wanli Emperor was China’s longest ruling East. Two of these Eastern treasures were things we might not Emperor in the Ming Dynasty (1572-1620). Elizabeth I sent letters to think of as valuable today. the Emperor with merchant ships, but none of her letters ever reached Musk (Wall Panel to the right of Case 6) was considered the Emperor because the merchants were attacked by pirates or got a priceless product, often named along with gold, silver, and lost. In fact, the only reply Elizabeth ever received was a fake letter, precious stones in early lists of treasures from China. Musk written as a joke. was valued as an ingredient in perfume and medicine. People FIND! considered the best musk in the world to come from the Find Queen Elizabeth’s letter to the Emperor in Case 12. In what language is it written? musk deer native to the mountains of China. Rhubarb (Case 7) was another IMAGINE! If you were the ruler of England, valuable and expensive item what might you write to the Emperor of China? Left: from China. The root of Strange Wonders Would you ask about the wondrous things Seller, John, fl ., Atlas the Chinese “true” rhubarb As explorers reported on the wonders of China in minimus or A book rumored to be invented there? Write your was extremely precious and the sixteenth century, Europeans began to create of geography, 1679, an imaginative version of the land to the East. Some letter to the Wanli Emperor in the space below. Folger Shakespeare considered a powerful medicine. Library. Above: Queen stories were true, but others were not, or contained Elizabeth I. Letter IMAGINE! If you were an explorer and traveled to another only half-truths. Many illustrations were constructed to the “Emperour of country, what type of treasure would you like to fi nd? from second-hand accounts, or were mistranslated Cathaye.” Courtesy of the Lancashire Records from Chinese. So, much like in a game of telephone, Offi ce. what started out as a truth in the East was depicted as a strange wonder to Europeans. Confucius Confucius was a famous wise man in China whose FIND! Look at the designs on the porcelain vases sayings have been passed down for thousands of in the large cases at the end of hall. What sort of years and translated into many languages. His work PLAY! animals or plants to you recognize on the porcelain? Telephone! With a group of friends, or in class, have infl uenced many Chinese leaders and later wise men, Why do you think they were used as artwork? someone whisper a story to another. That person whispers it such as Matteo Ricci’s Essay on Friendship, written in to the next person, and the story is repeated until everyone has the same style as Confucius’ writings. heard it. The last person repeats aloud what they heard. Is the FIND! story the same as when it started? What changed? Find the picture of Confucius in Case 11. What objects may be found on either side of his image? PLAY! True or false? Below are some of the reports that came to Europe about China. Can you guess which stories are true and which had become distorted? Place a ‘T’ in the blank if you think the statement is true, and an ‘F’ if you think it is false. For Top Left: Athanasius Kircher. China 1. “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distin- help, look in the cases listed. The answers may be found on the back of this guide. illustrata. [Amsterdam: Jan Jansson, guish men from beasts?” Chinese traveled in inventions called sailcoaches, which were land vehicles that could carry 1667]. Courtesy of Timothy Billings. Grouping, l to r: 1) Athanasius Kirch- 12-15 people and were powered by sails and wind (Case 5). er. China illustrata. [Amsterdam: Jan 2. “To me, fair friend, you never can be old For as you Jansson, 1667]. Courtesy of Timothy were when fi rst your eye I eyed, Such seems your Large birds had been trained to catch fi sh and then deposit them in the boats of Chinese PLAY! At right are quotes on friendship Billings. 2) Afbeelding van de Zeilwa- beauty still.” fi sherman (wall panel between cases 5 and 6). gen door Simon Stevin. Amsterdam, from the writings of Confucius, Ricci and 1649. Nederlands Scheepvaart- China porcelain was made by grinding up egg and lobster shells and then burying them in the museum Amsterdam. 3) Arnoldus Shakespeare. Can you can guess which wise 3. “My friend is not an other, but half of myself, and thus ground for up to one hundred years (Large case at end of hall on left). Montanus. Atlas Chinensis. London, man wrote which quotes? The answers may a second me – I must therefore regard my friend as

1671, Folger Shakespeare Library. be found updside-down to the left. myself.” A type of tortoise that could fl y was found in China (wall panel between cases 11 and 12). Ricci 3. 104, Sonnet Shakespeare,

Fruit as large as a man’s torso grew in China and could feed twenty people (b/t cases 11 & 12). William 2. Confucius, 1.