Peony.html

English synposis and prologe is at:

Novels Page

There are so much one needs to do!
The readers CTB often expect thorough and reliable reporting, so I do not want to just put up casual anecdotal pages.
There has been plans to write about Astronomy as a major topic. We welcome contributions of source materials, analyses and graphic materials.

Dear Ming

I have run through CTB but cannot find any write-up on the most widely used Chinese book, The Chinese Almanac or Tong Shu 硄, which has been used by billions of Chinese through the ages. I hope you can set up a section on the Tong Shu to elaborate briefly the various sections, esp. with the capable and knowledgeable Rudy back home.

There are many important chapters such as Master Zhu's homily Χ產癡 and a hundred Family Names, in addition to geomancy and predictions. There are also two very interesting stories in the Tong Shu. One relates to Liu Ji 糂膀 (also called Liu Bo Wen 糂放) and his predictions for the Ming Emperor, Zhu Yanzhang. The other story is about the prodigiously talented seven year-old boy, Xiang Tuo 兜檠, who refused to let Confucius ふ and his carriage pass through his miniature slate fortress, and the little boy won the debate with the Grand Master.

The Tong Shu was even quoted in the ancient book Shu Jing 竒 about the two astrology authors being carelessly incorrect, a crime for which they were executed by the Great Yao around 2200 BCE (probably mythological dating). It was included in the Record of Rites as an Imperial Almanac. Sima Qian recorded the change in the calendar in the Tong Shu by Qin Shi Huangdi. The Dream of the Red Chamber also mentioned a scholar referring to the Tong Shu for a good timing to embark his travels.

The Chinese Fengshui Master, Guo Wen He 尝ゅ猠 (Kwok Man Ho in Cantonese), who resides in the United Kingdom, mentioned that a Japanese monk travelling in China in the eight century could not get a good copy of the Tong Shu because it was sold out. He wrote that a copy dated 877 ACE could be found in the British Museum. The Almanac is today still a part of the Chinese life, for the red book is both a lucky symbol and a source of reference and prediction.

Tin-Kay

There is no connection whatsoever between this park and our website 'China the Beautiful'.
In a statement by me, please note that this website is totally independent and wholly financed by me personally.

baak6 sek6 baak6 yau6 waat6
bun1 loi4 baak6 sek6 daap3 baak6 taap3
baak6 sek6 taap6 baak6 sek6 daap6
baak6 sek6 daap6 baak6 taap6
daap6 hou2 baak6 sek6 taap6
baak6 taap6 baak6 yau6 waat6

yap6 sat6 yim6 sat1 gam6 gan2 gap1 jai3

覆靛ぃ覆靛ブぃ覆靛覆靛ブ

chi1 pu2tao2 bu4 tu3 pu2tao2 pi2 bu4 chi1 pu2tao2 tao4 tu3 pu2tao2 pi2.

㎝瞺
Τ柑Τ瞺
痽痽痽
琌瞺痽
临琌痽瞺

:-))

Have fun!

Alfred 而纒

http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de
Traces of Butterflies' Dreams - 胶冠勃 "Tieh Meng Hen"
My Poetry

I don't have a complete answer for you but you can follow this lead. The hair washing plant is called Cha Zai Shui in Cantonese(little tea water in transliteration). It is not known how long this plant has been used. It is a natural detergent and lubricant to make the hair look bright and shiny. It does not feel soapy and does not foam. Also it might kill lice too. The southern Chinese women all used it for hair washing. There is also a hair dressing formula call Pao Fa in Cantonese (chipped flower or chips in transliteration). It is a dilute glue-like liquid to make hair shiny. These products have disappeared from the Hong Kong market after 1960s. I guess all retired by the new detergents.

One source you can trace is the Japanese Sumo wrestlers. They seem to be using the hair dressing liquid Pao Fa. Sometimes, Japanese retains more of the anicent Chinese culture than Chinese. They are a lot more conservative.

I am not giving any answer here as I have none. I have not read any books or documentation that talk about this subject. When you find out the answer, please let us know.

You can read this famous 'I Am a Boxer" speech in original English or Chinese tranalation here.

First, Chinese writes in words, just as Shakespeare wrote in English words, not in English symbols.

