China's 3 Most Powerful Dynasties

[Pangu]

This find add to the historical accuracy of our history book. No other countries have this much accuracy written and can be verify in physical context as we do. Amazing!

Yes bro, its always exciting to discover & verify the unearthed artifacts to the historical archives. Han Dynasty is my favorite period of our history.

Additional Haihunhou artifacts.

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

Judging from the gold and jade artifacts found, is it safe to say that the tomb has not been looted?

Its a shame that many great tombs were looted and all that remains are the items that were deemed worthless by the thieves.

 

[Aepsilons]

To share a more cultural-based aspect of similarity between Asian peoples here. Would like to share this here --- its intersting to hear this because one can see how Tang Imperial Music really influenced Imperial Japanese and Imperial Korean traditional music.....

The hairs on my back rose when i hear this....

 

[Aepsilons]

I can really see how Tang Imperial Court Music influenced the Imperial Court Music of Japan, especially the ancient form we refer to as Gagaku:

Now, behold the Korean Imperial Court Music.

So similar....

 

[ahojunk]

What a lucky find!

========
Rare Ming Dynasty bank note found inside ancient Chinese wooden sculpture
2016-11-07 10:03 | Global Times | Editor: Li Yan

Large Chinese wooden sculpture of a Luohan, Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
(Photo/Courtesy of Mossgreen Auctions)

The Ming Dynasty's "Yi Guan" bank note found inside the wooden sculpture
(Photo/Courtesy of Mossgreen Auctions)​

A Chinese wooden sculpture and a rare Ming Dynasty bank note that was discovered inside were on display in an exhibition in London on 3-6 November at The Beaumont Hotel.

The 13-14th century sculpture and the bank note will later be auctioned in Sydney on December 11, as part of The Raphy Star Collection of Important Asian Art by Mossgreen, Australia's leading art business, with auction, gallery and private sales totalling AUD$50 million in 2015.

Paul Sumner, chief executive officer of Mossgreen Auctions, told the Global Times, "It is very rare to find this kind of bank note inside a head of a wooden Buddhist sculpture."

The sculpture and the bank note will be sold together as one lot for between $30,000 to $45,000.

A thrilling discovery

Mossgreen specialists discovered this bank note hidden within the cavity of the head of a large, Chinese wooden sculpture of a Luohan while cataloguing this piece.

Specialist Ray Tregaskis, head of Asian Art at Mossgreen, said, "It was a thrilling moment. While it was not unusual for consecration items such as semi-precious stones or scrolls to be left within the base or on the back of a sculpture, the discovery of this rare Ming Dynasty bank note is an exciting one and importantly, it verifies the date of the sculpture."

Luohan is a Chinese word used to describe those who have completed the four stages of Enlightenment and reached the state of nirvana.

The wooden sculpture is based on the style and carving techniques of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). It originally belongs to a set of several Luohan, and placed in a Buddhist temple for worshiping.

The sculpture was part of an important private collection that was sold by A.J. Speelman in the year of 1990 to Raphy Star, a collector who over 30 years has formed a diverse collection of Asian art.

Inspired by the refined aesthetic beauty of Asian Art, particularly Buddhist Art, Raphy Star said "collecting became something of an addiction."

Usually for the Buddhist figures, especially the gilt bronze figures, there would be some consecration materials inside which would be put in by a Monk or Lama, after the figures were cast.

The common consecration materials are mantra rolls, relics, grains, incense and other precious objects. This is the first time to discover a bank note inside a wooden head.

"We don't know exactly why it was there, whether it was put in by the carver/patron after it was carved or by the patron who paid the money to repair the sculpture 40, 50 years later (probably by later patron)," Sumner told the Global Times.

Hongwu bank note

This kind of bank note was first made during Hongwu period in the 14th century by the first Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who defeated the Yuan army and overthrew the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

It was used as a replacement of bronze coins. Only this kind of bank note and bronze coins were allowed to be used during the trading by normal people. Gold and silver were forbidden.

"From this bank note we can see what kind of paper they were using for making the bank note during the Ming Dynasty, and what kind of printing technology was used during that period. And also the financial system of that period," Sumner told the Global Times.

