Shanghai Daily

Silk museum showcases clothing, vessels used in Confucian ceremonies

- Wu Huixin

The wearing of ceremonial costumes and the usage of ritual vessels are vital parts of rites in Confuciani­sm. The China National Silk Museum is showcasing etiquette-related antiquitie­s on loan from the Confucius Museum in Shandong Province through May 26.

Li (⽬) is a classical Chinese word widely used in Confucian and post-Confucian Chinese philosophy. The English equivalent of li is “rites,” but when referring to its realizatio­n in the context of human individual and social behavior, it has also been translated to “mores.”

Li embodies the entire web of interactio­n between humanity, human objects and nature. Confucius included in his discussion­s of li such things as learning, ceremonies, tea drinking, governance, music and costumes.

Visitors can form a wellrounde­d picture of how li was interprete­d millennia ago through the exhibits on view. The exhibition also shows the collaborat­ive research results of the two museums.

The Confucius Museum in Shandong Province is believed to be China’s top-flight venue collecting thousands of vessels and costumes related with ancient rites from the pre-Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) to the Republic of China (1912-1949). The China National Silk Museum is the country’s largest silk research organizati­on, which has been conserving and restoring historic textile materials and researchin­g silk for years.

The exhibition includes 10 national top-notch Confucian treasures made during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Among them, a Qing Dynasty gilded copper bell is being displayed to the public for the first time.

Music played a paramount role in Confucian rites. In ancient China, an octave was divided into 12 pitches to form a standardiz­ed gamut. This gamut served as a fundamenta­l tool for tuning and was preserved in the form of bells and pipes.

The displayed bell is also named jiazhong (ཀྵ䫏), which is used as a musical interval that encompasse­s three semitones. Jiazhong is one bell of the entire set of bianzhong, which dominated the ritual music in olden times. These bells were used as polyphonic musical instrument­s. They were hung in a frame and struck with a mallet.

Bianzhong held an unparallel­ed status in ancient Chinese music for millennia. Historians see them as the origin of traditiona­l Chinese music, especially royal music.

The Ming Dynasty dragonpatt­erned ding (唾) is also a ritual vessel used in Confuciani­sm. Ding had varied shapes and designs adhering to specific manufactur­ing criterion, and each had a particular name. The vessels used to hold grain were named gui (㈻), while those containing meat were called ding.

The use of food containers stuck to a rigid system. They were divided into five levels, each with a specific number of vessels. The top level had nine ding and eight gui, which were only for the king. The lowest level had only one ding, for court officials.

Wugong (ӄ׋) is another set of vessels used to worship ancestors and gods. It includes an incense burner, two vases and two candlestic­ks. The exhibition shows a set of Qing-Dynasty cloisonné enameled wugong, which reflects the aesthetic values and skill of artisans at the time.

Cloisonné is a form of decorative enamelwork where intricate designs created with copper, silver, or fine gold wires on metal vessels are either filled with powdered, colored enamel, or painted on with enamel before being fired in a kiln.

The patterns in wire are painstakin­gly made by craftsmen using tweezers and custom-made pliers. Copper is considered the most suitable material since it is cheap, light and easily hammered and stretched. A piece of cloisonné takes hundreds of steps to finish, requiring both great care and creativity from a craftsman. In ancient times, cloisonné ritual vessel was only for the royal family’s use.

The wearing of ceremonial caps, embroidere­d robes, patterned silks and mourning clothes are vital parts of li in Confuciani­sm. The exhibition shows ritual costumes from Confucius’s descendant­s living in Ming and Qing dynasties, including chiluoyi (䎔㖇㺓) and zaoluoyi (Ⲳ㖇㺓), which were worn on important occasions, such as plantings, harvests, honoring the dead and birthdays of Confucius.

Date: Through May 26, 9am-5pm

Admission: Free

Address: 73-1 Yuhuangsha­n Road, West Lake District㾯⒆४⦹ⲷኡ䐟 ਧ

 ?? ?? The ritual costumes, known as zaoluoyi (black robe) and chiluoyi (red robe), hold significan­t cultural and ceremonial importance. — Photos by Ti Gong
The ritual costumes, known as zaoluoyi (black robe) and chiluoyi (red robe), hold significan­t cultural and ceremonial importance. — Photos by Ti Gong
 ?? ?? A portrait of Confucius on loan from the Confucius Museum in Shandong Province
A portrait of Confucius on loan from the Confucius Museum in Shandong Province
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