Culture
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The Nasca Lines
2004-02-28
On a lonely stretch of the Pan-American Highway, 275 miles south of Lima, Peru, lies a town called Nasca. The town sits in the Pampa region, a desolate plain on the northern tip of the Atacama Desert. What makes this area unique is the Nasca Lines -- a spider’s-web of lines and shapes crisscrossing 250 square miles of bone-dry desert. Their origin and purpose has baffled scientists and laymen alike since their “discovery” in the 1920s. -
Stories from Ancient China: Chu Shi’s Recovery
2004-02-26What are dreams? Modern medical science claims that dreams occur as our cerebral cortex experiences changes. Yet many dreamers assert that they have indeed seen the future, or hints of the future, whilst dreaming. Some claim that they saw certain scenes or people in their dreams, and later on these occurrences did indeed become a reality. Modern science has failed to explain such phenomena. In this series, “Dreams and Reality,” we will describe some of the bizarre dreams that have been recorded in history but science has failed to explain. -
Relics in the Ocean
2004-02-12According to a geology professor at Tokyo University, the area must have sunk around 10,000 years ago, that is, during the last Ice Age. However, based on modern scientific understanding, human beings were still primitives, hunting animals for food then. It is unlikely they would have been able to build such pyramid-like structures. Some people believe it to be the doings of some unknown culture. One may wonder if such an advanced and prosperous civilisation really once existed. Do these undersea ruins exist only in Japan? The answer is No. -
Stories from Ancient China: Tang Dynasty Prime Minister Li Deyu and the Three Hermits
2004-02-10One day Li met a hermit named Guan Chenshan. At that time, he was a low-ranking official assigned to guard the north gate of a city. Guan told him, “You will be promoted and serve as a secretary for the Emperor next year. But you will actually work for the Crown Prince.” Li was so astonished by the hermit’s words that his face turned white. The hermit seemed to regret his words and hurriedly got up to leave. As he was leaving, Li asked him, “Why will I work for the Crown Prince?” The hermit replied, “You have a predestined relationship with the Crown Prince in several past lives, so you will.” -
Stories from Ancient China: A Goddess’s Robe Is Seamless
2004-02-03This woman was extremely beautiful and radiant. She wore a thin black silk dress, a white silk shawl, a hair accessory bearing a phoenix, and a pair of finely embroidered shoes. The two maids that accompanied her were also extraordinarily beautiful. Guo Han was humbled by their presence. He got up from his chair, straightened his clothes, knelt down, and said, “I didn’t expect the arrival of such an Honourable immortal.” He waited attentively for words from the young woman. The woman smiled and said, “I am the weaving goddess from heaven.” -
Flying in Ancient China
2004-01-15Ancient Chinese books recorded that between 770-475 BC, in the Spring and Autumn period, Lu Ban created some flying machines. This led Lu Ban to be acknowledged as the father of all craftsmanship. In Mozi·Luwen, it reads “Lu Ban cut up some bamboo and wood and made a wooden bird. It stayed in the sky for three days." Lu Ban also made a big wooden kite in order to spy on enemies during war. In Hongshu it reads, “Lu Ban made a wooden kite to spy on cities in the State of Song." -
Four Characteristics of Chinese Bronze Craft
2004-01-12Bronze is a high-grade copper-tin alloy. Articles made of bronze are durable collectibles because they are not as brittle or fragile as earthen tiles and bricks, bone oracles, porcelain, paintings or copies of stone inscription. Bronze antiques also come in a great variety of elegant designs with distinctive outlines far superior to other types of antiques. -
Stories from Ancient China: The Altruism of Bing Ji
2004-01-10During the reign of Emperor Wu in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–23 AD), the Crown Prince of that time was framed by his enemies and executed for planning to overthrow the Emperor. At the time of his execution the Crown Prince had a grandson who was only a few months old. Due to this tragedy the baby boy lost his entire family as they too were executed along with the Crown Prince. -
The Correlation Between Cultivation and the Development of High Furniture
