This document provides an overview of several aspects of traditional Chinese culture, including: 1) Congee, a rice porridge, and jiaozi, meat or vegetable dumplings wrapped in dough. 2) The invention of paper in China around 100 BC by Ts'ai Lun under the Han Dynasty. 3) Common symbols in Chinese art such as cranes representing longevity and dragons representing power. 4) The tradition of pottery and porcelain making in China using the coil method. 5) The use of calligraphy on paper after its invention, replacing silk.

1. China
Detria Graham
Intro to Crafts- Dr, Hightower
April 9th, 2012

2. Facts

3. Flag

4. Foods
Congee Jiaozi
Ground meat and/or vegetable filling
Rice Porridge wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of
dough, which is then sealed by pressing
the edges together or by crimping.

5. Chinese Paper Invention
• Paper seems to have
been invented around
100 BC in China. In 105
AD, under the Han
Dynasty emperor Ho-
Ti, a government
official in China named
Ts'ai Lun was the first to
start a paper-making
industry.
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=k0KCGcbkFeU

6. Visual symbols in
Chinese art
• Crane-- Longevity
• Dragon-- power and immortality
(associated with the emperor)
• Phoenix (a mythical bird, reborn
out of fire)-- renewal and fertility
• Flowers-- Each flower has its
seasonal associations, and is
usually also a symbol of fertility

7. Pottery
• Pottery and Porcelain is a
well- known craft by the
Chinese culture. Pottery
consisted of
bowls, jars, pots, and
breakers.
• The Chinese method of
building porcelain and
pottery is the same as the
Indian and other
cultures, the Coil Method.
• Different dynasties have
used clay to create
whatever forms of that
was necessary for life

9. Painting

10. Calligraphy
After paper was invented by
the Chinese artists, it was
used because it was
cheaper the silk. Different
cultures embrace different
styles of writing

11. Calligraphy

12. References
• http://www.chinatraditional.com/index.html
• http://char.txa.cornell.edu/nonwest/china/chinahis.htm
• http://www.spongobongo.com/Chinese_Art/Chinese_Ar
t.htm
• http://www.the-gallery-of-china.com/chinese-lotus-
flower-painting-12.html
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/asia/china/
• http://coseenow.net/china/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozi
• http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/02/jiaozi-chinese-
dumplings.html
• http://char.txa.cornell.edu/nonwest/china/chinahis.htm