One of the first Hanfu outfits I bought was this style (I still have it). At the time I thought it was representative of the Tang Dynasty, but later found out that it's more likely a style from the Five Dynasties (right after the Tang Dynasty). Some historians have also speculated that the one large flower on the top of the head is more of a Song Dynasty style rather than Tang.
It's a good reminder that all of these speculations about historical styles are based on what we can actually dig up, but obviously tombs are limited. Maybe tomorrow we'll find a new tomb with new artefacts that'll throw everything we think today upside-down xD
hello! i was wondering what sort of bags there were in ancient china aside from the small accessory ones you'd wear with hanfu. something more like the suitcases we use today?
Hi!
They do have boxes and soft-shell cases back in those days.
五代 周文矩《重屏会棋图》 Chess Meeting with Double Screens, Zhou Wenju, Five Dynasty
The cases on the top right was speculated to be a soft case for clothing. The standing hard case in front of it was supposed to hold brushes.
五代 周文矩《琉璃堂人物图》（局部）Scholars of the Liuli Hall (section), Zhou Wenju, Five Dynasty
There is another hard-cover luggage box on the left.
Here are some examples of hard boxes to store things either in the house or for traveling.
Left: 官皮箱Guānpí xiāng - for stationary or jewelry
Right: 梳妆箱Shūzhuāng xiāng - jewelry box. Also check out this traveling jewelry box for men from the warring state period (first picture. The second picture is a case for holding scale).
Left: 多宝盒Duōbǎo hé /多宝格Duō bǎo gé - treasure box for collections of various sizes
Right: 衣箱Yī xiāng - for clothing
书箱Shū xiāng - book box. Came in various shape and sizes.
文具箱Wénjù xiāng - stationary box
药箱Yào xiāng - medicine box. The box on the left was often used as stationary box as well.
轿箱Jiào xiāng - to be put in between the carrying pole of a litter
For fabric bags, see my old post.
I hope this answer is satisfactory. If anyone have more information on this feel free to add on.
About two years ago after reading the book “The White Road: a journey into obsession” by Edmund de Waal, I started looking at porcelain again. Not just making works with porcelain clay but seriously looking into the material. I’ve played with it on and off over the years and always enjoyed working with it, the feel, the change,to me the clay just “felt” right but I've never devoted the time to it, just dabbled. But that dabbling took me back to the writings of John Revee and Nigel Wood. Which set me on the path less traveled, The road to the Five Dynasties.
That quest has been two years of working on a clay body that is a recreation of a porcelain form the 5 Dynasty era of China. I call it, duhh 5D or 5 Dynasties - The first pieces came out of the Spring Valley Anagama in February of this year 2018 and the second and third pieces came out of a high fires and soda firings shortly there after. All of them beautifully translucent at a ¼ to 1/8 of an inch.
To me Translucency is the thing. That is what makes porcelain what it is. You can argue all day about maturation temperature and intent and materials, but the one thing that make porcelains different from every other clay out there is translucency.
So if your itching to try some your in luck …. Clay Planet has made a limited run of this clay, the run is already half gone in 1 day. So best hurry if you want to give it a try.
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