Second, from the Homepage, click on the "Tattoo" icon and read all about your query on Tattoo.

Ω痷稰谅眤

Alfred 而纒

http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de
Traces of Butterflies' Dreams - 胶冠勃 "Tieh Meng Hen"
My Poetry

>The wording is like this "Ich bin ein Deutscher - kennt Ihr meine Farben?" What do they mean?

Dear Yoon-Ngan, it means: "I am German - do you know my colours?"

http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de
Traces of Butterflies' Dreams - 胶冠勃 "Tieh Meng Hen"
My Poetry

100 years ago, when the joint army of 8 nations invaded Beijing and burnt down Yuan Ming Yuan, a lot of treasures were looted and spread to many countries. It is estimated that at least one million pieces of national treasures are scattered. Recently, 3 of the ornamental zodiac sign animal head were retrieved in Hong Kong and returned to China. They have been sitting in a person's garden as a swimming pool decor. It is now very tough to sell these loots as the buyer has to risk returning at no compensation when found.

Siu-Leung, you're right that I usually tend to be pretty careful with the term 'patriot' (but it's the 'term' - and I used it nontheless in my previous post!). Maybe you can imagine/understand my reasons for that. But I always try to understand and estimate the (genuine and pure) feelings/motivations of those attached with tags like that. What I'd maybe call 'patriot' (no, I really suspect that term!) are people like those of (紈)フ豪刮.

It is not the point what's the name people attach to themselves - e.g. (緗) 畖 -, but the names used by others (and this might change with times passing and how people - often later generations - think about it).

Alfred 而纒

http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de
Traces of Butterflies' Dreams - 胶冠勃 "Tieh Meng Hen"
My Poetry

About Yi He Tuan please read Dr George Ernest Morrison's diaries. From 1897 AD Dr Morrison, an Austrlian, was the reporter for TIMES the newspaper in London until he became the adviser of President Yuan Shi Kai in 1913, I think.

The history of Boxer竡㎝刮 and joint invasion of China by 8 nations has always been in the mind of every Chinese. The beautiful Yuan Ming Yuan modeled on European baroque architecture was burned to the ground. I saw the remain of the site near Beijing University. It stands there reminding all Chinese of this humiliating past. The Boxers were naive, but they are viewed as the continuation of the Taiping Rebellion against Qing and the spark that led to Sun Yat Sen's revolution. Dr. Sun in his younger years eagerly listened to all the stories told on Taiping and Boxer.

Qing official history and most of western texts emphasize on the naivety and disorganization of Boxers. But Chinese consider them patriots (sorry, Alfred, I know you don't like this word).

Do you have better names for the 'Boxers?

Alfred 而纒

http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de
Traces of Butterflies' Dreams - 胶冠勃 "Tieh Meng Hen"
My Poetry

Dear Miss Ruth Jones

All quiet on this Western Front of Chinese Culture. Short of being accused of hogging the Page, I will venture a reply to you.

You have asked a very difficult question about how ancient Chinese wash their hair. Are you asking whether they had soap and how often they wash their hair? It would be interesting to find out whether the Chinese had discovered soap in ancient times. It is more likely that the Chinese used herbal concoctions to wash their hair. As for the frequency of washing their hair, it would depend whether they were living in northern colder areas or in the southern warmer zone. Chinese definitely use oil to comb their hair, which would then be anchored by pins or comb.

In the Confucian era (Spring and Autumn Period), women were expected to be simple in life-style and obedient to her parents and husband, hence I doubt there was any need for Chinese coiffeurs among commoners. The court ladies and courtesans would have required such a service, but it will be rare to get an ancient book discussing about the ritual of hair washing and the ingredients used. Such discussion would be considered by Confucian scholars to be a mundane topic. It was during the Tang Dynasty that the art of good living reached its zenith, with music and poetry as accompaniments. Hence, fashion in ladies' hair-styles was more evident in the Tang Dynasty, when the beauty, Yang Guifei, held sway over the heart of the Xuanzong Emperor, popularly called Tang Minghuang. Tang literature may elaborate more on this hair washing and fashion topic.

