Taoyuan Wine-jar Lids
Updated: 2007-06-26 09:42
In Taoyuan County in northwestern Hunan Province, the humid climate, fertile land and rich water resources have promoted rice production and the development of the local wine-brewing industry since ancient times. People in Taoyuan County once used jars to contain and store wine, and interestingly, lids of wine-jars became famous cultural artifacts, known for their unique folk art style.
Brief Introduction to Taoyuan Wine-jar Lids' Evolvement
The early Taoyuan wine-jar lids were gray, round pottery pieces engraved with geometric patters or signs of totems signifying good luck. Although simple and crude, the style was popular in the Qin and Han Dynasties (221BC-220 AD).
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It was from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) on that the fragile pottery wine-jar lids were gradually replaced by wooden ones.
Taoyuan County used to be the well-known capital of the quality "West Lake Wood." In 1498, the 12th son of the Ming Emperor at that time brought a great many of the country's top craftsmen serving the royal family to the city of Changde near Taoyuan County to build him a palace. In this process, the local craftsmen learned engraving and carving techniques from royal craftsmen and developed the Taoyuan engraving technique, which was later applied to the making of wine-jar lids
As Taoyun County's economy experienced a boom period at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), local residents benefited from an improvement in their living standards, and had more ability to pursue art in their daily lives.
At that time, it was a custom for people to send wine as a gift to others on festivals, birthday celebrations, wedding ceremonies, funerals and so on. Put on top of wine jars, the lids could make a favorable first impression about the gift, by showing off the wealth of the giver and the value of the wine. Made of wood, painted with colorful lacquer and decorated with artistic engravings, Taoyuan wine-jar lids of this period turned into embodiments of culture, art and wealth. Some wealthy people spent huge sums of money on exquisite wine-jar lids, while some carved their names or the name of their shops on the wine-jar lids to show their social status.
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