Tales of Cultural Relics - Talking about the Stories of Cultural Relics

Author: Zhu Qixin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Most of the unearthed or handed-down artifacts we see today are the utensils used by people at that time. What were their names? What were they used for? Due to the passage of time, we may know very little. For example, many of the common words we use now, such as guīju, guǎnxiá, yùnchóu, xúncháng, xīwàng, jìjiào, biāncè, quánhéng, guānjiàn, etc., were all real-life tools in ancient times. Their original forms and methods of use are known very little to people today. This book takes certain ancient artifacts as its starting point, explaining their special roles in society at that time through their names, materials, appearances, and uses, combined with historical records, to recreate the various aspects of life a thousand years ago and explore the common social phenomena of a particular historical period. The content covers politics, economy, military, culture, science and technology, as well as daily life, such as the etiquette norms for standing and sitting on cushions in ancient times; ancient decorations and clothing; lighting tools, timekeeping tools, calculation tools, writing tools, etc.; the forms and changes of military equipment like iron armor,, bows and crossbows, etc. Each chapter is concise and to the point, with the entire book being richly illustrated, informative, and engaging. Guīju, guānjiàn, guǎnxiá, quánhéng, and guāngài are common words we use, but we may rarely realize that "guī" and "ju," "guān" and "jiàn," "guǎn" and "xiá," "quán" and "héng," "guān" and "gài," etc., were all real-life tools used by ancient people. This book takes you into the vivid ancient society through the stories of these ancient artifacts, allowing you to understand the past.
In historical records, "jījù" (sitting with legs spread wide) is frequently mentioned because it was considered a disrespectful act. Some people deliberately adopted this posture to express "hostility," "contempt," or "arrogance" and "indifference." This seemingly disrespectful appearance actually carried a special meaning. In Records of the Grand Historian, the Biography of Assassins, it is recorded that when Jing Ke attempted to assassinate Qin Shi Huang, he missed his target and was instead cut down by Qin Shi Huang, sustaining eight wounds. Jing Ke knew his mission had failed and "laughed leaning on a pillar, sitting with legs spread wide while cursing." This was an extreme expression of his hatred for Qin Shi Huang. Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han both record an incident where Liu Bang traveled west to Gaoyang and Li Yiji went to meet him. Liu Bang was sitting astride a couch, with two women washing his feet, and Li Yiji did not bow but instead gave a deep bow. He said, "You must surely wish to eliminate the tyrannical Qin, so you should not sit astride a couch when meeting an elder." Upon hearing this, Liu Bang rose, adjusted his robes, apologized, and invited Li Yiji to sit. Meeting an elder while sitting astride a couch was a great insult to the elder. When Liu Bang heard Li Yiji's words, he felt ashamed and immediately changed his attitude. However, Liu Bang was extremely disrespectful to his daughter-in-law, the King of Zhao, Zhao Wang Zhang Ao. In the seventh year of the Han dynasty, he passed through his daughter-in-law's residence and stayed for a few days. Zhang Ao served him every day, treating him with great humility, as if he were a son-in-law. Liu Bang paid no heed and instead "sat with legs spread wide, cursed, and treated him with extreme disdain." Even Zhang Ao's attendants couldn't stand it and angrily said to him, "Among the heroes of the world, those who are capable rise first. Now that you treat Emperor Gaozu with great respect, yet he is so disrespectful to you, I beg you to have him killed." Sitting with legs spread wide was considered a grave offense in ancient times, as it was seen as humiliating to others and could even lead to death. Sayings of the Rulers, in the chapter "On a Mission," records that when Yué Tuo pacified the Southern Yue, he reigned as king. Emperor Gaozu sent Lu Jia to grant Yué Tuo the title of King of the Southern Yue. When Lu Jia arrived, Yué Tuo wore his hair in a bun and sat with legs spread wide to meet him. Lu Jia then persuaded Yué Tuo: "The Son of Heaven heard that you, the king of the Southern Yue, did not help the world in suppressing the tyrannical and rebellious, and the ministers and generals wanted to move troops to eliminate you. However, the Son of Heaven, out of compassion for the people's hardships, decided to pause and sent me to grant you the title of king and to issue a token of alliance." Upon hearing this, Yué Tuo jumped up and sat properly." Yué Tuo's sitting with legs spread wide was an expression of arrogance, showing his contempt for the envoy sent by the Son of Heaven and great disrespect for Lu Jia. After listening to Lu Jia's words and realizing he had been disrespectful, he immediately "jumped up and sat properly," changing to a respectful posture to show his remorse.
Although sitting with legs spread wide was considered disrespectful, ancient people often showed leniency toward unrestrained individuals out of respect for their talent. For example, Records of the Three Kingdoms, in the Biography of Sima Rong, records that Sima Rong had a long-standing friendship with Emperor Liu Bei and often accompanied him. However, Sima Rong was "simpatico and unrestrained," often sitting with legs spread wide and leaning casually at Emperor Liu Bei's table, without proper decorum. Emperor Liu Bei refers to Liu Bei. Another example is in Records of the Scattered Sayings, in the chapter "Simpatico and Unrestrained," which records that Emperor Wen of Jin, renowned for his great achievements and virtue, maintained a highly respectful and solemn court. The only exception was Ruan Ji, who could sit with legs spread wide, sing, and behave freely. Such special cases were rare.
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