In a digression from hair washing, I will say that care of the hair was considered very important in four instances in ancient Chinese life. These were when
1) a man attained the age of twenty years,
2) a girl entered a marriage,
3) a child reached his first month, and
4) a person had been accepted as a monk or nun. Various areas in China might have practised some variant in timing and style of the ceremony.

When a Chinese male youth had reached the age of twenty years, a family ceremony was held in which his hair would be combed, tied into a knot, and anchored by a pin. The pin could be golden with very elaborate designs and with precious stones. On most occasions it was the mother who attended to the son's hair-dressing, failing which an elder sister would do the hair-dressing. This act indicated that the person was no longer a boy but had attained manhood and responsibility (put on a cap 玜). While at home, a silk cloth might be used to wrap the hair bun (similar to what the Sikhs of India do), in public, a head-gear or hat was worn. During the Tang Dynasty, a gauze cap stiffened with lacquer was popular.

When a Chinese girl had her betrothal or was on the verge of marriage, she would have a facial wash followed by removal of any fine hair with a silk thread, a ceremony called ¨opening the face〃 marking true womanhood. This was then followed by her long hair being plaited and then coiled upwards to the back of her head. The hair was then pinned with bodkins decorated with ornaments in the form of flowers and jewels, signifying her marital status. Some Chinese communities proceeded to this hair ritual on confirmation of the marriage, whereas others might have it done at the actual marriage itself.

Chinese children on attaining their first month would have their hair shaven except for a tuft over the crown in the boy and a tuft over each ear for the girl. This was to prepare them for a ceremony and feast, when guests were given red eggs. The redness represented a happy occasion, and the eggs represented fertility and sustenance. For superstitious parents, the cut hair would be kept in a red cloth at the babyˇs pillow for a hundred days and then thrown away into a waterway in the belief that this would give bravery to the child. It must be borne in mind that since the Chinese calculate a childˇs age from gestation rather than birth, the childˇs age would be close to over ten months at the hair shaving ritual.

The fourth hair ceremony, still practised, is the shaving of the monk or nun when initiated into the Buddhist faith. Under the solemn atmosphere of incense and incantations, the monk or nun would be shaven in his or her renouncement of the physical world. Group ceremonies was attended by relatives, benefactors and dignitaries. Relatives would then have no further ties, and the occasion could be painful and emotional.

Besides the male youth attaining manhood, the other three hair rituals are still practised in villages in China, in pockets of traditionally minded overseas Chinese and in Buddhist temples. Like the lily foot of yesteryears among Chinese women, modern Chinese males see no relevance in wearing their hair in a bun. Earlier, this practice was given a death knell when the Manchus invaded China in 1644 and installed the Qing Dynasty, which decreed all Chinese to wear pigtails. The pigtail was a symbol of discrimination of the Chinese in their own homeland, and was truly derogatory to the Chinese. Cutting off the pigtail was a sign of revolution and immediately rewarded with execution. It took many brave Chinese in the dying days of the Qing Dynasty to cut off their pigtails and opted for the republic of Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China.

Tin-Kay

My first and last rule is to never use Word for doing Internet. I have told SL about this. Word is not designed for Internet work, and will give you all sorts of trouble.

If still want to use Word, you must do a "save as" to a "text" file, and then copy this "text" file out. Never save as as "doc" file and use it to upload.

Ming,

Many thanks for your advice on photo rotation. For reverting to preceding entry, I still cannot "undo" any write-out which is inadvertently lost while typing, because the "Back" at IE5 gives a previous web-page, but not the same page prior to mishap. I will have to write into Word and save, then paste onto the comment or message section.

Tin-Kay

I think some clarifications are necessary about how computer software works.
When you use a certain software (Philips) to view a photo file stored in your disk, and you tell this software to rotate the photo 90 degrees, this software will show you the rotated picture on your monitor. But the original photo in your hard drive remains unchanged. Unless you specifically tell that software to save the rotated picture to your hard drive!
To test this theory, right click on "Start" button. Left click on "explore." Scroll to the photo file and click on it. Now this photo will show up. Is it still sidewise?

Dear Ming

I feel Yahoo is overcrowded and is bouncing off my posts today without any reason. I tried countless times but to no avail. I am posting here to seek your help in editing my picture of the fish-in-bowl compass at the Photo section. The picture was upright, but when posted it turned sidewards. Please advise what software you are using since all the upright pictures using both my Sony and Phillip digital camera softwares get the same 90 degree rotation effect when posted.

