Chinese Emoticons: The Chinese Landscape as Seen in Cultural Relics -- A Journey Through Chinese Civilization

Author: Zheng Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Every era has its own postures and expressions. Historical figures may have left the stage, but their postures and expressions are preserved in clay, cast in bronze, inscribed on stone, or depicted on paper and silk. Some are enshrined on altars, some adorned in living spaces, and others buried in the earth. Although the flow of time has blurred many details behind them, whether solemn, mysterious, or elegant, or innocent, unrestrained, or serene, those ever-changing faces cannot escape the imprint of their time. Looking at them, the code of history is hidden in these expressions. When did art begin to depict humans? Why depict humans? How depict humans? Who painted? Who were they painting? Who were they for? Where were they painted? Digging deeper, it involves a host of people, objects, and events. Following these people, objects, and events upstream, one can step into the depths of history.