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Chinese History and Culture

Ancient Bridges of China

guangzi bridge

Ancient Chinese bridges (zhōng guó gǔ dài qiáo liáng 中国古代桥梁) are universally acknowledged and have enjoyed high prestige in the bridge history of both the East and the West. Throughout history, the Chinese nation has erected thousands of ingeniously designed and magnificent bridges. Crossing over mountains, spanning rivers, they have facilitated transportation, beautified landscapes and have become one of the marks of ancient Chinese civilization.

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Silk

         Silk
China is the earliest country to have produced silk (sī chóu 丝绸). Silk is a symbol of the ancient culture of China. Legend has it that Lei Zu (léi zǔ 嫘祖), wife of Emperor Huangdi (huáng dì 黄帝), invented sericulture (yǎng cán 养蚕), silk reeling (sāo sī 缫丝) and weaving. Chinese archaeologists believe the technology of silk weaving has at least a history of more than 4000 years.

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Zhang Heng and the Seismograph

Seismograph

The first seismograph (dì dǒng yí 地动仪) of the world was invented by Zhang Heng (zhāng héng 张衡), a famous scientist in the Eastern Han Dynasty (dōng hàn 东汉, 25-220). Zhang Heng (78-139) was from Nanyang (nán yáng 南阳) in Henan Province (hé nán shěng 河南省). He studied diligently, and was especially keen on astronomy, calendars and mathematics. As a whole, Zhang Heng can be regarded as an erudite and talented scientist.

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Changxin Palace Lamp

changxingongdengThere were a great varieties of lamps in ancient China, oil-burning lamps were a common means of night-time illumination in this and later periods. The Changxin Palace Lamp (cháng xìn gōng dēng 长信宫灯) of the Han Dynasty ( hàncháo 汉朝) (208BC220AD) is a veritable treasure.
The Changxin Palace Lamp is made of bronze and is gold coated (líu jīn 鎏金). Textual research shows this lantern was used by the mother of Emperor Jingdi (jǐngdì 景帝) (156-140BC).The lantern has an ingenious design and as a whole, it is the shape of a maid of honor on her knees holding a lantern. The lamp she holds is pivoted so that light could be directed as her mistress might wish. Smoke from the candle within passes up through the girl's sleeve and on into the hollow body, so no soot would dirty the room. The lamp holder can store water, dissolving soot from the smoke. Now it is in the collection of the Museum of Hebei Province (héběi 河北), China.

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Fan

          Fan
Fan
(shàn zǐ 扇子) is a must in summer. It can drive away summer heat and help bring cooling breeze. Since old ages, the Chinese fan has been carrying artistic and unique national style. China has always been regarded as “the kingdom of fans”. The fan first appeared in China about 3000 years ago, in the Shang (shāng 商) and Zhou (zhōu 周) dynasties. However, the fan in the early period was not used to help bring cooling breeze, but used as the symbol of etiquette. And it was called “the fan of honor”. After the Qin (qín 秦) and Han (hàn 汉) dynasties, the main shapes of fan are square, round and hexagon. The material that used to make fan are mainly silk. Because the silk fans were often used in royal court, people called them “court fan” (gōng shàn 宫扇). During the Tang (táng 唐) and Sui (suí 隋) dynasties, the prevailing fans are the round fan, feather fan, and some paper fans. The folding fan gradually became popular after Song (sòng 宋) Dynasty. In Ming (míng 明) and Qing (qīng 清) dynasties, the home of folding fans are Zhejiang (zhè jiāng 浙江), Suzhou (sū zhōu 苏州) and Sichuan (sì chuān 四川), etc. Then writing poems and the vogue of drawing pictures on the cover of a fan is rising. Then this exquisite skill has been introduced to Europe, and became popular all over the world.

Last Updated on Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:38
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