Also, is there any way to revert back a message once it gets lost during transmission. In Words we can use undo, but is there an undo for IE5? I have lost a few write-ups because I did not save or write into Word since it cannot accept my Chinese text.

Tin-Kay

Dear Omabi

Yahoo has gone crazy. I tried posting the following message at CTB Yahoo Page and got bounced off many times.

I am posting a reply here to your quest for the Chinese fish in the bowl compass. (For our friends who are unaware of previous discussions at Yahoo CTB, please click onto http://www.chinapage.org/yahoo/yahoo.html)

I have found an illustration of the Fish in Bowl Compass which I have added to the Chinese Compass in the Photo Section. This is not a photo, so the your quest continues for the real thing. The Chinese characters, タ, which did not come out clearly, mean front view.

The illustration is from The Legacy of China, edited by Raymond Dawson, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-881235-3. I quote from pages 252-253, the Chinese spelling being in Gades-Wiles:

"In the Sung period we find as one of its earliest forms (of compass) a piece of lodestone embedded in the body of a wooden fish with a small needle projecting from it; floating in the water, it indicates south. The same thing was done with a dry suspension; a thin chopstick cut off and sharpened to a point bore the lodestone inside a small wooden turtle, with again a needle sticking out to add a small amount of extra torque. These designs date from about 1130, but we have a still earlier one, from 1044, descibed in a book Wu ching tsung yao (Compendium of Important Military Techniques) by Tseng Kung-liang. This is nothing other than the "floating fish" so often mentioned by Arabic writers later on, the cup-shaped fish of magnetized iron floating on water. Still more interesting, this compass-fish was not magnetized by being rubbed on the lodestone, but by being heated to a red heat while held in a north-south position in the earth's magnetic field. Remanent magnetism is a surprise to meet with in the early eleventh century. By its end, the most usual thing was to have a magnetized needle suspended on a single thread of raw silk.

We are, of course, accustomed to thinking of the needle as pointing to the north, but in China, the south was always considered to be indicated. In Chinese cosmic symbolism, the emperor represented the pole-star, and so faced south on his throne, theoretically doing nothing, yet ruling all things with perfect success."

In think the book Wu ching tsung yao (Compendium of Important Military Techniques) in Chinese is 猌竒羆璶. It is fascinating to know that the Chinese had already discovered remanent magnetization.

If you cannot find a picture of the elusive fish compass through Cliff Jacobson, you may give Loiuse Levathes a try. She is the authoress of "When China Ruled the Seas : The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433" Oxford Univ Pr (Trade); ISBN: 0195112075. She did research on ancient Chinese Maritime History in Nanjing for her book on Zheng He, the Ming eunuch who commanded the biggest non-mechanised armada in history. Alternatively, you can try the National Palace Museum in Taipei or the British Museum or The London Science Museum. I am not well versed with American museums.

May you find your equivalent of the Holy Grail in good time, and keep us posted.

Tin-Kay

Oh yes, of course, Siu-Leung is right, the inscription reads:


紈 (hsuen te = A.D. 1426 - 1436)
籹


紈籹(?)

Since  (ta hsuen) doesn't seem to be a Chinese period of reign (maybe it is a Vietnamese - I do not know), I'd try to translate it as "in the year of the great proclamation".
紈 (ming te = about: 'splendid virtue') isn't a Chinese period of reign neither.
籹(?) (chih) maybe could read as 'manufactured' (or 'manufacture') - an ancient 籹乎紅??

Alfred 而纒

http://www.fa-kuan.muc.de
Traces of Butterflies' Dreams - 胶冠勃 "Tieh Meng Hen"
My Poetry

Dear Bryan

The artefacts you posted in the photo section of CTB Yahoo Section are of Chinese origin except for for the upright dancing girl. She is very much of Thai or Khmer appearance. The Laughing Buddha , Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy), the Fisherman and the imprint characters are undeniably Chinese. I think Ming and Siu-Leung et al will be able to make comments on the meaning of the characters. Photo No. 6 appears to be upside down, and the right hand corner character looks like the Ping キ. It is strange for the dancing girl to be part of the discovery, unless the objects were casted more recently. My view is not an expert opinion.

