Chinese Jade of Five Centuries was originally published in print form by Tuttle Publishing in 1969. In Chinese Jade of Five Centuries, Mrs Hartman provides an encompassing look at one of the minor arts which must be considered vital to a judgement of artistic achievements of any civilization. Magnificently illustrated with 45 black and white photographs and 10 color plates, the book displays many museum examples which have not been previously published for general readership. Written for the layman, the text should satisfy the more discerning and knowledgeable reader as well, particularly for it's information on the quality and location of jade rough, on dating, and techniques of carving.

This is the definitive guide to Chinese jades from the Ming dynasty through the early twentieth century

The Chinese have revered the mystery and magic of jade since ancient times. This authoritative book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive survey of six thousand years of development, from the earliest cultures to the twentieth century. The author describes and assesses the variety of roles and functions, ritual and ceremonial, which jade has played in China. Recent discoveries from hitherto little known neolithic cultures of around 3000 BC have highlighted the extraordinary skills of the craftsmen and the complexity of the cultures that supported them. Other remarkable finds include the precursors of the famous jade suits, which range from jade plaques and shrouds dating from about 900 BC to superb pendants and sword fittings carved for a king buried near Canton in around 122 BC. This catalogue describes over 300 outstanding pieces from Sir Joseph Hotung's collection, which spans the history of jade in China. Drawing upon the very latest archaeological reseach to set jade in its historical and artistic context, this work will stand as a definitive reference for many years to come. In her wide-ranging introduction to the catalogue the author analyses the arguments and sets out new views, supplementing this major essay with a series of shorter introductions to the chronological sections into which the jades of different types, shapes and functions have been divided. The book is fully illustrated throughout with specially commisioned photographs of each piece from the collection, all in color, along with comparative examples from the rich collection of the British Museum.

Jade Snow Wong’s autobiography portrays her coming-of-age in San Francisco's Chinatown, offering a rich depiction of her immigrant family and her strict upbringing, as well as her rebellion against family and societal expectations for a Chinese woman. Originally published in 1950, Fifth Chinese Daughter was one of the most widely read works by an Asian American author in the twentieth century. The US State Department even sent its charismatic young author on a four-month speaking tour throughout Asia. Cited as an influence by prominent Chinese American writers such as Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston, Fifth Chinese Daughter is a foundational work in Asian American literature. It was written at a time when few portraits of Asian American life were available, and no similar works were as popular and broadly appealing. This new edition includes the original illustrations by Kathryn Uhl and features an introduction by Leslie Bow, who critically examines the changing reception and enduring legacy of the book and offers insight into Wong’s life as an artist and an ambassador of Chinese American culture.

John Hill's eagerly awaited second edition - in two volumes - of the annotated translation of the Hou Hanshu - renamed Through the Jade Gate - China to Rome - has been extensively revised. The book grew so big that it had to be published in two volumes. Readers will require both volumes. � Volume I includes the original Chinese text, a detailed introduction, maps and comprehensive notes to the text. � Volume II has 26 appendices which highlight extra fascinating information of special interest - such as Rhinoceroses, the Story of Sea-silk and the Significance and Use of Skull Cups - and the comprehensive bibliography. This updated, definitive English translation of the complete Chronicle on the Western Regions from the Hou Hanshu, presents an intriguing picture of this little-known period of history. It describes the origins of the Silk Routes using information collected from soldiers, merchants, envoys and spies. The text is based on the report to the Chinese Emperor An, circa 125 CE, by Ban Yong, his senior general in the Western Regions. The Chronicle contains the earliest geographical, historical, political, economic and cultural information in Chinese about the Roman Empire, Egypt, India, Parthia and many other kingdoms, and also describes the routes between East and West. Along these arteries travelled people, cultures, languages, philosophies, religions, technologies, animals, plants, countless precious and rare trade items, and the knowledge of distant places. These exchanges were critical for the development and flowering of the great civilizations of China, Rome, Parthia, the Kushans and India, and unquestionably laid the foundations of modern globalisation. The first edition of this work received critical acclaim from scholars world-wide and is widely quoted in academic works. This much expanded second edition should prove to be an even more useful guide and source-book on the early history of the Silk Routes. "This treasure house of remarkable facts and speculations should appeal to both scholars and the curious."

A compelling and richly textured journey to Burma into the heart of Imperial Green Jade, the rare and stunning stone more precious than diamonds, interconnects the modern story of the miners of jadeite who are dying of AIDS because they are being paid in the form of heroin with the mythology and secret history of this unusual jewel that goes back to the Burmese court. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase of publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587–1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His Tiangong kaiwu, the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. In The Crafting of the 10,000 Things, Dagmar Schäfer probes this fascinating text and the legacy of its author to shed new light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history. Meticulously unfolding the layers of Song’s personal and cultural life, Schäfer chronicles the factors that motivated Song to transform practical knowledge into written culture. She then examines how Song gained, assessed, and ultimately presented knowledge, and in doing so articulates this era’s approaches to rationality, truth, and belief in the study of nature and culture alike. Finally, Schäfer places Song’s efforts in conjunction with the work of other Chinese philosophers and writers, before, during, and after his time, and argues that these writings demonstrate collectively a uniquely Chinese way of authorizing technology as a legitimate field of scholarly concern and philosophical knowledge. Offering an overview of a thousand years of scholarship, The Crafting of the 10,000 Things explains the role of technology and crafts in a culture that had an outstandingly successful tradition in this field and was a crucial influence on the technical development of Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.