Every Treasure Tells a Story

Every Treasure Tells a Story

Da Qi

China Intercontinental Press

December 2019

118.00 (CNY)

This book presents the stories of the 25 treasures in the second season of the documentary， Every Treasure Tells a Story. Thanks to the humanistic elements and knowledge， this artfully designed book is also an ideal choice for readers， especially fans of history and cultural relics， to dig deeper into legends， history， and Chinese culture. It offers abundant content about how these treasures could have been made， as well as traditional culture， and differences between China and the rest of the world.

Da Qi

The creation team of Every Treasure Tells a Story is affiliated with CCTV-9 Documentary of China Media Group (CMG). With Xu Huan， chief director， at its core， it has always been an important creative force for CCTV’s historical and humanistic documentaries. Since the establishment of Oriental Horizon， this team has been engaged in documentaries， creating a large number of historical and cultural documentaries for more than 20 years.

Gold Crown with Eagle

Finial -- Friend and Foe

This gold crown once accompanied its owner as he galloped over the grasslands. It shows off the finest metal working skills of the northern nomads in the Warring States period. It represents the pride and glory of the grasslands. On the top of the crown is an eagle. Its head， neck， and tail are connected with gold wire. When the owner rode on horseback， the eagle rocked to and fro， looking like it was about to take off. On the petal-shaped crown， a pattern of four wolves attacking four sheep has been engraved. On the main diadem， there is a tense standoff between a tiger and its prey; it looks as if it might pounce at any time.

The grassland nomads had no written language， so their history was written for them by others. In the records of the Han culture of the central plains， the Xiongnu were once called Xianyun. Xian means a dog with a long snout. They were seen as greedy and cruel， often coming south to raid and pillage. However， from the perspective of the owner of the eagle finial crown， things might seem quite different.

Compared to the agriculture civilization in the central plains， the grassland nomads had a totally different take on life. Their ornaments all feature animals; hunting， fighting， or just lying in wait. The Gold Crown with Eagle Finial is at the peak of this competition for survival.

Was it an ill fortune for the people of the central plains to have such wild northern neighbors? The imitation-driven competitions kicked off. The agriculture civilization of the south that had been on the defensive finally became secure under the Qin and Han dynasties. It fortified the Empire’s northern flank with the Great Wall. It not only was the fortress guarding the border but the frontline in the war against the Xiongnu for the Western Han. However， did the endless Wall stop people from communicating with each other? The two sides fought with each other one day and made peace the next. Under Eastern Han Dynasty rule， the southern Xiongnu settled south of the Great Wall and the rivals were joined as one huge family.

Today when we look at this golden crown， we can see the shadows of past rivalries. Years passing in cycles of conflict， division， and unity have tempered the steel of the Chinese nation into an unshatterable crown of unity. It is from this peak that the eagle’s eye looks down. The competition between rivals makes us examine ourselves. Examination leads to understanding. Understanding leads to self-improvement. Thank you， my friend， my foe!

Warring States Gold-inlaid Bronze Ewer -- Art of War

The intense competition of the Warring States Period drove many cultural and technological advances. The continual conflict of state versus state was in marked contrast to the ritual order that the Western Zhou sought to enforce.

The images are silent but tell a thousand tales.

On the body of the vessel， it’s a battlefield. The frequent wars between the vassal states of the Eastern Zhou in the Spring and Autumn Periods were about maintaining a balance of power between them. The Warring States conflicts were about annihilation and subjugation. The gentle flow of the river is disturbed by combat spilling onto the water. The twin deck war galleys encounter one other.

After the battle comes the victory celebration. Guests stand with glasses in hand， toasting the victorious general in the center of the scene. The surroundings are peopled by musicians.

On the upmost layer， we see a mulberry field. There is no war here. Men are practicing their archery peacefully and women are picking mulberry leaves. China is the birthplace of silk. The mulberry leaf harvest became a ritual in the calendar year.

Today， this luxuriant drinking vessel can only be fit to contain those intoxicating memories. The battlefield and the victory celebrations are mute. The mulberry trees will never sprout fresh leaves. But the gold-inlaid ewer from the warring states period still speaks to us today as loudly as it did to those who feasted with it more than two thousand years ago.

Silk Painting Depicting a Man Riding a Dragon -- At Heaven’s Call

What becomes of us after death? The Chu people who lived over 2，000 years ago believed that we enter an immortal realm.

Our traveler in time has a solemn look. Dressed in his finery with a sword and a gentleman’s cap， he rides his dragon mount into eternity. The dragon’s raised head and tail give it a boat-like form. This is indeed a voyage into the unknown. The canopy rises high in the air， to show that the tomb’s occupant is wandering the skies. A carp is leading the way from below. The dragon is a mythical creature that can pass from this world to the next.

“Oh Soul， come back! The quarters of the world are full of harm. Return to your old abode， your quiet and restful home.” The Chu people believed that after passing away， the earthly soul sank into the depths， while the immortal spirit flew to the heavens. The funerary silk paintings placed between inner and outer coffins were intended to guide and protect the wandering spirit so it could return to earth immortal.

The T-shape silk painting was created nearly 200 years later in the Western Han Dynasty. It was intended as a guide for the spirit of the departed. It represents the cosmology of the people of Chu towards the end of the first millennium BC. In the painting， life and death are joined in a dynamic cycle like yin and yang. The afterlife is governed by the same rules of time and space as the world we know. The bottom of the silk painting depicts the underworld. In the long darkness of night， a titan stands on a giant turtle， deters the demons， and supports the earth above. In the middle， the soul and spirit of the occupant are carried by two dragons and travel through the human world. At the top， the gate to heaven is wide open. Sun and moon shine together. This is where the voyaging spirit will become immortal. The inner and outer coffins have also painted the views of the nether world.

Although the form of life disappears for a while after death， with the blessing of sacred ritual objects， the balance of yin and yang can be restored. The soul takes shape again and life eternal continues in another dimension. The Chu used fantastical and mysterious cultural symbols to illustrate the glorious path leading the dead to another form of life.

Life and death are like day and night. Life and death cannot be reversed by the human hand， but like the changing seasons and repeating days， there are currents hidden in nature. The Chu belief in the secrets of life was expressed in their colorful paintings. They did not fear death because they believed that death was not just the end of a mortal being， but also the entry into the world of the immortal. Treat the dead as the living. This is a view of life and death that has lived in China for thousands of years.

People believed that living as a man and becoming immortal after death is the way of the universe. And to get between life and death， earth and heaven， one should ride on a dragon.