The note is inscribed "Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao" and the value is "Yi Guan."

"Yi Guan" was the biggest note during that time. It equals to the present bank note value of around 600 yuan. This kind of Hongwu bank note was in use for about 270 years.

The Ming Dynasty ruled for almost 300 years during a prosperous time which saw increased trade with Europe.

The bank note is stamped with three official red seals and dated the third year of the Ming Dynasty, the Hongwu period (1368-1398).

The note is inscribed with a sinister warning for any would be forgers, "Authorized by the Department of Finance, this bank note has the same function as coins; those who use counterfeit bank note will be beheaded, and the whistle-blower will be rewarded 250 liang silver plus all the properties of the criminal. The third year of Hongwu period."

The pair of artifacts, to be auctioned by The Raphy Star Collection of Important Asian Art, is believed to be the most important and diverse collection of Asian Art to have been offered at auction in Australia.

"We expect a high level of interest from discerning collectors and institutions all over the world," Sumner said, adding that the market for Chinese historical works of art has boomed along with the overall economic development over the recent years.

"It shows no sign of slowing as demand outstrips supply for the rarest and most sought after works of art," said Sumner.


========

I wonder if the Chinese Administration of Cultural Heritage will ask the auction house to return this.
.

 

[AViet]

Few people know that Vietnam was possibly the second country in the world to issue bank note, after Ming China.

However, I've never seen the bank note issued by Ho dynasty in Vietnam

 

[ahojunk]

Tomb of Han dynasty emperor may contain lost chapters from Confucian classic

Archaeologists think they found material from the Analects of Confucius in a mausoleum in Jiangxi province

Zhuang Pinghui
PUBLISHED : Monday, 28 November, 2016, 9:32am
UPDATED : Monday, 28 November, 2016, 9:32am

Students read the Analects of Confucius at a primary school in Hefei, Anhui province. Photo: Xinhua

Archaeologists believe they may have discovered two missing chapters of the Analects of Confucius – one of the most important works of Confucianism – that were lost during a time of warfare about 1,800 years ago.

The Analects is a collection of sayings and ideas of the ancient philosopher Confucius, written and compiled by his followers.

There are believed to have been several versions, with the one widely in use today, featuring 20 chapters, compiled by a scholar during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).

A student reads ancient classics at a Confucian private school in Haikou, Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua

Another version of the Analects, passed on by scholars from the Qi State, is thought to have been lost during the Warring States Period – a time before the unification of China at the start of the Qin dynasty (221-201BC) – when books were burned and Confucian scholars were buried alive.

The Qi version was believed to have two extra chapters: “Asking the emperor” and “Knowing the way”.

Archaeologists last year uncovered about 5,000 bamboo slips – the main medium used for writing before the introduction of paper in China – during a dig inside the Marquis Haihun mausoleum near Nanchang in Jiangxi province.

A recent translation of one slip showed the words “knowing the way”, which archaeologists and historians believe is very likely to refer to the Qi version of the Analects of Confucius.

Marquis Haihun, or Liu He, held the position of emperor for only 27 days before being overthrown because of his “lack of talent and morals”.

His royal mausoleum, which covers an area of 40,000 square metres and contains eight tombs and a chariot burial site, is the best preserved from the Western Han period. Artefacts, including a huge amount of money, gold, bronze and other relics, are helping to shed light on life during that period.

Chi Hong, head of the Jiangxi Culture Department, said the painstaking work to preserve the delicate bamboo slips would be finished by the end of this year. The writing found on them could be read and interpreted next year.

However, Yang Zhaoming, president of the Confucius Research Institute of China, said that even if the missing chapters re-emerged, it would not have much effect on Confucian studies.

Yang said every version of the Analects came from one original master, and that the thoughts in the missing two chapters might simply have been expressed in other chapters of the existing versions.

“Finding the Qi Analects would be a minor review, but it would not be a groundbreaking finding,” Yang said.

“There are many books on Confucianism and the Analects is just one of them. Finding two more chapters would not have much impact on what we already know about the philosophy.”

