AAH Quiz 3

Embroidered Cage

A woman was described as an embroidered cage. Captive at court. All she can do is worry about her beauty. Cage gives us a sense she doesn't have freedom to leave, Lots of paintings about female beauty alone are about that woman feeling sad about the absence of love. Ex: Anonymous, A Palace Beauty, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, 17th c.

Literati

Amateur scholar painters (good confucians working for govt but their real passion is in nature). Ideal of escape to nature. More concerned with evoking the feeling and painting more abstract. They were painting on paper. Ex: Wang Tingyun, Old Tree and Bamboo, handscroll, ink on paper,Southern Song, 12th-13th century.

Clerical Script

Archaic Form of Chinese calligraphy. Very legible due to highly reticilinear structure. Tends to be square and wide. Ex. Ni Zan, The Rongxi Studio, hanging scroll, ink on paper, 1372. (Ming Dynasty

Chinese cardinal directions

Directions are North, South, East, West, and Central. The directions all have different meanings and diff colors. North is black, South is red, East is green, West is white, and central is yellow. Yellow is the color of the emperor and the yellow centers the emperor in the alignment and he is closest person to heaven and the people. Ex: Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, Ming-Qing Dynasty

Chan Buddhism

Emphasis on meditation and mind-to-mind transmission of the experience of enlightenment. Said to have been introduced to China round 6th century. Popular in the song. Bodhidharma was a Persian monk who arrived in China to spread doctrine of Chan. School of Chan that taught sudden enlightenment became more predominant than the school that preached gradual enlightenment. Ex: Liang Kai, Sakyamuni Emerging from the Mountains, hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, Southern Song, dated 1204.

Meridian Gate, Forbidden city

Important because it is the gate that allows you to enter into the inner city. Captives were taken from battle and presented to the emperor at the meridian gate. . Emperor would show his face here and announce the yearly calendar. Emperor is the only one who can go through the middle gate. Ex: Ex: Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, Ming-Qing Dynasty

Suzhou

Referred to as China's Venice because of its waterways in the city. Liu Garden and Pond Rockery is in Suzhou. Known for its classical gardens. Ex: Liu Garden Pond and Rockery, Suzhou, Ming Dynasty, 16th c

Rocks in China

Rocks put in gardens to mimic the nature of mountains. Water has created special rocks into interesting sculpted pieces. These rocks are kernels of energy. They encapsulate good, auspicious energy. Gardens are laid out by everything going around the central rock. Ex:Liu Garden Pond and Rockery, Suzhou, Ming Dynasty, 16th c

Leftover subjects

Scholar officials loyal to chinese govt they served before a change in govt of encroaching power. The people who were loyal to the govt were then exiled. Could apply to scholar officials of the Yuan. Ex:Ren Renfa, Lean and Fat Horses, handscroll, ink and colors on silk, Yuan Dynasty.

Forbidden City

Where the emperors resided and ruled from during ming and Qing dynasties. City is symmetrical and has a central causeway that goes through the entire city. Idea of auspicious energy coming through the waterways. Access to the city as you get further in gets limited. Symbolism like clouds, numbers, and lions present. Ex: Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, Ming-Qing Dynasty

Chinese Garden Design

Yin Yang aspect: juxtaposing diff things that could be yin and yang like diff textures, moving elements vs. stable things. Garden is a mixture of rising and falling spaces. Blend unique ornate buildings with natural elements. Water flowing through the garden is necessary for vital energy. Architecture, rocks, plants and trees are also important. There are smaller parts in the larger garden as a whole Ex:Liu Garden Pond and Rockery, Suzhou, Ming Dynasty, 16th c

Mongols

Yuan dynasty from 1279-1368. Mongol govt suspicious of the Chinese and took steps to limit their power. Capital was within the Chinese cultural sphere but the Mongols conducted govt in their own language. Many refused to serve in the govt out of loyalty to the fallen Song dynasty. Ex: Ren Renfa, Lean and Fat Horses, handscroll, ink and colors on silk, Yuan Dynasty.