Notable Chinese Materials (silk, porcelain, lacquer, jade)There are a number of materials invented by the Chinese which became a key part of Chinese culture and are highly regarded. Bronze The use of bronze, an alloy based on copper and tin, that was tough and could be cast into many different shapes and sizes, has a history of over 4,000 years. Over time methods for elaborate decoration of bronze items were developed, including the inlay of other metals and jade. Besides various kinds of pot, some huge, bronze was also used for swords and mirrors and other artifacts. Lacquer Lacquer is sap from the lacquer tree. This remarkable material is very light but tough once dried - mechanically and chemically, able to resist strong acids or alkalis. Its use dates back an amazing 6,000 years. Early lacquerware was black and red and remains a popular combination. By the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), decorative techniques had been mastered and lacquerware was used widely for both commonplace implements such as bowls and also ornamental items. Porcelain By the time Europe learned the secret of making porcelain in 1709, Chinese artisans had been producing it for over one thousand years. First, scientists studied and learned the properties of silicate glazes. The potter's wheel was invented to shape the clay. High-temperature kilns were constructed to fuse the glazed clay into porcelain. Porcelain is made from coal dust and a type of fine, white clay called kaolin. It is baked at 1200 degrees Centigrade but but ordinary ceramics are baked at 500 degrees Centigrade. The mineral cobalt is added to create blur porcelain. Silk Silk comes from the cocoon made by the silkworm, an insect that likes to make its cocoons on mulberry bushes. Silk has been produced in China for over 5,000 years and was kept secret for over 3,000 years, making a great trade item. In 552 A.D., Emperor Justinian sent two monks on a secret mission to Asia; they returned to Byzantium with silkworm eggs hidden inside their bamboo walking sticks. This was the earliest known example of industrial espionage!. From then, sericulture spread throughout Asia Minor and Greece. It takes forty-thousand silkworms to make just five and a half kilograms of silk! Silk is cool in warm weather and warm in cold weather. The threads from several cocoons are subsequently unwound together to form a single strand of raw silk. This fine thread is the basic component of all Silk yarn and fabric. Because the threads are naturally long, silk is, weight for weight, stronger than steel in tension. The Chinese also invented forms of embroidery, for weaving textiles such as satin, damask, gauze, and brocade. In the second century AD, the Chinese invented a drawloom. Nearly as high as a two-story building, the drawloom made large-scale production of brocade possible. Jade Jade is a quality stone with fine texture, elegant luster and slick surface. It can be divided into soft jade and hard jade. There are a number of color variations and quality can vary enormously, based mainly on optical properties. Translucent emerald-green jade is one of the most prized varieties, both now and historically. Even cheap jade, which technically might not be jade at all but another mineral with similar look and feel, has a nice feel to it with a lot of its value coming from the way it has been carved and polished. To the Chinese, jade is the most prized mineral, even if it is less expensive than gold or diamond. Jade is felt to be more 'alive' and is associated with merit, morality, dignity and grace. This gem, with its discreet yet rather greasy lustre, which comes in many fine nuances of green, but also in shades of white, grey, black, yellow, and orange and in delicate violet tones, has been known to Man for some 7000 years. In prehistoric times, however, it was esteemed rather more for its toughness, which made it an ideal material for weapons and tools. Yet as early as 3000 B.C. jade was known in China as 'yu', the 'royal gem'. In the long history of the art and culture of the enormous Chinese empire, jade has always had a very special significance, roughly comparable with that of gold and diamonds in the West. Jade was used not only for the finest objects and cult figures, but also in grave furnishings for high-ranking members of the imperial family. Today, too, this gem is regarded as a symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious. It embodies the Confucian virtues of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage.
Related Videos
Featured Videos
|
Sticker Travel visit PanJiaYuan curio market, join the fun at the Temple of Heaven park, then head over to ShiChaHai to relax in a lakeside bar at QianHai ...
|
|
Awesome singer : aLan Dawa Dolma 阿兰·达瓦卓玛. Tibetan and Chinese version ...
Plus ...
|
|
A beautiful mix of video and stills ...
Places featured include: ShangHai PuDong Airport, Magnetic Levitation Train - Maglev, the Bund, Bund sightseeing tunnel panorama, PuDong Financial District, Oriental Pearl Tower, WFC World Financial Center Tower, JinMao Tower, NanJing Road by night, World Financial Center Tower Observatory, night view of skyscrapers, Sky Arena 94th floor, People's Square, Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Shanghai Museum, Jade Buddha Temple, LongHua Pagoda, YuYuan Market, Yu garden, Tea House, HongQiao railway station, bullet train.
|
|
Fast paced and fun ...
|
|
Destabilization of China's neighbors is gathering pace ...
|
|
|
10 word summary : eat real (natural / unprocessed) food; be active; relax; be kind / appreciate.
The 'low fat (low saturated fat) diet' has led to increased disease and early mortality.
