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Yuan Xiao

02/06/2012 //
2

DIA110xH70mm, China

Today is the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, Yuan Xiao, a day which denotes a lot of events;
– First full moon of the new year
– End of the Chinese New Year celebration
– Chinese valentine’s day
– Lantern’s festival

It is traditional to have a rice dumpling soup on the day and to solve the lantern riddle.
Here is the recipe for the rice dumpling soup (also known as Yuan Xiao)

INGREDIENTS

For the dumpling (make 10 dumpling)

  • 110g glutinous rice flour
  • 100g water
  • 25g black seasame seed
  • 25g sugar
  • 1.25 tbs butter (the traditional version is to use lard)

For the soup

  • 625ml water
  • 40g sugar brown sugar bar
  • 3 slices of ginger
  1. Heat the sesame seed in a pan in medium heat (keep stirring) until popping
  2. Grind the cooled sesame seed in a blender or mortar
  3. In a heated pan, melt the sugar, butter and blend in the sesame paste, then put in the fridge
  4. For the skin dough, mix the rice flour with water, knead until  it is no stick to the hand
  5. Make 10 little balls with the dough, take 1 ball, flatten it  and make a slight dent, put the sesame stuffing in and lightly let the dough envelop in the stuffing and shape the dumpling into a ball again
  6. Make the sweet soup by adding the 3 items in a saucepan and boil till the sugar dissolved
  7. In other large pan of boiling water, add in the dumpling, they will start to float when they are cooked
  8. Put a couple of dumpling in a bowl of sweet soup, enjoy!

LANTERN RIDDLE

Here is a lantern riddle to go with your dumpling soup (now all you need is to find a valentine and a lantern …)

WHEN IT IS SITTING ITS SITTING
WHEN IT IS STANDING ITS SITTING
WHEN IT IS MOVING ITS SITTING
WHEN IT IS SLEEPING ITS SITTING

(guess an animal)

The bowl presented here is in fact a tea bowl (blue and white porcelain with painted goldfish), its a brewing and drinking bowl for individual enjoyment.  Hot water is added to the tea leaves in the bowl, rinse and drained (use the lid to retain the tea leave).  A second round of hot water is added and brew for 10 minutes.  The lid is opened for appreciation of the scent and the colour of the tea, it is then close again with a small small opening.  Tea is slowly sipped out from the gap.

(answer to the riddle – frog)

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Categories container, pottery

Bamboo Basket

01/31/2012 //
0

DIA360xH110, China

Bamboo basket (tray like) used to be a common household item; in the days when refrigerator is not so common, the weaving of the bamboo strips avoid trap moisture and made the vegetable and fruit stored last longer.  Apart from the everyday use, the bamboo tray basket also feature on the wedding day, when the bride leaves her parents home a respected female of the family will use the bamboo basket to shield the bride from the sun.

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Categories bamboo, container

Gourd Cricket Cage

01/29/2012 //
0

DIA100xH220mm, China

This cute little man is in fact a gourd!  It doesnt have the normal “8” shape (see entry Small Gourd) as it was been formed with the string bounded technique.  When the gourd is still green and tender, a string is fastened to it tightly, the string is use as a guide and restriction for its growth, by the time when it is ripe and fully grown a certain shape is formed.  This reminded me some of Araki Nobuyoshi’s work, perhaps both has a feeling of manipulation and distortion.  The drawing on the gourd is done by a technique known as heat engraving; a metal needle is inserted into a large joss stick (finger thick), the joss stick is then lighted up, using the heat the score skin of on the air dried fruit, creating a mark.  The heat can be lowered by clipping away portion of the burning joss stick.  There are different needles for different lines and shade; mainly, the pointed set for lines, horse shoe shape set for shading and knife shape for smoother lines.  Now the function of this little man, its a toy cricket cage for children to keep their pets.  The man will be at a headstand position with the lid on top, the shape of the gourd will give a resonance for the song of the crickets.

For the bamboo cage, see entry cricket cage

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Categories cage, container, figurine, toy

Vanity Box

01/28/2012 //
0

W180xD230xH140mm (300mm when opened), China

Ladies like to put makeup on and look pretty and the Chinese ladies are no difference.  The concept of the Chinese vanity box has been around since the Sung dynasty; the mirror being part of the lid, can be folded away inside the box.  The little drawers store all the essential rouge, eye liners etc.  This box is decorated with the mother of pearl inlay.

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Categories container, furniture / architecture, glass, wood

Chinese New Year Box of Goodies

01/23/2012 //
2

W300xL300xH80mm, China

On Chinese New Year and the few days after, it is traditional to visit family and friends to give them good wishes in person.  Every household would prepare a box filled with goodies to entertain their guests.  The box would contain a set of porcelain dishes so that an assortment of snacks and sweets can be displayed.  The common items to be kept are, melon seeds, sugared melon, coconut, lotus seeds, lotus root, candied kumquat, fried dumpling, sweets, nuts, etc.

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Categories container, lacquer, pottery, wood

Water Bucket

01/16/2012 //
0

DIA260xH480mm, China

This lacquered water bucket is part of the bridal dowry of a Chinese wedding.  The basic dowry list for bucket section would include a foot a water bucket, a foot washing basin and a chamber pot.  The list for a well off family would go up to more than 20 items.  All these items have in common is that they are all lacquered in red and structurally formed like a barrel, segments of circular planks tightened together by a piece of metal.  The bucket artisan used to be a very popular trade, making every day use items, repairs and of course the dowry items, but as China became industrialized now there is only a handful of old artisan left.

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Categories container, lacquer, wood

Double Happiness Jar

01/15/2012 //
0

DIA180xH250mm, China

In the old days, for a common Chinese family the ceramic items on the dowry list would include: one vase, a pair of blue and white double happiness jars, a pair of hat rest.  Inside of the jars would be placed dates and lotus seeds as a symbol of  adding a son for the family.

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Categories container, pottery

Tea Cozy

01/15/2012 //
2

D180xH180mm, China

It used to be as popular as the electrical kettle, every big family would have one in the house.  The teapot with tea already brewed would be kept warm in this rattan weaved basket.  Inside the basket is padded with cloth with only a custom made void for the teapot.  The tea cozy was invented in the Qing dynasty, some are weaved with rattan, some of reed and some straw.  The ratten is first cleaned and the knots untied, the skin is removed and the core polished.  The cozy is decorated with bronze accessory which unfortunately most are no longer on this piece.

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Categories container

Mystery Buy

01/10/2012 //
0

DIA150xH120mm, Hong Kong

The perfect mystery gift!  This ceramic coin jar has been completely packed with coins and notes and used to belonged to a great grand aunt of mine who passed away in the 80s. For the family it seems to be a waste to break this time capsule, the pieces we managed to wiggle out from the top are a 1 dollar bill of 1959 and 50 cent coin of 1965, see the very young Queen’s portrait?  The current Hong Kong bills are of course without the Queen’s head.

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Categories container, pottery

Gourd Basket

01/08/2012 //
0

DIA150xH300mm, China

Gourd is kind of squash, its latin name is Lagenaria Siceraria, traditionally the Chinese view it as an icon of blessing.  It has been with the Chinese culture for a long long time, its seeds were found at a Zhe Jiang 5000BC archaeological site, the hollowed out dried skin is probably the first liquid container used before pottery and bronze.  It is also commonly used in the old days to store medicine, there is an old say, “wonder what kind of potion is stored in this gourd” meaning a suspicion of someone up to something.

The gourd used for the basket is not of the common “8” shape (see entry Small Gourd) form but a more rounded shape, which is a species from Japan.

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Categories bamboo, container
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