A journal for random experiments

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Porcelain

The word “porcelain” appeared some time during Middle Age Europe.  At first it seemed to have been applied to rare pieces of artistry in carved shell or mother-of-pearl, because their white pearly surface recalled the sheen of the cowrie or Venus-shell, called by the Italians “Porcellana.”  When Marco Polo published his account of China in…

by doodledweller

The Tea Route

Between the 1850s and 1870s, the clipper ships were the marvel darlings of the maritime trade route that brought tea from China to Britain.  From the port of Canton, these magnificent vessels traveled over 16 thousand miles, crossing the Indian Ocean toward Cape of Good Hope on South Africa’s southern tip before heading north along…

by doodledweller

Journey to the West

Buddhist books arrived in China during the first century AD.  From these books, the Chinese learned of the Buddha and became familiar with the names of the sacred places he had consecrated by his presence.  Over time, new converts who desired to learn more of their religion risked the peril of travel to visit the…

by doodledweller

The Heavenly Steed

More than two millennia ago, the Han people knew of the Horse of Heaven from far to the west of China.  It came from Ta Yuan, ancient Ferghana, the Chinese equivalent for a local name for Greeks or Ionians, “Yavan”, which was described by Zhang Qian, China’s pioneer in Western Asia, as a land where…

by doodledweller

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