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ENQUIRE PROJECT DETAILS BY GENERAL PUBLIC |
| Project Details |
| Funding Scheme : | General Research Fund | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Number : | 18600319 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(English) : | A Reappraisal of Ancient Glass in the Han period (206 BCE−220 CE) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(Chinese) : | 漢代(公元前206−公元220年)古玻璃探究 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(English) : | Dr Lam, Hau Ling Eileen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(Chinese) : | 林巧羚 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Department : | Department of Cultural and Creative Arts | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Institution : | The Education University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E-mail Address : | ehllam@eduhk.hk | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tel : | 2948 7169 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Co - Investigator(s) : |
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| Panel : | Humanities, Social Sciences | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Subject Area : | Humanities and Arts | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise Year : | 2019 / 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fund Approved : | 470,050 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Status : | Completed | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Completion Date : | 31-12-2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Objectives : |
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| Abstract as per original application (English/Chinese): |
Most research of early Chinese glass has focused on the issues of origin and considered this medium primarily as an evidence of China’s contacts with outside civilisations. This research, on the contrary, will explore the subject of glass in "Chinese form", which is generally agreed was locally manufactured. Because of the ostensive resemblance, many glass objects unearthed in Han burial sites have been confused with stone or ceramic materials, and some even have been mistaken for jade in archaeological reports. Therefore, this project will first cautiously investigate the feature descriptions and documentation of the relevant items in the reports and conduct firsthand study of the objects. A rigorous re-examination of the information will bring the glass pieces that have been disregarded and excluded in previous studies into the research. Because of its similarity to jade, glass had been generally perceived as a less precious substitute material for jade in ancient China. But judging by recently discovered glass pieces, the use of glass during the Han period, particularly in burials, was not that simple and did not necessarily follow that logic. By relying on archaeological material and reports of scientific analyses, and adopting the interdisciplinary approach of art historical stylistic analyses and contextual material studies, this research will address the importance of glass in Han burial rituals. It may illuminate the role of glass in contemporaneous perceptions of immortality, and will review the hierarchy of material in the ritual context. 至今大部分關於中國古玻璃的研究，都集中於討論其起源問題，亦將古玻璃物料的出現，視作當時中外文化交流的憑證。然而，本研究聚焦探討那些視為中國本地製作、形制亦為中國所特有的漢代古玻璃製品。由於中國古玻璃物料的外觀與玉石和陶器肖似，因而古玻璃製品不時與玉石或陶器混淆。因此，本研究首先會將不同的資料謹慎比對和進行實物觀摩，以圖重新檢視和釐清報告當中被混淆的古玻璃器物。此外，同樣由於外觀相近，中國古玻璃一直被視為玉器的廉價替代品，但是從一些考古材料顯示，此情況不是如此簡單和必然。此研究將會依據考古出土材料和相關的分析報告，以物質文化及風格分式等研究方法，重塑漢代墓葬中古玻璃的使用情況和意義，並探究當時古玻璃這種物質與長生思想的關聯，從而審視不同物料在漢墓中所擔當的角色。 |
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| Realisation of objectives: | For objective 1 “to identify and archive different glass items that are in the form of Chinese ritual objects”, this objective was achieved by the following actions and outcomes. Firstly, substantial data (including images, statistics, textual material, etc.) was collected from a wide range of primary sources, encompassing archaeological reports, scholarly periodicals, monographs, classical literatures, books, and catalogues, etc. This data was used to build a comprehensive database with texts and images. In addition, because of the ostensive resemblance, many glass objects unearthed in Han burial sites were mistaken for stone or ceramic materials, and some even misidentified as jade in archaeological reports. Therefore, a meticulous investigation of the feature descriptions and documentation of the relevant items in the reports was conducted. Through a rigorous re-examination of the information, glass pieces that had been disregarded and excluded in previous studies were included in the current research. An initial electronic research database has been developed, and the collected data were periodically analysed and reviewed. Based on the initial data, the PI identified significant objects that required further in-depth analysis. Field research was conducted to study these target artifacts firsthand and access relevant ordinary archival data from different museum or institution collections. Subsequently, the collected date sets were analysed and synthesized, and resulting in the forms of tables, charts, and maps. These data and information proved to be