The Shanghai Museum
I quote from the Museum's brochure,
"... its present building, completed in 1996, is shaped like a square base and a round top attached with arches like a bronze Ding [no idea what that is, maybe some kind of pot, definitely a container of some kind], indicating the ancient Chinese philosophy of the universe that the earth is square while the sky is round. In front of the building stand eight imposing white marble statues of guardian lions."
Darn! I didn't get photos of the lions. Oh, well, use your imagination.
Atrium of the Museum
looking up...
and looking down....
The first gallery we visited was the Chinese Ethnic Minorities' Arts and Crafts Gallery. Absolutely lovely ceremonial costumes and everyday garb from all over China. Note the dramatic dragon.
An example of the type of garment in the gallery. I did not take this photo. I thought you couldn't take photos, but then I saw everyone else doing it, so I started to as well, but not until I was leaving the gallery. Then, of course, I read the sign at the entrance more carefully saying that you could take photos, as long as you didn't use a flash. Live and learn, Elizabeth, live and learn.
Not every piece was this spectacular, but they all displayed an incredible level of detail and handiwork. Very humbling for someone who is challenged sewing on a button.
This gallery also featured bigger items, such as silver jars, bronze statues, painted lacquer dinner sets and these wooden fishing boats with carved and painted designs made by the Gaoshan people. These people were living on an island near Taiwan. The carved designs are clan marks. I believe it.
They remind you of Canadian canoes, don't they?
Next gallery was the Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery.
Once again, I quote from the brochure for your edification,
"The Ming furniture is characterized by a simple and elegant structure with fluent [sic] lines and appealing proportions. And the Qing furniture in contrast is larger and more imposing with elaborate carving and inlaid decoration. "
Now you know. It is actually remarkably easy to distinguish the two. I prefer the Ming. What about you? Have a look for yourself and see if you can figure out which piece is in which style. (Oh, man! There's a test?!?)
Yep, Qing. You may have seen it written as "Ching". Now they spell it "Qing", but still pronounce it "Ching", just to confuse you. For those who like weird alphabet mnemonics, and you know who are, this one is right up your alley! Q as in Ching, indeed!
This is in which style?
Ming, yep. Again, I am not responsible for this photo. I thought while the Ming style is pretty, the Qing style made more of an impression, so I concentrated on that one.
This chair is called an official's hat armchair because the ends of the top rail flip up and out like a Ming official's hat.
Here's a more obvious example from the Web:
and here is a Ming official in his hat:
See? I did not make up that last fact. I'm already becoming more knowledgeable about things Chinese. The higher ranking the official, the bigger his "wings".
O.K., I did make that up, but it could be true.
Back to the furniture quiz...no scrolling ahead or peeking!
DEFINITELY Qing.
Qing again. Can you imagine this in your house?
Detail of cabinet. Sorry it's blurry. Think of all the work that went into this piece of furniture, all by hand. Impressive.
Finally, we stopped at the Ancient Chinese Jade Gallery, where they displayed all kinds of artifacts, from Neolithic ritual pieces to jewelry to decorative objects and personal ornaments, including burial pieces placed on the face of the dead. Fascinating! I could go on and on, about all the cultural implications of jade, but I won't. I have to leave you with something to discover on your own when you visit! I will leave you with this last image though.
Jade ornament with flowers and grapes
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