Xiangyun (Auspicious clouds)

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Xiangyun
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Auspicious clouds, China, 17th-18th century

Ancient

Earliest yunleiwen pattern appeared in the Sanxingdui archaeological site, dated from 1131 BC to 1012 BC, on the jade zhang blade and on a bronze altar. [11]

Cloud motifs in China appeared as early as the Eastern Zhou dynasty and earlier. [1] [2] :482 They can be traced back to the vortex pattern used to decorate prehistoric painted pottery, [3] :132–133 to the yunleiwen (云雷纹; 雲雷紋; yúnléiwén; 'cloud thunder motif'), [3] :133 which somewhat resemble the meander patterns, and to the cloud scroll patterns which were used in the Warring States period. [3] :133 All these early depictions of cloud motifs however eventually evolved with time changing in shape and colours [2] :482 and further matured in the Han dynasty. [3] :133

Han dynasty

In the Han dynasty, stories on Chinese immortals became popular and the popular of the cloud motif grew. [3] :133 The cloud patterns gained more artistic beauty which were associated with the concept of immortality [3] :133 and were formalized. [9] :99 These cloud motifs were then used in various ways, such as in architecture, clothing, utensils, and coffins. [3] :133 [9] :99 They were also combined with other animals (e.g. birds) and mythological creatures (e.g. Chinese dragons). [3] :133

Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties

During the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties, the cloud motifs looked like streamers. [3] :133

Sui and Tang dynasty

In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the cloud motifs looked like flowers; it looked realistic, plump, and very decorative. [3] :133 They became an established theme on ceramic ware since the Tang dynasty and would symbolize happiness or good luck. [9] :99 Their shapes became more and more diverse in the Tang dynasty and cloud motifs were coupled with the images of other creatures. [6] :25

Song and Yuan dynasties

In the Song and Yuan dynasties, the cloud motifs were ruyi-like. [3] :133

Ming dynasty

In the Ming dynasty, there was a unique form of cloud motifs which looked like a gourd. [3] :133

Qing dynasty

Modern

The yunleiwen patterns remained popular in modern times and continue to be used on contemporary tableware. [12] :45

Shapes of auspicious clouds

Yunleiwen/ Yunwen/ Leiwen

Example of various forms of yunleiwen motifs Chinese clouds and thunder (yunleiwen) motifs.png
Example of various forms of yunleiwen motifs

The yunleiwen was also known as cloud-and-thunder motif, meander border, or meander order in English. [2] :482 [12] :45 It was sometimes also referred as yunwen (cloud pattern) or leiwen (thunder pattern) in Chinese. [12] :45 It was a form of repetitive pattern similar to a meander. [9] :4 It came in various shapes; [13] [9] :4 some looked like juxtaposed squared-off spirals; [3] :133 others looked like stylized angular "S" repeated designs which could be sometimes sometimes connected or disconnected. [12] :45

The yunleiwen pattern was a symbol of the life-giving and the abundance in harvest that the rain would bring to the people in an agrarian society. [12] :45 [9] :4 The pattern may have been derived from the symbols and ancient characters for clouds and thunder which had been used by the ancient Chinese when performing the worship of rain rituals. [14] The yunleiwen can be found in the textiles dating to the Shang and Zhou dynasties [2] :482 and in sacred bronze vessels of the Zhou dynasty. [9] :4

The yunleiwen motif continues to be used in 21st century as border decoration on contemporary tableware. [12] :45

Influences and derivatives

Central Asia and Islamic art

Chinese arts have increasingly impacted arts of Central Asia and Iran, such as painting and pottery, during the Tang dynasty. [15] :1ixiii Under the Liao dynasty, the Chinese cloud motifs coupled with animal motifs were gradually introduced to Central Asia. [6] :25

Following the Mongol invasion, Chinese influences on the arts of Central Asia and Iran reached its peak during the Islamic period; it was a period when Chinese models and motifs influenced Persian designs and thus, the Chinese ways of depicting clouds, mountains, trees and facial features were imitated and adopted. [15] :1ixiii In the late 13th century, the Iranians especially favoured cloud motifs (often coupled with animals) in their arts, including textiles, and paintings as landscape elements. [6] :25

Japan

Xiangyun was introduced from China to Japan where it became known as zuiun or Reishi mushroom cloud; [8] under the influence of China, Japan started to use various forms of clouds designs in the Asuka period. [16] They gained different names based on their shapes; e.g. kumodori (soft and drifting clouds). [16] Zuiun is characterized by a swirly shape which looks like a reishi mushroom and also express an auspicious omen. [8] Some clouds patterns in Japan were localized and developed from the shape of the Chinese clouds; such as the clouds developed by Ninsei. which were simpler in shape and were presented as mass of clouds instead of a group of clouds. [17] Ninsei's cloud-style was then adapted and later evolved into cloud outline which were then applied on all types of Japanese ceramics. [17]

See also

Notes

  1. Five-coloured clouds are red, blue, black, yellow, and white in colour.
  2. The Chinese characters 'wan' (卐 and 卍) are used as auspicious symbols in Chinese culture; they were adopted from Buddhist visual arts which was introduced from India to China. In 693 AD during the Tang dynasty, Empress Wu Zetian declared the swastika as the source of "all good fortune"; she thus named it 'wan' which is the homonym for the Chinese word wan (万) which means "ten thousands" or "infinity"
  3. "Xiangrui" is the Chinese term used to refer to "auspicious signs" which have been interpreted by the ancient Chinese people as the expressions of the Will of Heaven; the concept of Xiangrui is very old and can be traced back to the Eastern Zhou dynasty.
  4. In Chinese cosmology, qi (气) is often defined as a "vital energy", which is an essential matter of the universe.

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References

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