The Rise and Fall of The Yuan Dynasty (Chinese History)

 

The rise and fall of the Mongol empire has always been a fascinating one to me. This short documentary (in link below) by TedEd shows how the Mongols rose to power under the brilliant leadership of Genghis Khan, but crumbled when his grandsons went to war with each other over inheritance. This in turn, fragmented the realm into 4 separate empires. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUVvTqvjUaM

The History of Emperor Shun Zhi and The Fall of The Ming Dynasty (Chinese History)

 

Enjoyed this informative documentary (in link below) about the life of Emperor Shunzhi and the fall of the Ming Dynasty. What I learnt about Emperor Shunzhi: 1. Shunzhi became the emperor of all China at the tender age of 6 but was only able to rule as the Son of Heaven at the age of Heaven when his half uncle, Dor Gon was killed in a hunting accident. 2. He invited the 5th Dalai Lama living in Lhassa for a state visit in Beijing in order to gain greater influence. 3. He was responsible for the construction of the White Pagoda, which was built to honour the Dalai Lama. 4. German Jesuit missionary and astronomer, Johann Adam Schall von Bell developed a personal relationship with Shunzhi, and the emperor even turned to him for guidance. 5. He embraced many aspects of this Chinese culture like opera, theatre and calligraphy. 6. He contracted small pox and died a few days later at the age of 22. 7. His will was likely modified by 4 Manchu nobles and his mother, the Empress Dowager. 8. He was the third Manchu emperor but the first to govern from a throne in Beijing using a brush. 9. His third son, a 7 year old became the next emperor and ruled under the name of Kangxi. 10. Kangxi became the greatest emperor of the Qing Dynasty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iZJYwLAbBc&list=RDCMUCLY-NCXA2dQKyEVKDZ7quHw&index=28

Happy 600th Birthday To The Forbidden City! (Chinese History)

Wow! The Forbidden City just turned 600😍 The fact that it's still standing after 6 centuries of fires, wars and power struggles is nothing short of a miracle. Some interesting facts about this ancient wonder:

1. To combat the risk of fire, hundreds of metal vats were placed around the palace to collect water and early lightning conductors were built onto higher roofs.

2. Due to regular fires, as well as earthquakes, over the centuries, almost all of the buildings of the Forbidden City are later reconstructions of the originals. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, for instance, has been rebuilt seven times since its first construction!

3. The palace walls and supporting columns were washed with red clay from Shandong province; again, a color associated with the emperor, who wrote his edicts in red ink.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/forbidden-city-china-architecture-600-years/index.html

The Three Kingdoms (Chinese History)

 

While The Three Kingdoms was was romanticized in a legendary book 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it was an actual historical period in Chinese history. There was no single 'winner' during this period of destruction and fighting. This period was brought to an end around 280 BCE when the Court of Jin forced the surrender of Wu Kingdom’s leader Sun Hao.

https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/three-kingdoms-period/

Recently Added Items for Oct 2020 (Green Ewer, Green Granary Pot and 6-Window Famille Rose Vase)

 Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the items recently added to our catalogue. For more details, please visit www.emperorsantique.com.

A Green Ewer with Han-Style Features
Height: 43cm

A Han-Style Green Pot Featuring a Man Storing Rice into a Granary
Height: 36.5cm

A Famille Rose Vase in Yellow Background Decorated with Flowers, Featuring 6 Windows with Birds and Mountain Landscape.
Height: 31cm

Amazing New Discovery About The Silk Road and China - Europe Maritime Ceramic Trade! (Chinese History)

 

Wow! It turns out the China-Europe maritime ceramic trade is even older than we thought....500 years to be exact😮

The research findings, jointly published by China's Palace Museum and Durham University reported that Chinese ceramic sherds dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties (9th to 11th centuries AD) recovered in Spain proved that trade links already existed between China and Western Europe along the Maritime Silk Road at that time.

The joint research also concluded that China's maritime trade developed quickly from the Tang to Yuan dynasties (9th to 13th centuries AD). Have any of you ever visited the Silk Road before? If it's a yes, what did you like best about it?

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2019/03/china-europe-maritime-ceramic-trade-500.html

Interesting Facts about The Famille Rose (Qing Dynasty)

 Came across an interesting article (in link below)   highlighting the history of famille rose. My 3 key   takeaways:

1. The best quality famille-rose export wares date from the YongZheng period (1723-1735).

2. Famille rose wares reached their zenith during the Yong Zheng reign, replacing the famille verte of the Kangxi reign and becoming the dominate palette in overglaze decoration.

3. In the Qianlong reign it acquired the name yangcai (foreign colors), possible since this new decorative technique used many imported materials, and its method of mixing pigments was also 'foreign'.

My personal favourite ware is the falangcai. What's yours?

http://gotheborg.com/glossary/famillerose.shtml