Thirdly, in terms of the export markets, it was perhaps not so easy for European people to see the shape of the phoenix tale in the fengweizun, despite the fact that it was so named by the Chinese court because of the shape of its mouth and feet. It became a corruption of the English word 'yearn'. Secondly, the English word yen (craving) actually comes from Cantonese Chinese meaning 'hope' or 'wish' and was coined in 19th century England when everything Chinese was all the rage. So, what of the most used version if the name for this shape of vase - the 'yen-yen'? The word yen has several different culturally important connotations.įirstly it closely resembles the Chinese yuan currency symbol ' ¥' (pronounced 'yen' by Chinese speakers) The phoenix has royal connections being said to represent the empress. The phoenix and the dragon are the two most popular mythical creatures in Chinese culture. The word 'feng' was originally translated from Chinese texts as 'phoenix', so the name stuck. Remember, the Chinese phoenix, is similar to, but not the same as, the creature from Greek legend. The Chinese Phoenix, is of course a purely mythical creature and was described as having a tail resembling that of a fish. In the fengweizun, the bottom ridge of the belt is dispensed with, so the form gently curves downwards in and out from the belly to the foot. The gu has what is referred to as a 'belt' around the waist. The top of the vase flares like a trumpet, just like the gu. The liuyeping: also called the 'willow leaf' or ' Guanyin' vase: Given enough stability over a long enough period of time, this philosophical approach to governance was extremely conducive to the mastery of artisan skills like ceramics.Ĭhinese vase shapes developed during the Qing were as follows: They also actively promoted the wisdom of Confucianism which, at the core, believes the human race is ultimately good - where wisdom, self-cultivation and virtue are learned behaviours and all that is needed to facilitate this learning is a society based on moral virtue and communal endeavour. They thrived by adopting Chinese ways and promoting local native Chinese (Han) administrators to rule regionally. Nearly half of all the decorative Chinese vase shapes that exist were developed during this long uninterrupted Qing period - the pinnacle of ceramic success, creativity, finesse and productivity.Ī tribe called the Manchu had overthrown the Ming dynasty by conquering the capital Beijing in 1644. #Chinese pear shaped vessel meaning fullIf you like the content of this post and want to have your own copy for future reference (without ads), download the full e-book for only $9.99 Chapter 6. When you find the one that matches, go to the relevant chapter for that shape, where the backstory for each form is explained.Ĭhapter 1. Just look down the table, keeping an eye out for the shape of vase that most closely matches the one you are looking to identify. It was the Song era (960-1279), which began the process in earnest and the Yuan, the Ming and Qing all made their own unique contributions until the dynastic rule was broken by revolution in 1911.Įach dynasty has it's own chapter, but for convenience, for those wanting to to quickly identify which category a Chinese vase shape fits into, there is a quick-glance reference table in Chapter 1. The shapes became formalised over 4 dynasties lasting the best part of 1000 years under many different ruler's stewardship. Each vase form is specifically named and easily recognisable, despite there being variations of shape, detailing and decoration. The first thing to note is that there are only about twenty shapes in all, and each shape has its own unique backstory within Chinese culture. Meiping or huluping? Yen-yen or Shiliuzun? How do we know which of the Chinese vase shapes we are looking at? In minutes, with this handy guidebook, you'll know your gu from your hu.
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