China Discovery Chest Artifact Description Cards Child’s Rattle Who would have used this? • Children. What is this? • A popular children’s toy. Two small balls attached to the sides beat the hollow drum when it is spun. Its surface is sometimes painted. It is often found at festivals such as the Lunar New Year. What is its significance? • The Chinese hand drum, also called a rattle drum, originated in ancient China around 475-221 BC during the Song Dynasty (960-1276). China 1A, GAMES Tiger Mask Who would have used this? • Children. What is this? • A traditional baby gift that is usually silk with hand stitching and embroidered appliques. The tiger is believed to protect the child from bad spirits and bring good luck. What is its significance? • The tiger hat can be traced as far back as the Qing dynasty. China 2A, GAMES Tangrams Who would have used this? • Children. What is this? • The tangram is a very old puzzle originating in China and is sometimes called the Wisdom Puzzle. The set consists of seven pieces: five triangles, one square, and one rhomboid. When fitted together, these shapes make a design or picture. What is its significance? • The story goes that about four thousand years ago in China, a man named Tan went to show the emperor a fine ceramic tile, but on his way he fell and his tile broke into 7 pieces. Tan spent the rest of his life trying to put the pieces back together, but was unsuccessful. However, he made many different shapes and pictures. Tangrams provide excellent problem-solving activities, as well as developing form discrimination and visual perception. China 4A, GAMES Shuttlecock Who would have used this? • Anyone. What is this? • A traditional Asian game. Players aim to keep a weighted shuttlecock in the air using their feet and other parts of the body except the hands. The game dates back to the Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago, and peaked during the Tang Dynasty (618- 907), when shops specializing in shuttlecocks started to appear. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), formal shuttlecock kicking competitions were held. The game continued to evolve throughout Chinese history. What is its significance? • Chinese Hacky Sack was formally declared a national sport in 1933 and an International Shuttlecock Federation was founded in 1999. A World Shuttlecock Championship is held in different countries all around the world. China 5A, GAMES Bamboo Mat Who would have used this? • Chinese calligraphers or anyone. What is this? • A mat used as storage or decoration. Chinese calligraphers and brush painters sometimes use these mats to store their brushes by hanging them or rolling them up. Bamboo mats are also used in many households as table placemats. What is its significance? • By rolling the brushes up this way the delicate hairs are protected from being bent or crushed. China 1B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Brush Who would have used this? • Calligraphy artists. What is this? • A brush used in painting. It is always held in an upright position with the handle perpendicular to the paper. The brush had to be held gently and steadily because the artist’s intuitions and thoughts guide the movement of the arm. These brushes can be made of stiff weasel hair, soft fleece and feathers, or a combination of both. Different brushes can be used to create different effects, such as the strong lines of a mountain or delicate subjects such as birds, insects, and flowers. What is its significance? • The brush is an artist’s “best friend” and a major contributor to Chinese painting. China 2B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Calligraphy Writing Book Who would have used this? • Chinese painters, students, and scholars. What is this? • A book containing admired masterworks. A student would place a writing sheet over the calligraphy book and trace the characters one at a time. What is its significance? • As in Chinese painting, copying is not frowned upon, but encouraged. It is considered an achievement to develop the ability to work in the style of several different masters. Once the student masters the basic principles of structure, the grid system is no longer needed and the characters are produced freely. China 3B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Calligraphy Writing Sheets Who would have used this? • Students. What is this? • Thin rice paper with 3x3 grids of lines printed upon it. The students are taught to write Chinese characters by arranging the lines, strokes, and dots of each character in relation to this space. What is its significance? • When calligraphy is taught to children in school, writing sheets are usually used as guidance. China 4B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Ink Stone Who would have used this? • Chinese painters. What is this? • Ink stones can be carved from precious jade or fashioned from ceramic ware, but are usually non- porous slate. They are engraved with a design and the surface is highly polished in order to facilitate the fine grinding of the ink stick on the grinding area, which may be circular or rectangular. There is also a shallow well at one end of a flat, sloping surface to serve as a reservoir for the liquefied ink, which is made by combining the ink stick powder with clear water. What is its significance? • It is an important tool for painters. China 5B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Xuan (rice) Paper Who would have used this? • Traditional painters, masters and their pupils. What is this? • Paper made from rice straw, the bark of a special kind of tree, and other vegetable fibers. It is praised as the “king of all papers” and is supposed to “last a thousand years” because it is soft and firm, and resistant to aging and worms. It is good for painting because it absorbs, but does not spread, the ink from the brush, which sink in easily when water is added. What is its significance? • Xuan paper is used not only for painting and calligraphy, but for diplomatic notes, important archives, and other documents as well. In the old days in China, the master’s pupil held the paper in place for the master as he stood painting. The artist stands while painting in order to have a complete view of the entire paper. China 6B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Red Seal Paste Who would have used this? • Calligraphers. What is this? • Ink paste to seal official documents. Paste is made of eight ingredients, some very precious: cinnabar, pearl, musk, coral, ruby, moxa, castor oil, and a red pigment. To make a seal imprint, the cut face of the seal is pressed against the inking pad several times for an even coat and then with pressure, the seal would be stamped on paper. The impressions are clear and defined. What is its significance? • This was used since ancient times to mark documents. China 7B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Seal/Chop Who would have used this? • Anyone. What is this? • A Chinese chop is a signature seal. Traditionally, Chinese have used a personal “chop,” or seal, as a sign of ownership or promise to perform some type of commitment, much as Westerners have used their handwritten signatures. What is its significance? • They are used in everyday life in China and other parts of Asia on checks, marriage documents, birth certificates, passports, and any other official papers. However, of all the applications, the highest aesthetic value of seals is their contribution to Chinese painting. Artists may also use the name of their studio, home, or birthplace as an identification seal. Side seals or mood seals depict the qualities of the artist, his or her works, or the virtue of the subject matter. China 8B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Seal Paste Container Who would have used this? • Calligraphers. What is this? • A porcelain container usually hand painted with the design of a dragon in the sky. What is its significance? • Containers such as this are used to hold the damp red paste into which artists or calligraphers would press their seals in order to print them. The dragon figure is seen so often because they believe the dragon represents prowess, nobility, fortune, and can scare away evil. China 9B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Ink Stick Who would have used this? • A traditional Chinese painter. What is this? • A stick of solid black pigment, usually of a rectangular shape. The dry ink stick gets ground on stone and mixed with fresh water to create a liquid ink used for painting. It is made from the soot of burnt pine wood, which is scraped off, heated, and strained. It is then mixed with glue. poured into molds, and placed in a sandalwood room so that as the ink solidifies and matures, it absorbs the fragrance of the sandalwood along with the pine scent. What is its significance? • It is an important tool for writing and painting. China 10B, CHINESE PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY Bamboo Flute Who would have used this? • Chinese orchestras or anyone. What is this? • One of the oldest Chinese instruments, with a musical scale of seven holes. It was invented several thousand years ago. Before playing, a very thin film of special paper is placed on top of the extra hole. When playing, the air stream coming out of that particular hole will vibrate the thin film and create the distinguishing di zi sound. What is its significance? • Because of its ability to perform a wide range of different styles of music, its simple structure, and the sweet sound it makes, the di zi has become one of the most important solo instruments in China and many other Asian countries.