锕: [ ā ] 
[ 国标码:EFB9 部首:钅 笔画:12 笔顺:311155212512 ]
1. actinium(Ac)
2. Ac
(Source: dict.cn)
Archive for June 2nd, 2008
Chinese Culture – Chinese Seals (2)
Monday, June 2nd, 2008Imperial seals
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Seal of the Handwriting of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) |
Until the end of Warring States period (BCE 403-221), there was only one way of calling seals, both official and private, regardless of their use and material. This name was xi, which in the following periods gradually became the designation for imperial seals. According to the History of Tang dynasty, Empress Wu (634-705) issued an order to change the word xi, which was up until then used for imperial seals, to bao (treasure). Apparently, she disliked the fact that the word xi was close in sound to the si (death). But when Emperor Zhongzong resumed the throne in 705, he changed the name for imperial seals back to xi. In subsequent centuries the two words were alternated, depending on the period.
At the time of the Han dynasty, the emperor had six seals, during the Tang he had eight, during the Ming over a dozen, and by the time of the Qing, there were several dozens of official imperial seals. The inscription on these official seals usually refers to receiving the Mandate of Heaven or being the successor of Heaven.
Another type of imperial seal was a seal that the emperor used to indicate that a certain document was written in his own handwriting. Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) for example, was famous for his literary ambitions, including calligraphy, and had produced a large amount of texts affixed with his seal. When his calligraphy was carved into stone steles, the seal was copied onto the surface of the stone too.
Yet another seal was used by the emperors to appraise and appreciate art. It was customary for collectors and connoisseurs of art to affix their seals on the surface of a scroll of painting or calligraphy. The paintings acquired by the imperial household were affixed by the imperial seal. Many famous paintings from the Forbidden City have seals of generations of subsequent emperors on them.
（Source: chinaculture.org）
Children Chinese – Cheat Sheet
Monday, June 2nd, 2008Ancient China covers 11,000 years of history! Fortunately, it’s divided into big blocks of time. Still, it can be frustrating sometimes because different people refer to the same blocks of time by different names. That’s not very helpful. For example, someone might say “in Shang times” or “in Han times”, or they might say “in the Bronze Age” or “in the Age of Division”. They might say in the Chou Dynasty (when the Chou family ruled) or in the Zhou Dynasty (when the Zhou family ruled). But, the Chou and Zhou Dynasties were the same dynasty, only spelled differently. You can see why this might be confusing!
So, before we get into daily life, we need a cheat sheet of who’s who in ancient China.
Cheat Sheet: Who’s Who in Ancient China
| Time Period | Dynasty | Quick Glimpse | ||
| Early 10,000-1500 BCE |
Xia(Hsia) | Lungshan people, the great engineers Silk, potters wheel, baked brick houses, flood control, irrigation |
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Bronze Age
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Shang Chou(Zhou) |
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| Classical Age 600 BCE- 200 CE |
Late ChouCh’in(Qin)Han |
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| Age of Division 200-600 CE |
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Hu the Tiger (who reminds me of Jaba the Hut in Star Wars!) Invention of gunpowder Tea! (Confucius probably never tasted tea, and it really didn’t become popular until T’ang times, but this era is when it first started to be enjoyed.) |
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| Early Medieval Period 600-900 CE |
T’ang |
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| CHINA | OTHER KEY TOPICS |
(Source: ancienthistory.mrdonn.org)
