Chinese art / [Stephen Wooton Bushell].

  • Stephen Wootton Bushell
Date:
[1909]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Chinese art / [Stephen Wooton Bushell]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The pa kua, or “ eight trigrams/’ referred to here, are the well known symbols of ancient divination and mystic philosophy, which are said to have been revealed to Fu Hsi by a supernatural being called the dragon horse, rising from the waters of the Yellow River, with a scroll upon its back inscribed with the mystic diagrams. The figure of the dragon horse is often represented in jade, porcelain, or bron2Je. (See Fig. 77.) The ‘‘knotted cords” referred to have been compared with the quippus, the cord records of the ancient Peruvians. Chu Yung occupies the next panel in Fig. 2, as the second of the three ancient sovereigns, represented in a combatant attitude. He is chiefly celebrated as the conqueror of Rung Rung, the first rebel, and the leader of a titanic insurrection in times of old, when he well-nigh overwhelmed the earth with a watery deluge. The inscription reads :— “ Chu Yung had nothing to do, there were no desires nor evil passions, and neither punishments nor fines were instituted.” The third of the San Huang is Shen Nung, the Divine Husband- man, who first fashioned timber into ploughs, and taught his people the art of husbandry. He discovered the curative virtues of herbs, and founded the first markets for the exchange of commodities. The inscription reads :— “ Shen Nung, seeing the value of agriculture, taught how to till the ground and sow grain, and stirred up the myriads of the people.” The Wu Ti, or Five Rulers, who succeeded the above, are depicted in Fig. 3, which is taken from the same bas relief as the last. The cartouches, proceeding from right to left, read :— 1. ” Huang Ti made many changes ; he fabricated weapons, dug wells in the fields, lengthened the official robes, built palaces and dwelling-houses.” 2. ” The emperor Chuan Hsii is the same as Kao Yang, the grandson of Huang Ti and the son of Ch’ang I.” 3. “ The emperor K’u is no other than Kao Hsin, he was great grandson of Huang Ti.” 4. ” The emperor Yao was named Fang Hsun, his benevolence was celestial, his knowledge that of a god, near at hand he was like the sun, afar off like a cloud.” 5. “ The emperor Shun was named Ch’ung Hua ; he tilled the ground on the Li Mountain, for three years he laboured far from his home.” 9038. n
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