highly useful and effective tools for analyzing and illustrating various relevant aspects of this research project. For example, they helped chart the distribution and development trajectory of certain types of glass objects, such as glass plaques, during the Han dynasty. Ultimately, these data sets were disseminated in forms of tables, charts, and maps, and were integrated into and published in different research papers (as shown in Part C-8), conference papers (Part C-9) and presented in a public lecture (Part C-11). To achieve objectives 2, 3 and 4, i.e. 2) “to understand the reasons incentivised the choice of adopting glass to manufacture the objects”, 3) to investigate the contemporary socio-cultural notions and beliefs embedded in the material of glass, and 4) “to evaluate the status and materiality of glass in relation to other materials in the contemporary context”, specific glass ritual objects were identified and selected as case studies for in-depth examination on the basis of the electronic database developed in this project. One of the case studies is glass containers in the shape of ear-cup, zhi goblet and pan tray. Although the forms of the containers were clearly derived from lacquerware, the incentives behind selecting glass as an imitation material are complex. Two conference papers titled “Glass Containers of the Han China” (Part C-9.1) and “Glass Containers and the Counterparts in Han China” (Part C-9.3), thoroughly discuss and determine that this choice is closely related to the contemporaneous value, significance, and widespread use of lacquerware. In addition, these papers examine the status of glass in relation to lacquer and jade materials. They address the situation that lavishly decorated lacquerware was prevalent among the middle-class. As a means to showcase their status, some elite tombs included jade versions of lacquerware. Glass versions of these containers have also been unearthed from high-ranking tombs and may have been created as a logical continuation of the practice of making jade copies of lacquerware. In this case study and its relevant outcomes are in response to the objectives 2 and 4. Another study focuses on the discoveries of glass plaques and burial objects in Han tombs. This study thoroughly reviews all proposed functions of the glass plaques and has determined that the general view that glass plaques were used for creating glass burial suits is not reasonable. Instead, it is suggested that glass plaques were sewn together to form a glass mat placed at the bottom of a coffin. Additionally, in some tombs, the plaques were also utilized as inlays for head covers and pillows. Moreover, based on textual material unearthed in the tombs, such as inscriptions on wooden tomb inventories, and relevant records found in classic literature like Hou Hanshu and Lunheng, both sources provide compelling evidence to challenge the prevailing notion that glass in ancient China was merely considered an inferior substitute for jade. Instead, it is suggested that locally manufactured ancient Chinese glass was regarded as a type of man-made jade during that time period, believed to possess similar powers and qualities as genuine jade. This may explain why both the elite and ordinary individuals would have accepted the use of glass as a substitute material for objects originally made of jade. Glass objects would have been placed in the innermost layer of the burial alongside jade to protect the deceased, thus demonstrating their importance within the tomb context. These findings and relevant issues have been extensively discussed and examined in two published articles (Part C-8.1 and 8.2), as well as in the presentation paper titled "Glass Burial Suits and Glass Plaques in Han Mortuary Rituals" (Part C-9.2). The findings and outcomes of this case study address objectives 2 and 3. In addition, all the aforementioned findings and outcomes of this research project were also disseminated and discussed with the public in a public lecture titled “The Pursuit of Longevity: Jade and Glass in the Han Dynasty”, which was jointly organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries and the Hok Hoi Library (Part C-11). | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary of objectives addressed: |
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| Research Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Major findings and research outcome: | Major findings and relevant research outcomes of this project are as follows: 1. Because of the ostensive resemblance, many glass objects unearthed in Han burial sites were often mistaken for stone or ceramic materials, and even jade in archaeological reports. To address this, the project conducted a meticulous investigation on the feature descriptions and documentation of these items. Through rigorous re-examinations of available materials, previously disregarded glass pieces, particularly glass plaques, were included, resulting in new and relevant findings. 