History of Yuan Dynasty Art and Crafts

Author: Shang Gang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-09-01
Features: This book is a comprehensive monograph on the history of Yuan Dynasty art and craft in China, covering historical documents, archaeological bibliographies, and annotations on the economy, culture, court life, and art and craft of the Yuan Dynasty. For example, in terms of footnotes and reference bibliographies alone, the author devoted great effort, visiting major libraries in Beijing. He wrote 734 footnotes and cited over 200 books and journals on Mongolian history, Yuan history, and archaeology from ancient to modern times, both Chinese and foreign. Many of these books have long become rare and valuable copies. Without the author's timely and accurate excerpts and publications, it would be difficult for the world to know their contents. This book helps us gain a comprehensive understanding of the culture, art, and life of the Yuan Dynasty, truly an exceptional book in recent years. The Yuan Dynasty was a colorful era in Chinese history, where Mongolian, Islamic, Goryeo, Han, Tibetan Buddhism, and European Christian cultures coexisted, influencing and exchanging with each other, creating a highly prosperous historical scene. Therefore, Yuan Dynasty art and craft is a crystallization that emerged from the great cultural exchange among various ethnic groups, with extremely rich connotations. However, the most profound influence on Yuan Dynasty art and craft remains Mongolian, Islamic, and Han cultures. The Mongols rose to prominence in the northern grasslands through horseback archery and held their traditions in high regard. The four great Han kingdoms they established influenced each other, retaining strong ethnic characteristics in clothing and banquet customs. Their preference for blue and white led to the emergence of numerous blue and white craft products, such as woolen and silk goods, as well as blue and white porcelain. In Mongolian history, the conquest of Islamic countries in Central Asia was a major event. From then on, Mongol emperors bore the title of rulers over the vast regions of the Western Regions, and Sino-Western exchanges became extensive and frequent. Among the large number of Muslims who migrated eastward, many were craftsmen, who played a significant role in the production of Yuan Dynasty art and craft. The aesthetic views of Islamic civilization greatly influenced the Mongol nobility. For example, the "Nashe" (Western brocade woven with gold thread) produced with the help of Muslim craftsmen, as well as bronze wares with gold inlay patterns. The Yuan Dynasty was a legitimate feudal dynasty in Chinese history, with the majority of its ruled population being Han. To consolidate its rule, the Mongol emperors had to adopt "Han law." The author explains in the book that as early as when the Mongols conquered the Jin Dynasty, many Han craftsmen came to Karakorum (now in Mongolia), and their exquisite craftsmanship amazed the Europeans living there. After the Yuan Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, the art and craft produced by Han craftsmen became dominant. The author also emphasizes multiple times in the book that Yuan Dynasty art and craft were not rough or crude but rather quite refined, with a high level of craftsmanship. The Mongol nobility had a natural fondness for handicrafts, and wherever they conquered, they would seize large numbers of craftsmen and collect numerous art and craft works. During the Yuan Dynasty, the government concentrated a large number of outstanding craftsmen from across Eurasia, monopolized high-quality raw materials, and set up numerous government workshops in various regions for large-scale production. Therefore, the art and craft products of Yuan Dynasty government workshops were not only in large quantity but also of superior quality, blending Chinese and Western cultures into one. They also had a significant impact on folk-produced art and craft works. The author's detailed and rigorous arguments effectively refute the once-popular academic view that denied the art and craft of the Yuan Dynasty. This book is a comprehensive monograph on the history of Yuan Dynasty art and craft in China, covering historical documents, archaeological bibliographies, and annotations on the economy, culture, court life, and art and craft of the Yuan Dynasty. For example, in terms of footnotes and reference bibliographies alone, the author devoted great effort, visiting major libraries in Beijing. He wrote 734 footnotes and cited over 200 books and journals on Mongolian history, Yuan history, and archaeology from ancient to modern times, both Chinese and foreign. Many of these books have long become rare and valuable copies. Without the author's timely and accurate excerpts and publications, it would be difficult for the world to know their contents. This book helps us gain a comprehensive understanding of the culture, art, and life of the Yuan Dynasty, truly an exceptional book in recent years. The Yuan Dynasty was a colorful era in Chinese history, where Mongolian, Islamic, Goryeo, Han, Tibetan Buddhism, and European Christian cultures coexisted, influencing and exchanging with each other, creating a highly prosperous historical scene. Therefore, Yuan Dynasty art and craft is a crystallization that emerged from the great cultural exchange among various ethnic groups, with extremely rich connotations. However, the most profound influence on Yuan Dynasty art and craft remains Mongolian, Islamic, and Han cultures. The Mongols rose to prominence in the northern grasslands through horseback archery and held their traditions in high regard. The four great Han kingdoms they established influenced each other, retaining strong ethnic characteristics in clothing and banquet customs. Their preference for blue and white led to the emergence of numerous blue and white craft products, such as woolen and silk goods, as well as blue and white porcelain. In Mongolian history, the conquest of Islamic countries in Central Asia was a major event. From then on, Mongol emperors bore the title of rulers over the vast regions of the Western Regions, and Sino-Western exchanges became extensive and frequent. Among the large number of Muslims who migrated eastward, many were craftsmen, who played a significant role in the production of Yuan Dynasty art and craft. The aesthetic views of Islamic civilization greatly influenced the Mongol nobility. For example, the "Nashe" (Western brocade woven with gold thread) produced with the help of Muslim craftsmen, as well as bronze wares with gold inlay patterns. The Yuan Dynasty was a legitimate feudal dynasty in Chinese history, with the majority of its ruled population being Han. To consolidate its rule, the Mongol emperors had to adopt "Han law." The author explains in the book that as early as when the Mongols conquered the Jin Dynasty, many Han craftsmen came to Karakorum (now in Mongolia), and their exquisite craftsmanship amazed the Europeans living there. After the Yuan Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, the art and craft produced by Han craftsmen became dominant. The author also emphasizes multiple times in the book that Yuan Dynasty art and craft were not rough or crude but rather quite refined, with a high level of craftsmanship. The Mongol nobility had a natural fondness for handicrafts, and wherever they conquered, they would seize large numbers of craftsmen and collect numerous art and craft works. During the Yuan Dynasty, the government concentrated a large number of outstanding craftsmen from across Eurasia, monopolized high-quality raw materials, and set up numerous government workshops in various regions for large-scale production. Therefore, the art and craft products of Yuan Dynasty government workshops were not only in large quantity but also of superior quality, blending Chinese and Western cultures into one. They also had a significant impact on folk-produced art and craft works. The author's detailed and rigorous arguments effectively refute the once-popular academic view that denied the art and craft of the Yuan Dynasty.