Real food - including, eggs, meat and dairy was replaced by highly processed toxic foods such as margarine, 'vegetable' oils, and refined grains. A recipe for disaster.
Over the last 100 years, cancer went from rare to common; same with heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, poor eyesight and degenerative brain disorders (these are all symptoms, not really diseases). Especially from the 1950s / 60s. So why ?
In short, increasing amounts of processed foods; though pollution, tobacco and alcohol also played a part. In particular, the cause of the increased incidence of disease was the adoption of the 'low fat diet' dogma, that allowed cheap, but nasty, 'food' to be made from 'vegetable' oils, plus sugar and refined carbohydrates (and a large variety of additives, such as artificial sweeteners and preservatives).
The big two culprits are :
*** 1) 'vegetable' (seed and bean) oils - sunflower, canola / rapeseed, corn, etc. These oils are highly processed, very unstable (easily oxidise and degrade) and are pro-inflammatory (omega-6).
Note that extra virgin olive oil is not a vegetable oil, and is un-processed. Saturated fats are not a problem. Neither is cholesterol - so essential to life that every cell can make it; and if they didn't, we'd die. It is needed by the brain, for making vitamin D and other hormones, and much, much more.
The problem isn't too much fat; the problem is eating the wrong fats. Don't think 'low fat', think 'good fat'.
Good fats include fish oil / cod liver oil (choose a good one), EVOO, butter / ghee, coconut oil.
*** 2) sugar and refined carb.s - bread, cakes, biscuits, pastries, colas, fruit juices, etc. These easily overload metabolism leading to fatty liver, weight gain and many other disturbances. Even whole-grains are not a good source of nutrition and have anti-nutrients (vegetables are where to get fiber, not grains).
Sugar and refined carb.s are addictive - the more you eat, the more you want.
Real food is the answer.
Rather than managing symptoms, we need to fix the root problem.
Avoid processed foods, also known as fake 'foods'.
Real foods include non-starchy vegetables (arugula, broccoli sprouts, garlic, tomato, onion, ...), meat (not the preserved type) and wild fish, some whole fruit (berries, avocados), nuts, eggs, cream, kefir; sauerkraut; kimchi. Small amounts of rice and pasta and potato may be okay for some people. High potassium 'lo salt'. Herbs and spices. Tea and coffee (unsweetened). The more variety, the better.
The microbiome in the gut is a key to health, and it needs real food. Start the regeneration.
The liver, in particular, but all the digestive system, and ultimately every part of the body, hates highly processed foods. End the poison. Kefir and sauerkraut can help.
Carnivore ? Vegan ?
The important thing is to avoid processed 'food', especially sugar, refined carb.s and 'vegetable' oils. Yet going to either extreme is far from ideal. Healthy keto would be a good choice, and maybe semi-keto for some. Variety. Quality (grass-fed, organic, etc.).
Animal foods for high quality protein and good fats; vegetables for fiber and their many phytonutrients (and feeding the gut microbiome).
Vegetarian ? Don't rely on fake 'meats' and include eggs, butter and cheese; plus fermented veggies. If include high quality eggs daily, a vegetarian diet can work.
Time restricted eating (and no snacks or 'grazing') and fasting.
Intermittent fasting (time-restricted eating) gives your body a chance to repair, heal and clean house.
Breakfast is the easiest meal to skip. Also, try not to eat for a few hours before sleep.
At root, the point is to balance energy storage and building the body, with using that stored energy and repairing the body.
1) Try to have a minimum of twelve hours a day not eating (the longer the better); 2) eat real food, not processed food.
This is important for everyone, but especially for diabetes / pre-diabetes (and that's almost the majority now).
Vitamins and supplements ?
It depends on one's circumstances and the quality of one's food. Because of soil depletion, intensive farming and breeding, food can be lacking in nutrients these days. While food is the go to, one might consider fish oil if do not eat fatty fish, vitamin D in the winter, + vitamin K2, CoQ10, magnesium, NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), nutritional yeast (or at least a B-complex or B1), and if not eating these : green tea extract and garlic extract.
Dr.s and professors who make sense include :
Mark Hyman, Jason Fung, Sten Ekberg, William Li, Eric Berg, Robert Lustig, Rangan Chatterjee, Tim Spector.
Next big thing to take care of is stress, then moderate exercise, then good sleep.
And stay positive - stay alive - be grateful everyday for life, for all that is beautiful, all humanity, and all that can be. Take time to relax, to help others, to de-clutter one's mind.
.
|
|
An unusual video for the new year (it is not about China), but it relates to our by-line - 'live more'.
The past can provide wisdom, the future goals to strive for, but don't lose focus on the here and now - it is the true reality so don't miss it.
Wishing all the best in life to all our visitors. Do your best to make it happen, whatever your dreams, yet love and live each moment (it might not be one's ideal circumstance, but we can still make the most of it) ...
|
|
With The New Atlas - Inflection - Brian Berletic and Angelo Giuliano ...
Bonus film - with Mark Sleboda - don't miss this either ...
|