History, Arts & Traditions

History, Arts & Traditions

The question written on a Shang turtle shell

An identified inscription from Anyang records a paired divination about victory, giving a specific glimpse of late Shang writing.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Looking closely at Yungang’s carved Buddhist world

Yungang’s cave layouts, giant figures and carved details show how Buddhist art developed in a particular Northern Wei setting.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Can a building measure the sky?

The surviving Yuan observatory at Gaocheng was built in 1279 by the astronomer Guo Shoujing. The UNESCO–IAU astronomy heritage account explains the…

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History, Arts & Traditions

Why are there red figures on a cliff?

Huashan's painted cliffs ask you to read the river and landscape around the figures.

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History, Arts & Traditions

How Dong singers meet without a conductor

Grand Song uses trained voices, shared repertoire and layered parts; the absence of a baton does not mean an absence of preparation.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Why does an opera scene take its time?

Kunqu can make a brief action last through voice, movement and attention.

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History, Arts & Traditions

What’s holding up the roof?

Interlocking timber brackets can look decorative while doing serious structural work.

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History, Arts & Traditions

How do you cast a pattern in bronze?

Early Chinese bronze vessels could begin as a puzzle made from clay pieces.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Why is celadon green?

Longquan's celadon colour is a kiln decision as well as a glaze recipe.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Why is a seal more than a signature?

A carved seal can identify someone and become an artwork in its own right.

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History, Arts & Traditions

How much work is inside a silk thread?

UNESCO’s sericulture account describes a practical connection that a scarf label would never show. Silkworm waste goes into village fish ponds. Mud from…

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History, Arts & Traditions

Can a tree become a shiny box?

Traditional lacquer is built from tree sap and patient layers, not a quick coat of paint.

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