Bai Ping, a historian with Shanxi University, took a similar view of the possible new chapters, saying Confucian scholars are looking forward to seeing them interpreted and presented to the public, but that he doubts they will reveal much that historians don’t already know.

“There might be new content, but it will just involve a different wording and nothing more,” Bai said.

The archaeologists also believe they have discovered the oldest known portrait of Confucius after piecing together a broken lacquer screen that was found in the tomb’s main chamber. It also featured a brief inscription on the biography of the philosopher.

That biography put Confucius’ year of birth at 566BC, 15 years earlier than what was recorded in other histories.

But Yang was dubious about the biography found in the tomb, saying it contradicts accounts from ancient history books, especially the Records of the Grand Historian by Han dynasty scholar Sima Qian.

Yang said that several different histories were consistent on details about Confucius’ life, such as his year of birth.

“I don’t think we should turn around and start believing a scripture on a screen.”

 

[Speeder 2]

漢人自古尚武，漢唐男子出門必配劍。倭人的"武士道" 和西洋人"胡蘿蔔加大棒"哲學的老祖宗就是漢人。

漢文化講究陰陽平衡， 故君子重文武兼修。強國戰略則是陰陽並應，陷陣克敵, 斬郅支首及名王以下，宜懸頭槁於蠻夷邸間，以示萬里，明犯強漢者，雖遠必誅！

可惜漢人文化精髓從明代起便入歧途， 加上滿清和猶太共產的摧殘，至今庸才當道， 精英散與市井，真是陰盛陽衰,不忍直視。連你媽周邊幾個屎一樣存在的印，韓，緬， 越都搞不定， 更不用提及民間漢文化自信與復興了。。。當今所謂"韓流"？就是那個個打扮成gay一般的雞八毛嗎？看來我是"out"了。

 

[Stuttgart001]

漢人自古尚武，漢唐男子出門必配劍。倭人的"武士道" 和西洋人"胡蘿蔔加大棒"哲學的老祖宗就是漢人。

漢文化講究陰陽平衡， 故君子重文武兼修。強國戰略則是陰陽並應，陷陣克敵, 斬郅支首及名王以下，宜懸頭槁於蠻夷邸間，以示萬里，明犯強漢者，雖遠必誅！

可惜漢人文化精髓從明代起便入歧途， 加上滿清和猶太共產的摧殘，至今庸才當道， 精英散與市井，真是陰盛陽衰,不忍直視。連你媽周邊幾個屎一樣存在的印，韓，緬， 越都搞不定， 更不用提及民間漢文化自信與復興了。。。當今所謂"韓流"？就是那個個打扮成gay一般的雞八毛嗎？看來我是"out"了。

这话偏颇了。我觉得从宋朝就开始了。皇帝再也没有开疆拓土的心胸了，防内甚于防外。虽然经济很活跃，但是只要给汉人稳定点的环境，发展经济小菜一碟。最可恨的是，蒙古都席卷天下了，南宋那帮士大夫还他妈想着限制武人，自己不愿也没能力保卫国家，还压制有能力的人。中华文名的堕落就是这帮自私自利的儒家士大夫造成的。大明初期其实很正确，朝堂上军事贵族勋贵（武士集团）和文官（代表士大夫）互相制衡，可惜土木堡之战，勋贵集团遭到毁灭性的打击，制衡没有了，逼得皇帝只能重用太监。土木堡之战绝对是中国历史进程的一个转折点，这仗怎么看都很诡异， 大军在国内境被几万人偷袭，长城沿线的边军竟然都是瞎子，而且还不来救援。士大夫集团牢牢掌握了地方，把集团利益家族利益置于国家民族利益之上，汉家文明彻底真正堕落了。

纯粹是交保护费，反正也是战五渣。

反正就是赚钱吗。正常贸易也能挣。没有世界大战，军火贸易的体量不会太大的。中国就搞咱制造业，提高档次，一样赚剪刀差。

 

[jkroo]

