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Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇
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ZhongKui

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George
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« on: February 28, 2011, 03:30:22 pm »

An inexpensive bottle painted by student artists Shi Shan

Becoming the king of ghosts

According to folklore, Zhong Kui travelled with Du Ping (杜平), a friend from his hometown, to take part in the imperial examinations at the capital. Though Zhong achieved top honours in the exams, his title of "zhuangyuan" was stripped by the emperor because of his disfigured appearance. In anger, Zhong Kui committed suicide upon the palace steps by hurling himself against the palace gate until his head was broken. Du Ping buried him. After Zhong became king of ghosts in Hell, he returned to his hometown on the Chinese New Year's Eve. To repay Du Ping's kindness, Zhong Kui gave his younger sister in marriage to Du.

Popularization in later dynasties

Zhong Kui's popularity in folklore can be traced to the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China (712 to 756). According to Song Dynasty sources, once the Emperor Xuanzong was gravely ill. He had a dream in which he saw two ghosts. The smaller of the ghosts stole a purse from imperial consort Yang Guifei and a flute belonging to the emperor. The bigger ghost, wearing the hat of an official, captured the smaller ghost, tore out his eye and ate it. The bigger ghost then introduced himself as Zhong Kui. He said that he had sworn to rid the empire of evil. When the emperor awoke, he had recovered from his illness. So he commissioned the court painter Wu Daozi to produce an image of Zhong Kui to show to the officials. This was highly influential to later representations of Zhong.







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bottles4sure
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« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2011, 02:46:57 pm »

Pretty bottle and I enjoyed reading the information about ZhongKui.
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Jeff
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« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2011, 04:22:55 pm »

Nice bottle there.

It is interesting to read about these chinese figures and the mythology behind them.
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richy88
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« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2011, 11:25:36 pm »

Yes, it be more interesting and satisfying to learn the story and meaning of the design of your bottles.

For those who are not familiar with Chinese history and culture or the language, I would like to recommend the following books for your reference:

A Glossary Of Chinese Snuff Bottle Rebus by Raymond Li
Chinese Snuff Bottle Themes, Popular Stories & Fables by Raymond Li

Raymond is a collector cum dealer in Hong Kong many years ago and had since pass on. His son is now carrying on his business.

He also published a few other titles that are also good reference books:

Snuff Bottle Terminology
The Art Of Imitation In Chinese Snuff Bottles
The Medicine-Snuff Bottle Connection
The Miniature Arts In China

Sorry, I am not able to attach the book photos here as the file size is limited to 200KB each. I will post them in the Gallery.
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Richard from sunny Singapore
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