2. Through exploring the possible origins of glass liao containers, it has been discovered that although the forms of the containers were clearly derived from lacquerware, the incentives behind selecting glass as an imitation material are complex. Two conference papers (Part C-9.1 and 9.3), thoroughly discuss and determine that this choice is closely linked to the contemporaneous value, significance, and widespread use of lacquerware, and suggest that they may have been manufactured as a logical continuation of the practice of crafting jade imitations of lacquerware. 3. By examining the recent discoveries of glass plaques and burial objects, comparing them to past findings, this research thoroughly reviews all proposed functions of the glass plaques. It challenges the general view that glass plaques were used for creating glass burial suits, and suggests they were sewn as a glass mat. Furthermore, the plaques were utilized as inlays for head covers and pillows in some tombs. These findings were extensively discussed and examined in two published articles (Part C-8.1 and 8.2), a referred conference paper (Part C-9.2). 4. Based on recent archaeological findings, such as inscriptions on tomb inventories and various glass burial objects, and relevant records in classic literature, e.g. Hou Hanshu and Lunheng, there is a challenge to the prevailing notion that glass in ancient China was merely a less valuable substitute for jade. Instead, it is suggested that locally manufactured ancient Chinese glass was regarded as a type of man-made jade during that time period, believed to possess similar powers and qualities as genuine jade. The issues have been extensively discussed and examined in two published articles (Part C-8.1 and 8.2). All of the major findings mentioned above have been thoroughly analysed, addressed, and compiled in the two academic papers (Part C-8.1 and 8.2) and three referred conference papers (Part C-9.1, 9.2, and 9.3), respectively. Furthermore, these findings were disseminated and discussed with the public during a public lecture (Part C-11). | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Potential for further development of the research and the proposed course of action: |
On the basis of this research, which primarily focuses on glass items in the form of Chinese ritual objects, future studies can explore a wider range of glass objects, including accessories and different types of vessels that might not have served ritual purposes. Moreover, the study period could extend beyond Han dynasty. For example, it could encompass the earlier Eastern Zhou period, or the later Six Dynasties or Tang Dynasty, as glass was widely used during these periods, resulting in the development of new types of glass objects alongside those related to the Han dynasty. Furthermore, the regions for investigation could expand to include East Asian or Southeast Asian areas, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Japan, etc. This broader scope would provide a holistic picture and a clearer understanding of the development of glass material, patterns of usage and exchange in the regions during ancient times. To achieve the mentioned aspects, in addition to conducting research projects and publishing research papers, it would be beneficial to integrate scientific analysis results from various glass objects. Therefore, collaboration with scientific professionals can be considered for future endeavours. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Layman's Summary of Completion Report: | This research diverges from the traditional focus on the origin of early Chinese glass. Instead, it explores the locally manufactured "Chinese form" of glass. Many glass objects discovered in Han burial sites have been mistaken for stone, ceramics, or even jade due to their resemblance. By carefully examining archaeological reports, archival documentations, and conducting firsthand studies of the objects, this project brought the glass pieces that have been disregarded and excluded in previous studies into the research. Contrary to the perception of glass as a mere substitute for jade, recent findings reveal the use of glass during the Han period, particularly in burials, was not that simple and did not necessarily follow that logic. By studying different archaeological material, reports of scientific analyses, and adopting interdisciplinary approach that combines art historical stylistic analyses with contextual material studies, this study delves into the importance of glass in Han burial rituals, its role in contemporaneous perceptions of immortality, and reevaluates the hierarchy of material in the ritual context. Through offering an alternative perspective on and interpretation of the significance of glass in ancient China, this research rethinks existing conceptions and enhances our understanding of this intriguing material. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Research Output | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Peer-reviewed journal publication(s) arising directly from this research project : (* denotes the corresponding author) |
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| Recognized international conference(s) in which paper(s) related to this research project was/were delivered : |
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| Other impact (e.g. award of patents or prizes, collaboration with other research institutions, technology transfer, etc.): |
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| SCREEN ID: SCRRM00542 |