Category: Chinese Classics

Porcelain(瓷器cíqì) derives its present name from Old Italian porcellana(瓷蟹属cíxièshǔ) (cowrie shell) because of its resemblance to the translucent(透明度tòumínɡdù) surface of the shell. Porcelain can informally be referred to as "china" or "fine china" in some English-speaking countries, as China was the birthplace of porcelain making. Properties associated with porcelain include low permeability(渗透性shèntòu xìnɡ) and elasticity; considerable strength, hardness, toughness, whiteness, translucency and resonance; and a high resistance(阻力zǔlì) to chemical attack and thermal(暖气流nuǎn qìliú) shock.“瓷器”一词来源于古意大利的珍珠贝—缘于它透明的外表。瓷器在某些英语国家里已经成为中国的代名词了，因为中国是瓷器的故乡。瓷器的性质是低渗透并且致密，硬度强，外表光滑透明，对化学物质有较高的阻力，因此瓷器一度成为皇家的奢侈品。中国是瓷器的发源地，瓷器的发明是中华民族对世界文明的伟大贡献，在英文中"瓷器"(china)一词已成为"中国"的代名词。大约在公元前16世纪的商代中期，中国就出现了早期的瓷器。因为其无论在胎体上，还是在釉层的烧制工艺上都尚显粗糙，烧制温度也较低，表现出原始性和过渡性，所以一般称其为"原始瓷"。今天我们就去看一看中国的瓷器历史。
Porcelain originated in China. Although proto-porcelain(试制瓷器shìzhìcíqì)wares(商品shānɡpǐn)exist dating from the Shang Dynasty(1600–1046 BCE), by the Eastern Han Dynastyperiod (196–220)glazed(釉面yòu miàn)ceramic(陶瓷táo cí)wares had developed into porcelain. Porcelain manufactured during the Tang Dynasty(618–906) was exported to theIslamic(伊斯兰yīsīlán) world, where it was highly prized. Early porcelain of this type includes the tri-colour(三色的sān sède)glazedporcelain, or sancai wares. The exact dividing line between proto-porcelain and porcelain wares is not a clear one to date. Porcelain items in the sense that we know them today could be found in the Tang Dynasty, and archaeological(考古káo ɡǔ)finds have pushed the dates back to as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE).By the Sui Dynasty (581–618) and Tang Dynasty (618–907), porcelain had become widely produced.瓷器源于中国，虽然试制品出现于商代，但是到了东汉釉面瓷器的出现无疑是瓷器史上的一个亮点。到了唐代，陶瓷手工艺品出口伊斯兰和全世界，并享有极高的声誉。早期的瓷器是三色釉瓷器或者是三彩瓷器。试制品和商品瓷器的分界线不是很明显。我们今天所知的瓷器一般都是唐代的，考古发现的瓷器一般会更久远。等到隋代和唐代，瓷器已经很盛行了。

Have you ever felt like your wife was hiding something from you? Legendary Chinese scholar Xu Xian (许仙) had that feeling once, too. And it turned out he was right. Xu Xian’s wife was hiding the fact that she was actually a snake demon.

Have you ever felt like your wife was hiding something from you? Legendary Chinese scholar Xu Xian (许仙Xǔ Xiān) had that feeling once, too. And it turned out he was right. Xu Xian’s wife was hiding the fact that she was actually a snake demon.
Once upon a time, there was a white snake demon named Bai Suzhen (白素贞Bái Sù Zhēn). She lived in the realm of demons, but aspired to become more powerful. Some say she wanted to become a goddess, others that she dreamed of using her powers to help people. But either way, she came to the human world and, to blend in, took on the form of a beautiful woman.
While there, she met a green snake demon named Xiao Qing (小青Xiǎo Qīng) who was causing trouble. After some initial scuffles, the two became close friends and traveled the world together in human form. It was at Hangzhou’s Western Lake that they met the renowned Chinese scholar Xu Xian. White Snake Bai fell head over heels for the human, and used her magical wiles to set up more opportunities for them to meet again and again, until they finally married.
It was not meant to be, however. An itinerant sorcerer named Fa Hai (法海Fǎ Hǎi) could see Bai and Qing for what they really were, and—dedicated to destroying all demons—told Xu Xian the truth. Terrified, Xu Xian urged Fa Hai to attack, and Bai ended up trapped in the Hangzhou’s Thunder Pagoda (雷峰塔Léi fēng Tǎ). Xu Xian, finished with the material world, became a monk.
Now, originally, this was a horror story, and it ended there. Bai is, after all, a demon. But people tend to like happy stories more than they like sad ones, and romantic stories more than horror stories. So the tale of the White Snake Lady changed. Bai, once the tale’s villain, became a heroine fighting for love against all odds. And Fa Hai, once the hero, became the closed-minded villain determined to keep humans and demons apart. (Even if they were the good, lovable kind of demons.)
In more recent tellings, Bai is not imprisoned by Fa Hai after her marriage with Xu Xian, and Xu Xian is not aware his wife is a snake demon. They open a medicine shop together and become widely known for giving away free herbs to people who can’t afford to pay. 
One year during the Dragon Boat Festival, while Bai is pregnant with their first son, her husband brews up a special surprise recommended by Fa Hai: wine infused with herbs that will expel all demons. Unable to think of a convincing excuse, Bai drinks the wine and immediately turns back into a snake. Her husband, shocked beyond belief, ups and dies. Bai returns to human form, obtains some sacred Kunlun Mountain herbs, and brings her husband back to life.
Here, the stories really diverge. In some versions, Bai is able to convince him that the snake was just a dream, and they live happily ever after with their son. Sometimes Bai admits that she is a snake demon, but her husband accepts this and the story ends with the two of them caring for their young son. 
But often it’s darker. One version has Fa Hai locking Xu Xian away in Jinshan Temple for his own protection. Bai furiously destroys the temple, violating the laws of Heaven, and is doomed to eternal imprisonment in the Thunder Pagoda. Sometimes a magical hat imprisons Bai in Thunder Pagoda. Sometimes Xiao Qing, the green snake demon, comes to her aid. And so often, the story ends with Bai, her husband, and their son finally reunited.
It’s changed greatly over the years, but the story continues to enjoy popularity to this day, spawning books, operas, movies, modern dances and multiple television series. The White Snake story most recently graced the small screen in 2006, but every Chinese TV geek knows that the 1993 adaptation, “新白娘子传奇” (Xīn bái niáng zǐ chuan qí, Legend of White Snake) is the best modern adaptation.

Key words: 新白娘子传奇（xīn bái niáng zǐ chuán qí ）：Legend of White Snake 
                 塔（tǎ）：pagoda
                 草药（cǎo yào）：herb

Dàlínsì táohuā
大林寺桃花
Zuòzhě ：Bái Jūyì（Táng ）
作者：白居易（唐）
Rénjiān Sìyuè fāngfēi jìn,
人间四月芳菲尽，
Shānsì táohuā shǐ shèngkāi.
山寺桃花始盛开。
Cháng hèn chūn guī wú mì chù,
长恨春归无觅处，
Bù zhī zhuǎnrù cǐzhōng lái.
不知转入此中来。

Yǒng Liǔ
咏柳
Hè Zhīzhāng (Táng)
贺知章（唐）
Bìyù zhuāng chéng yī shù gāo,
碧玉妆成一树高，
wàn tiáo chuíxià lǜ sītāo.
万条垂下绿丝绦。
Bùzhī xìyè shuí cáichū,
不知细叶谁裁出，
Èryuè chūnfēng sì jiǎndāo.
二月春风似剪刀。