Qin Dynasty 221-210 B.C., The Great Bronze Age of China, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Exhibit Poster.

One of the most spectacular archaeological finds, since the discovery in 1922 of Tutankhamen's tomb, was made in 1974 when Chinese workmen, drilling a well found a tunnel strewn with pottery figures of soldiers and horses. Excavations soon revealed the existence of a buried army consisting of more than six thousand terra-cotta figures arrayed in battle formation. All are approximately life size, all were created more than 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of china's great unifier and first emperor - Ch'in Shih Huangdi, who reigned from 221-210 B.C. The emperor apparently wanted a proper military escort for his journey to the after-world. (In the Shang dynasty, immediately preceding, the custom was to bury live soldiers with horses and chariots in the emperor's tomb.)

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No two figures look alike because each is a portrait of a real person. They were modeled after the emperor's own warriors, servants and footmen. Their sculpted hair is parted in the middle and pulled back in different types of knots. All of them once carried real swords, spears and crossbows. All were buried in a standing position. The footmen have no armor, but wore high-necked garments that fasten across the chest and reach the knees over baggy knickers. Only a hint of the original color painted on the pottery clothing remains. Their ankle boots are also laced and tied in bows. They look as alive today as they did when they were first created; some fierce, others proud and confident. A few even seem to be on the verge of smiling.

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Most significant during this time was the architectural feat of combining a number of existing protective walls in Northern China into the Great Wall, a massive fortification stretching some 1500 miles. It is 19 1/2 feet wide and 23 feet high. It was designed to keep out the nomads of Mongolia and Manchuria.

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Emporer Ch'in Shih Huang also unified large parts of the Great Wall.  Before him, there had been a series of smaller protective walls meant to protect the various states from raiding tribes in what is now Mongolia.  The wall is made of stone, wood, and tamped earth.  It runs along the old northern border of China.  Several walls were built as early as 7th century BC.  Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road.  The wall had watch towers with signal towers.  It extends more than 13,000 miles. 

T'ang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), China, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Buddhist religion came to China in the previous Han dynasty and flourished under the Tang Dynasty.  Buddism spread in part with a lot of trade to and from India and Central Asia.  Buddha lived 563 to 483 B.C.  He was born to rulers of the Shaka clan – Shakyamuni - “sage of the Shakya clan.”  His mother dreamed that a white elephant entered her side where the child exited her body, fully formed and took seven steps.  He was given the name Siddhartha -“he who achieves his goal.”His father wanted to shelter him from the miseries of the world but at 29 years of age he snuck out of palace and made three rides around it seeing old person, a sick person, and a corpse.  On his fourth trip he saw a holy man who inspired him to follow a similar path to be free from human suffering.  He did so and spent six years giving up the luxuries of life, including food.  When he was near death from fasting he accepted a bowl of rice from a young girl and discovered that physical hardship was not the way to reach enlightenment.  He went on to fight several demons and reached enlightenment.  Siddhartha preached “The Middle Way,” which is one of balance rather than extremism.

Koryô period (918-1392 AD) Korea, Silver parcel gilt 14 15/16" high, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, MA Reproduction photograph

Korea is a country bordering China to the northeast and the two countries share many aspects of culture including their main religions.  A ewer is a vase used primarily for bathing.  They are generally large.  Kum-bu — Korean "attached gold" is an ancient Korean gilding technique used to apply thin sheets of gold to silver, to make silver-gilt.  By heating the metals and pressing them together they can achieve a strong bond. 

The scalloped body, spout, and handle of the ewer all have shapes inspired by bamboo.  The cover consists of three conventionalized lotuses, surmounted by a phoenix, engraved with a decoration of floral sprays. 

During the Koryo Dynasty, Korea made great advances in metallurgy, porcelain, poetry, and block printing.  The latter allowed greater access to books. 

Yuan period (1279-1368), China, Porcelain decorated in underglaze blue, Clara Bertram Kimball Collection, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, MA Reproduction photograph

​The Yuan Dynasty was the era of Mongol control in China.  The Mongols ruled from afar and through the use of local leaders.  The Yuan Dynasty was under the rule of Khublai Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan.  This was the time of Marco Polo and a lot of trade was established with Europe.  It was the height of fine porcelain exported to Europe from China.  The Chinese made a pure white ware that was decorated under the glaze by hand painting with an oxide of Persian cobalt for the striking blue.  This is known as Blue and White.  Blue and white porcelain was made for the Imperial Court and elites of Europe. 

Li Dynasty (17th century) Korea, by Yi Am (1499-after 1545), Watercolor on silk 12 1/8 x 17 1/8", Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA Reproduction photograph.

Korean painting is similar in style to Chinese painting.  Koreans often used domestic animals as subjects, especially kittens and puppies.  Color is used as tints and applied thinly in light washes filling outlined forms.  Outlines are made in ink.  The philosophy of Chinese and Korean painting differs from Western approaches to art.  The former seeks to find the essence of part of nature by thinking about it before painting it, and then boiling the image down to its essential essence.  The qualities or feeling of an animal, cloud, tree, etc. was more important than the appearance.

Steiglitz Center, Philadelphia Museum of art, PA Poster.

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1760, Quing Dynasty, unknown artist, Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 74 1/4 " x 37 7/16" Metropolitan Museum, Reproduction photograph.

From a set of 100 portraits of officials and warriors commissioned by the Manchu emperors.  The Imperial guards of the Qing Dynasty were a select group of Manchu and Mongol soldiers responsible for guarding the Forbidden City in Beijing, the emperor, and the emperor's family.  Of these, the Imperial bodyguard was assigned to protect the emperor at all times.  Only Manchu could become Imperial bodyguards. 

Seven sheets, by Tang, Shue-Low.

Chinese writing is based on ideographs, rather than letters.  Ideographs are symbols that are combined to produce meaning.  Meaning also derived from the way the ink brush touches the paper or silk being written on.  For example, the Chinese symbol for "man" may be written so that the brush stroke shows whether the writer is referring to a strong man, a weak man, a scholar or a lazy man. 

Chinese writing begins at the right and is read down each column.

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