Tin-Kay

Dear Sha Robins

I have seen many photos of opium smoking by Chinese scholars, mistresses and opium den members, but cannot recall any famous painting. I doubt any Chinese will feel proud to own a beautiful painting of opium smoking. From a social study point of view, such a painting will be instructive to show the emaciation of body, the face of stupor, the mind adrift to a tryst with Morpheus, and finally the soul on its final journey. What is not shown is the real world of family and friends, of heroes and nation, of life, hope, ambition and the construction of a better world.

Hence, the rarity of opium painting is simple; opium was the curse and shame of the Chinese society and an important cause for the humiliation and downfall of the Qing Dynasty. Even if there are such paintings, they will most likely end up in Western collections or in Hong Kong or Singapore. Opium smoking was still allowed by British law in Singapore and possibly Hong Kong till the sixties as a form of treatment for addiction. Paintings done in Singapore and Hong Kong may be more easily acquired. The Chinese Communist victory in 1949 would have flushed out such opium paintings, let alone the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution, which, in its insanity, destroyed every-thing considered old and ancient. The Four Olds 侣, prescribed by the Red Guards for destruction, were Old Ideas, Old Customs, Old Culture and Old Habits. Hence anything to do with the Old Habit of Opium Smoking would be taboo. I looked through some books on modern Chinese paintings and on the Cultural Revolution, but there is no particular mention on opium painting. If you have opium paintings then they will be more valuable in the West than in China or the Chinese Diaspora.

The most striking painting on opium I have seen is not one showing an opium pipe, but one on the burning of confiscated opium in Guangzhou (Canton) by the patriot, Lin Zexu 狶玥畗. Lin (1785-1850) was the incorruptible Imperial Commissioner sent to stop the illegal trade in opium in the province of Guangdong. In his address to the Spirit of the Sea, the washer of stains and the cleanser of impurities, Lin apologized for the pollution by the burnt opium. Unfortunately, Lin was soon stripped of his post by a court intrigue, and the opium trade continued unabated on an even wider scale. It is through the tragedy of the "opiumization" of China that the British reaped Hong Kong and many other concessions. Opium sapped the strength of the Chinese people right up to 1949, addicted generations, and sucked millions of ounces of gold in payments to the British, who can thus be considered the pedlars of death and misfortune by virtue of their gun-boats.

Every Chinese has a family member affected one way or other by this open opium trade operated through the threat of gun-boats. On a personal side, my great grandfather, a scholar and teacher, was addicted to opium. His son, my grandfather, unable to persuade him to forsake the habit, left Fujian, for Singapore, where he made a fortune as a trader. Even those who left China were sucked in by the siren call of the opium dens, legally approved in Singapore and Hong Kong by the British authorities. The early Singaporeans, led by the respected Dr. Lim Boon Keng 狶ゅ紋, campaigned hard against opium through the Anti-Opium Society.

Dr. Lim (1869-1957) was a unique personality, the first Chinese Queen's scholar from Singapore, and one who graduated from the University of Edinburgh with First Class Honours in Medicine. He was so embarrassed by being unable to write or read Chinese that he learnt Mandarin on his return to Singapore. He helped Tan Kah Kee 朝古┌ to set up the Xiamen University (Amoy University), being the vice-chancellor from 1921-1937.

In conclusion, when an elderly or middle-age Chinese thinks or talks of opium, he relives a painful period of his life or family and Chinese history. Only those in the West who have relatives under the unrelenting grip of drug addiction will be able to understand what suffering opium did to the Chinese.

Tin-Kay

On second thought, may I suggest that you post your photo on our Yahoo Club Discussion Page instead.

You may upload the photo files to us.
First, back up (using "Back") from this page.
Second, click on "Upload Files" and upload files.
Third, send me notification by email.

I have replaced these with new links to English translations of Analect. One is a translation by Charles Muller. When I find the old translation, it will be restored.
Let me know if you still have problems.