漢人自古尚武，漢唐男子出門必配劍。倭人的"武士道" 和西洋人"胡蘿蔔加大棒"哲學的老祖宗就是漢人。

漢文化講究陰陽平衡， 故君子重文武兼修。強國戰略則是陰陽並應，陷陣克敵, 斬郅支首及名王以下，宜懸頭槁於蠻夷邸間，以示萬里，明犯強漢者，雖遠必誅！

可惜漢人文化精髓從明代起便入歧途， 加上滿清和猶太共產的摧殘，至今庸才當道， 精英散與市井，真是陰盛陽衰,不忍直視。連你媽周邊幾個屎一樣存在的印，韓，緬， 越都搞不定， 更不用提及民間漢文化自信與復興了。。。當今所謂"韓流"？就是那個個打扮成gay一般的雞八毛嗎？看來我是"out"了。

勿需过于消极，文明和文化是嵌入骨髓和基因的，汉人在必重振汉唐雄风。
周边宵小您也知是屎一样的存在，这屎您是手刃？脚踩？还是.... 战略的定力还是需要有的，我们的目标不是周边宵小。
兔子的目标是星辰大海

There are more leading military & civilian technologies will come out in the coming years. Let's wait and see.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

People should remember here, that a dynasty and country is strong not only by military or economy.

It is strong based on ideology, social cohesion, culture etc.

Han Dynasty in effect formed the single Han ethnicity, by merging everyone under it, something that even the Qin failed to do.

All these three dynasties were also high powers in terms of culture, ideology, justice, and social cohesion.

Today's China should learn from them.

Like the Han dynasty before it, it should merge ethnicites (that are already largely Sinicized) into a common one. That should include almost everyone except Tibetans and Uygurs. Most notably, it would include Han, Manchu, Mongol, Korean, Zhuang, Hui etc.

 

[jkroo]

Our glories and civilizations. I am proud that I can still read our ancestors' masterpieces which were written more than 2000 years ago.

修身齐家治国平天下
知白守黑为天下式
执两用中
道法自然
易

The above characters can explain why the civilization continues to exist more than 5000 years.

And I think Ming dynasty is super power at that time though the dynasty was defeated by Qing.

 

[nang2]

People should remember here, that a dynasty and country is strong not only by military or economy.

It is strong based on ideology, social cohesion, culture etc.

Han Dynasty in effect formed the single Han ethnicity, by merging everyone under it, something that even the Qin failed to do.

All these three dynasties were also high powers in terms of culture, ideology, justice, and social cohesion.

Today's China should learn from them.

Like the Han dynasty before it, it should merge ethnicites (that are already largely Sinicized) into a common one. That should include almost everyone except Tibetans and Uygurs. Most notably, it would include Han, Manchu, Mongol, Korean, Zhuang, Hui etc.

You are absolutely right. People often are drawn towards drama. Military conquests and monuments naturally provide most of it. The quiet hero that actually enables the wealth and power is often overlooked. To learn from a successful civilization, it is probably more fruitful to examine its state before the prime time. What happened during its prime time is very likely the reason for the subsequent downfall. In this light, I prefer to study 19-century US than 20-century US.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

You are absolutely right. People often are drawn towards drama. Military conquests and monuments naturally provide most of it. The quiet hero that actually enables the wealth and power is often overlooked. To learn from a successful civilization, it is probably more fruitful to examine its state before the prime time. What happened during its prime time is very likely the reason for the subsequent downfall. In this light, I prefer to study 19-century US than 20-century US.

Do you concur by main point though? Of merging and forming new combined ethnicity?

 

[terranMarine]

People should remember here, that a dynasty and country is strong not only by military or economy.

It is strong based on ideology, social cohesion, culture etc.

Han Dynasty in effect formed the single Han ethnicity, by merging everyone under it, something that even the Qin failed to do.

All these three dynasties were also high powers in terms of culture, ideology, justice, and social cohesion.

Today's China should learn from them.

Like the Han dynasty before it, it should merge ethnicites (that are already largely Sinicized) into a common one. That should include almost everyone except Tibetans and Uygurs. Most notably, it would include Han, Manchu, Mongol, Korean, Zhuang, Hui etc.

Extremely wrong perception about the Qin. The Qin did not fail, it won by successfully uniting the rest of the states into one entity. After a very long period of wars the Qin Empire finally was formed but it would not last very long because of exhaustion. Qin left some legacies behind which you are too "genius" to even notice