Ancient China Exhibit Artifacts
Wei Brick & Buddha Sculpture
Wei Brick & Buddha Sculpture
A Chinese earthenware brick, displaying the depiction of Buddha dating from the Northern Wei Dynasty. The rectangular brick features an arched scene with the figure rendered in high relief. Buddha is sat cross-legged and performing the Abhaya mudra with the right hand raised symbolising fearlessness and protection. Vibrant red and green pigment enrich the robe along with lotus behind the head. Facial features, such as eyes and eyebrows feature a calm, contemplative expression and are rendered through delicate streaks of black paint, while the lips are painted in red.
Dates: 386-534CE
Chinese Knife Money
Wei Brick & Buddha Sculpture
This example of Ming Dao knife money circulated in ancient China before the more modern circular coins. It originated during the Zhou Dynasty. These coins were inspired by actual knives that were widely used and traded.
Dates: 400-220BCE
Chinese Jade
Jade sculptures have been hugely popular in China since 3000 BCE.It comes in various colors, but green is the most popular. In Chinese culture, jade is more popular than gold! Do you want to know more? Click here!
Oracle Bones
Chinese Oracle Bones were the original Magic 8 Ball! They would take a turtle shell (or the shoulder blade bone of an ox), write many different outcomes on it, pierce it with a red hot knife, and whichever way it cracked determined what they thought would happen! Do you want to know more? Click here!
Xin Dynasty Coin Necklace
A necklace strung with Chinese bronze cash coins, dating to the Xin Dynasty (AD 9 – 23). The coins are of typical form, consisting of a circular surface featuring a square hole at the centre which enables them to be strung together. Two Chinese characters read Huo Quan (货泉). Vibrant green patination and some encrustation covers the surface of the coins. During the Shang dynasty (1600 -1046 BC) and Zhou dynasty (1046 – 256 BC), bronze coins of relatively standard form and weight were introduced for bartering. The early bronze coins took the shape of shovels when trade developed further in the late Spring and Autumn Period（770 – 476 BC), and gradually became smaller in the later period.
Bronze coins with a round hole in the middle appeared during the late Warring State Period in China. In 210 BC, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), founder of the Qin dynasty united the nation and uniformed the currency. He altered the round hole at the centre of bronze coins into a square. The round coin and its square hole are considered to reflect the ancient theory that “heaven is round and earth square”. This style formed the basis for the standard form of Chinese bronze coins for the following 2000 years.
Date- 9-23CE
Chinese Lacquerware
For over 4,000 years, the Chinese have been making lacquerware. They take objects, usually vessels made of wood, and coat them with protective layers of lacquer. Lacquer was made from tree resin. This protective coating served two purposes. It protected the wood and it also made the wood more beautiful. Around 700 BCE, Chinese lacquerware began being used regularly because of its beauty and usefulness. Do you want to know more? Click here!