There is an interesting write-up at CNN/Time website at
http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/time/features/interviews/feat.chinatomb05032000.html

Briefly, under heading "Letter from Beijing: Ancient Treasures. Newly found tomb may be that of a Han king" the report relates as follows:

"Below the skyscrapers rising up around Beijing lies an ancient secret: tombs from the capital's imperial past. TIME Beijing reporter Mia Turner investigates the latest treasures unearthed by China's archaeologists and evaluates the nation's efforts to preserve its historical riches.

Historians believe the newest discovery could be the tomb of Liu Dan, ruler of the Yan kingdom and the father of Liu Jian. After ruling for 38 years, the elder Liu committed suicide. His wife and servants went with him to the grave. The tomb, says Wang Wuyu, an archaeologist from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau, appears to have been untouched by grave robbers."

Every year, the Chinese archaeologists are finding more and more interesting relics about their past. Sooner or later, the Xia Dynasty will no longer be mythology, but actual history. China should dedicate more top university students into archaeology courses while the world waits in suspense for the tombs of Qin Shi Haungdi (at Xian) and the Jiajing Emperor (at Beijing) to be opened.

Tin-Kay

Dear Siu-Leung

Your news scanning is as fast as lightning. I have also read the news which was quoted from Nature. Dr. Lijun Wang of the of the NEC Research Institute in Princeton transmitted a pulse of light in a caesium gas chamber, and found that, before entering fully into the chamber, the pulse of light had already pass through the chamber to a further 18 meters across the laboratory. The phenonmenon, if correct, meant that light could travel 300 times as previously calculated. This finding may impact upon Einstein's theory of relativity. However, Dr. Wang emphasised his finding relates to light only, and may not apply to ther physical entities.

I hope Dr. Wang limits his research to non-military use, knowing that a Chinese scientist may end up being mis-identified wrongly, as in the case of Dr. Wenho Lee.

Tin-Kay

Let me add another type of puppet - shadow puppet, which is seen in one of the movies directed by Zhang YiMou. The main character is a good-for-nothing rich fellow who spent all his money playing around. He learned to perform shadow puppets, which saved his life during the civil war. This is also the type that is still very popular in Indonesia. Puppets were first reported to exist in Han dynasty about 2200 years ago. Puppet operas used to be very common in China. Each regional opera has its version of puppet opera.

I am a beneficiary of puppet too, 40 some years ago when I was a primary schools student, I loved drama but was too shy to participate. Finally I found and joined the glove puppet club. In an open competition, our team won the first prize, playing WuSong beating the Tiger (a script from a very famous Ming dynasty novel). I played WuSong. My shyness was gone. It is a great game and discipline for children.

Dear Nancie

I have also been very interested in Chinese puppets, mainly from the historical and artistic aspects. The Taiwanese variety of string puppet actually originated in Quanzhou (at the Fujian Coast of China), which happened to be my ancestral home. This is the marionette, one of the three types of traditional Chinese puppets; the other two being the rod-top puppet and the glove (hand) puppet. The marionette, with moveable parts and very dexterously manipulated by strings from above, can give a very lively performance. One must see the expert manoeuvring the strings to understand the sophistication of the art. Another interesting form of puppet, though not Chinese and not widely known, is the water puppet, perfected by the Vietnamese.

I do not understand the "high tech" form of Taiwan puppets you have mentioned, since I have not been to Taiwan after three trips in the seventies and eighties. Unfortunately, I will miss out on the Taiwanese development once they consider themselves as non-Chinese.

I think the best way to contact the puppet manufacturers is to solicit the help of the Taiwanese Trade Commission, or the Chinese Embassy Trade Section, if you want them from the Mainland. Since you are helping to promote Chinese culture by selling Chinese artistic objects, may I suggest you also look into Chinese dolls, dough figurines (which can now resist moulds), traditional paper-cuts, embroidery, silk flowers, jade/stone ornaments, lacquer-ware, porcelain, tea-cups and pots, snuff bottles, bells, closionne, bonsai pots, lanterns (folded), kites (folded), carpets, bamboo/wood carvings, fans. You name any uesful or ornamental object, and the Chinese would have added their imprint. The price of all these items are so cheap in China that I sometimes wish I were a businessman. Ah!C'est la vie!

Tin-Kay

You are most welcome to browse and join in our group of friends. Do tell me if you find any errors or broken links, etc. Share your thoughts and knowledge with us by your posts.

