W100xD100xH70mm, Hong Kong (NOT FOR SALE)
For Spikey‘s birthday, a treat tray for my father for dishing out munchies.
He really does behave like this with his food…
Can’t believe that you are already 6 years old.
Happy Birthday Spikey!
You can follow Spike’s own on www.spiketang.wordpress.com
DIA300xH450mm, China
A traditional Chinese hamper for delivering delicious goodies. Unlike the gift hamper that one receive nowadays, the hamper is not a part of the gift and would need to be return to the owner. Not only is it return but it is also expected to contain a red packet, a return gift in monetary form, “砸籃” (weighting the basket). In the traditional Cantonese gift etiquette, when receiving a food item as a gift, one would give a red packet to the giver, this is known as “砸” (za), the term that originate from the gift basket.
A Beijing Opera’s adaptation to the Christmas song – Jingle Bells
its SO “something old something new” that I would like to share with you on X’mas day.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun
it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
金溝杯、
金溝杯，
金溝歐了魏，
歐華芳，
一次鑾，
引了萬壑收奔雷
The Chinese lyric has nothing with the musical instrument jingle bell and an open sleigh, but a war in the period of Bai Chao (400AD). At the place of Jin Gou, after a few drinks, the leader of Jin Gou attacked Wei and Ou. He then went to Wei’s Jin Luan Dian palace. This led Wei’s commander Wan He to counter attack like then thunder to claim back the lost land.
DIA300xH330mm, China
Stock up enough alcohol for the holiday ahead?
This traditional Chinese wine jar would probably be large enough to last till 2014!
Instead of using a large cork, the jar would have been sealed with a strong paper which is secured by a string. Clay would be applied over the paper making it air tight. This is where the saying of breaking off the clay seal for describing the act of drinking comes from.
Please don’t drink and drive.
W45xL70xH25mm, China
A snuff bottle in the form of a sleepy blue frog.
Now a song for the festive season.
DIA120xH80mm, China
A plate for offering, like the bronze bowl featured earlier this week.
The random dotted pattern on the plate was not intention but marks left by plate stacked one over the other, over the glazed and all. The potter would have to knocked on the plates to release them as they would have been stuck together by the melted glaze. A crude way of doing pottery but yet giving a special feeling to the object.
L80xW40xH110mm, China
A mythical character in the epic “Feng Shen Yan Yi” which described all the saintly figures, his name is Zhun Ti Dao Ren. Zhun Ti was said to have come from the West, the land of Buddhism, bringing with him the wisdom and teaching of the Buddha.
The carriage of Zhun Ti Dao Ren is the famous Wisdom Peacock, Mahamayuri, the son of the Phoenix.
DIA270xH150mm, China
Perfect for beating egg white, melting of chocolate or just as a fruit bowl.
In the old days this bronze bowl would have been uses to provide offering in a Chinese temple.
See our other offering containers; offering bowl, eight trigram bowl, bronze plate, lacquer dish.
W150xD70xH220mm, China
This is a mask for the female role (Dan) in the Chinese theatre.
The diva.
Strangely, it is not portrayed as a beautiful female but a rather comical. This is because the mask is that of a Cai Dan (the clown). Like all good theatre, the clown is essential.
Within the dan catagory there were the Gui Men Dan (known for the singing), the Hua Dan (specialized in movement and speech), the Wu Dan (the Chinese version of Laura Croft), Lao Dan (the older women) and Cai Dan (the clown).
In this clip you will the beautiful Xi Shi (Hua Dan), followed by the comical Dong Shi (Cai Dan) and mother (Lao Dan)
Mountain Folkcraft 