2004-01-09The evolution of furniture in ancient China reveals that the transformation of ancient people’s living style from sitting on the floor to sitting on high chairs occurred only after the Song dynasty. This means the custom of sitting on high chairs has a brief history of one thousand years in Chinese culture. One might wonder why it hadn’t occurred to the ancient Chinese people before that sitting on a taller chair might be more comfortable? It doesn’t make much sense especially if you’ve read about the incredible technological developments and inventions in ancient China recorded in Meng Xi Bi Tan by Shen Kuo of the Song dynasty. Can it be true that only after the appearance of Hu Chuang that the ancient Chinese people realised they could sit on stools? -
The Discovery of the World’s Earliest Sculpture
2003-12-28The location of the carvings indicate that at that time humans mostly inhabited the area the Danube River and that the artistry at that period is very different from ours today. This discovery completely overthrows the traditional idea that art developed gradually from that of the primitive and rough style to the fine, contemporary craftsmanship today. "It seems that the first modern humans in Europe were astonishingly precocious in their skills," says Sinclair. -
Stories from Ancient China: Twenty Bowls of Orange Skin Soup
2003-12-09In the era of the Emperor Xuzong during the Tang Dynasty, there was a fortuneteller who claimed he could foretell what foods people would eat in the future. Many officials in the Imperial Court went to see him to ask him to tell their fortune. Only one senior official, named Li Qijun, didn't believe him. -
Stories from Ancient China: A Story about Du Xian
2003-12-02Du Xian was a prime minister during the Xuanzong period of the Tang dynasty. One day, a youthful Du Xian was trying to cross the river at Pu Jin at a point where the current was very fast with heavy under currents. Many people had boarded the boat, and the person who untied the boat had already untied the cable and was ready to leave. At that time, an elderly man on the bank called out to the boat: “Mr. Du, please stay for a moment!” The old man’s manner was very sincere, so Du Xian had no choice but to depart the boat and go and see the old man. He talked with him for a long time. The people on board waited for Du Xian impatiently. After a period of time there was stil no sign of Du Xian returning to the boat, so they threw his bag onto the bank and left without him -
Stories from Ancient China: The Death of Ji Kong
2003-11-27Ji Kong was a proud person who chose his friends carefully. When the group showed up at his house, he was working on working a piece of iron. He had a furnace set up and was pounding iron under a tree. When he saw the group, he acted as if he hadn’t seen them and kept pounding the iron for a long time, without saying a single word. Zhong Hui was very embarrassed and disappointed and turned to leave. Ji Kong asked him just before he left: “What is it that you came here to hear and what have you seen that is making you leave?” Zhong Hui responded quickly and said: “I heard what I wanted to hear when I came and I saw what I was supposed to see before I am to leave.” This exchange of questions and answers is a famous anecdote in Chinese literary history. -
Stroies from Ancient China: Autumn Wind Passing by My Ears
2003-11-26During the Spring and Autumn Period, Shou Mong, the king of the state of Wu had four sons. He named the eldest son Zhu Fan, the second Yu Ji, the third Yu Muo and the youngest Ji Zha. Among all four, Ji Zha was the one with the most pleasant personality. The king was extremely fond of his youngest son. In A.D. 561, the king became seriously ill. He asked for Ji Zha and told him that he would be the successor to his throne. However, Ji Zha would not accept it. He said: “Generally, the eldest son inherits the throne. Father, please, do not continue to shower me with gifts to show your affection.” Therefore, the king’s eldest son, Zhu Fan, inherited the throne. Before he died, the king tasked his oldest son to take good care of Ji Zha. -
Stories from Ancient China: Cui Yan
2003-11-25Cui Yan was a commander in the Luoziwu Valley at that time and he was in charge of many soldiers there. One day he saw a Taoist walking into the valley. The Taoist refused to tell Cui Yan his name, but he did give Cui Yan a special prescription to cure his ailment. He said, “get one or two liters of Chinese Honey Locust sticks and bake them to ashes. Steam rhubarb nine times, drying the rhubarb each time after steaming it. Grind it into fine powder. Before eating it, pour the ashes of the Honey Locust sticks and the rhubarb powder into the decoction of rhubarb. Eat the entire decoction.”
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