Oops, oops, my sleepy head
Corrections:

Second paragraph
However, THIS year (early May), the Chinese military business conglomerate, called Poly Group, in an attempt to salvage national pride, managed to buy three relics at the Hong Kong Christie and Sotheby auctions.

Fourth paragraph
The Yongle Encyclopedia was ordered by Zhudi, THE YONGLE EMPEROR, of the Ming Dynasty in 1403.

The wanton destruction of the most famous Chinese Imperial Garden, Yuanmingyuan, in Beijing, in 1860 by the English and French forces under Lord Elgin and executed by "Chinese" Charles Gordon, was condemned in the French Press by the great French writer, Victor Hugo. Hugo had labelled the action as barbaric in its destruction of Chinese culture.

Many Yuangmingyuan relics that were not looted were set in flames, as was the imperial library containing books, which were irreplaceable. The stolen historical artefacts are now scattered in the museums and private collections in the West as spoils of "war". China has been trying to recover these relics without much success. However, last year, the Chinese military business conglomerate, called Poly Group, in an attempt to salvage national pride, managed to buy three relics at the Hong Kong Christie and Sotheby auctions. These relics in the form of heads of the ox, monkey and tiger, are now on show in Beijing, and have evoked Chinese emotions, reminding them of past Western aggression towards and humiliation of China. A report can be seen at: http://www.insidechina.com/news_sections.php3?id=164490.

In 1900, another round of destruction and looting took place following the Yihetuan (Boxer) Movement, when the combined military force of seven European nations, with Japan, was allowed to run a wild rampage of burning and stealing as they move around Beijing. What Hugo had earlier decried in 1860 as barbarism was to avail upon the so-called sophisticated Western leaders of 1900 in their greed for a piece of the dying Qing corpus. Yet, to the Chinese literati, the greatest injury of this destruction was not the near collapse of the Qing Court, but the loss of the Yongle Encyclopedia. This was an insult very painful to the educated Chinese, akin to the burning of the Magna Carta for the British, or the Book of Kells for the Irish. For these Western sophisticated barbarians, what was not one's culture could be destroyed and delegated to the dustbin of history.

The Yongle Encyclopedia was ordered by the Zhudi Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1403. It took 3000 scholars and four years to complete the 22,877 volumes of text and 60 volumes of catalogues in regular script by brush. It was the only set till a fire occurred at the imperial palace in 1557, when the Jiajing Emperor, extremely worried of losing this manuscript, ordered via four decrees in that same night, to save the Encyclopedia at all cost. The Encyclopedia was saved, and the Emperor then decided to have a copy made, to prevent a similar disaster.

However, it was considered too expensive to put into print, and the volumes were duplicated by hand brush strokes, character by character. The copy was announced completed four years later at the death of the Emperor. There was also a view that three hand written copies were ordered by the Jiajing Emperor, two were kept in Beijing and one in Nanjing. Even if this was true, all the copies are now destroyed, vandalised or stolen. The failure to put the book to print would prove, ironically, to be the most expensive mistake in Chinese literary history.

Following the demise of the Jiajing Emperor, the original Yongle Encyclopedia disappeared, and was believed to have been buried with the Emperor in his tomb, the Yongling Tomb. This subterranean tomb was built under the supervision of the Emperor himself, and which, among the thirteen Ming Tombs, is second in size only to the Changling Tomb.

With the unfortunate twist of colonial history in 1900, the foreign troops burnt most of the Yongle Encyclopedia and looted some volumes. Extensive research have revealed only 800 odd volumes out of the original 22,937 volumes. Of these 800 odd volumes, only 128 volumes are in China today. The hopeful solution is to retrieve an intact original or copy from the hiding place(s), if the volumes are still in existence. Hence, the most logical and practical approach would be tomb exploration.

Many Chinese archaeologists and scholars are now questioning how, when and if the Yongling Tomb can be excavated. If the volumes are still there, opening the tomb may cause immediate and irreparable damage to the paper. Hence much preparation must be in place before such a venture can be taken. Mysteries still abound in ancient Chinese tombs. The opening of the Yongling Tomb will be as exciting as the opening of the Qin Shi Huangdi's Tomb. Hopefully, we can see both in our life-times.

Tin-Kay

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