#onespast

Cannabis has been grown throughout history in different early civilisations like India, China, Egypt, etc. They were bred for two main uses - industrial and medical. Hemps can be used to make papers, fabrics and ropes; marijuanas, containining cannabinoids, can be used to make psychotropic drugs. But how to take advantage to this function depends on the purpose of the users. 麻，是古人特意種植的植物之一，不同的古文明包括印度、中國、埃及等裡能找到它的蹤影。主要有兩大用處，實用功能及藥用功能：大麻雄株可被製作成紙、布、繩等；大麻雌株含有大麻素的花和芽，可製成精神藥物，不過如何使這種功效，就要依據使用者的目的了。 #onespast #history #story #memory #heritage #hemp #marijuana #cannabis #whatyouwouldchoose

Fei Qian, literally meaning "Flying cash", can be considered as the first banknote, also the first exchange system in China during 806-820AD. This could decrease the demand of copper coins and be beneficial for the large scale transaction by lightening the inconvenience of delivery of copper coins. 飛錢是迄今為止已知最早的紙幣雛形，是中國古代的匯兌方式，始於唐憲宗年代（806-820年）。這種方式既可減輕銅錢貨幣的需求，又可利於商人大額貿易，減低運輸銅錢的不便。 #onespast #history #story #memory #heritage #flyingcash #money #papermoney #banknote

Exhaling the fragrance, an incense stick ignites without fires. In the old world, some people in various regions burned incense for ritual ceremony. The Chinese has been having this practice for over two thousand years, and it substantially flourished in Song Dynasty. Among the all incense ingredients, agarwood, sandalwood, ambergris and musk are the four renowned materials of not only incense, but Chinese medicine. Besides, there's a phase in Chinese - "the time of an incense stick", meaning approximately an hour. The notion of which is from the time measurement for the Buddhist mediation. 在遠古的世界裏，曾有人在不同的地域上祭祀焚香。 在中國，用香已有幾千年的歷史，而宋朝是用香最興盛的時代。香料種類多，其中「沉檀龍麝」，即沉香、檀香、龍涎香、麝香被譽為「四大香」，這些香料可造香，也可入藥。 香，還可計時。「一炷香的時間」大概約有一小時，這個概念源於僧人打坐。燒香時，香氣瀰漫，火焰既通紅又收斂。 #onespast #history #story #memory #heritage #incense #incensestick #ritual #tradition #timekeeper #flame #burning #sacrifice

There are many Yokai(a class of supernatural monsters) in Japanese folklore and mythology. And here’s one of them. According to Nihon Shoki and Kojiki(the two ancient texts about Japanese history), Yamata no Orochi is an 8-headed and 8-tailed giant serpent with bloody red eyes, loves liquors and forces people to give a young girl to it every year. One day, an old couple in Izumo Province were weeping. They had eight daughters before, and now only got the last one because the first seven had been eaten by Orochi. Luckily, a storm god called Susanoo came across them and offered help. When this serpent struck them again, it drank the liquor prepared by the old couple and passed out, then Susanoo killed it and found a legendary sword. Those myths have a great impact for one’s creativity. For example, some consider the character of Orochimaru in Naruto is originated from the legend of Yamata no Orochi. 日本神話妖怪特別多，其中一隻妖怪稱八歧大蛇。據《日本書紀》及《古事紀》記載，牠有八個頭、八條尾、鮮紅色眼睛，而且喜歡喝酒，每年都要吃掉一名少女。而牠出沒於出雲國，那裡有一對老夫婦本有八名女兒，首七位已經被吃掉，當只剩下最後一位的時候，遇到須佐之男（大神伊邪那歧之幼子），他自告奮勇。而大蛇再次出動的時候，喝了老夫婦先行準備的酒而醉倒，須佐在此時斬殺牠並發現「天叢雲劍」（草薙劍）。 這些神話可以啟發創作，例如有人認為《火影忍者》的大蛇丸便是以八歧大蛇作為原形。 #onespast #history #story #memory #heritage #myth #japanesemythology #yokai #yamatanoorochi #ancientbeliefs Image source: tumblr Data source: wiki, theStormMedia

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, is an ancient book about Chinese mythologies, which is popular and well-known among the Chinese society. The author was unknown, properly not only one but many scholars completed it a long time ago. Besides the myths, the geographical substances were recorded, and some even presume it was depicting the whole world from the perspective of the ancient Chinese (2250B.C-2205B.C). Henriette Mertz, was an ancient history researcher from Chicago and followed every instruction of the book in which a place called Fu-sang considered as a non-existent fabled country at the edge of the eastern sea for the Chinese. By acting according to the Classic, she uncovered the description of Fu-sang matching the American continent. Do you believe the ancient Chinese have already been across the sea and so far from their homeland about four thousand years ago? 《山海經》，古之巫書，孰真孰假？ 它成書非一時，亦非一人，有言由漢初楚人所寫。它按空間記錄事物，除了記載百怪，更多的涉及地理，有人說它描述的是世界地圖。一位美國歷史研究者Henriette Mertz便曾經依照《山海經》裡有關「扶桑」的記載，親身丈量及勘察，記多少，走多少。結果她發現「扶桑」（中國傳說裡一個位於大海極東的地方）的描述與美洲大陸相吻合。 P.S. The illustration of the Classic of Mountains and Seas was created by the scholars in Ming/Qing Dynasty(1368-1912). 學者推斷《山海經》本來有插圖，但已失傳。現今傳世的山海經圖則由明清人所畫。 Image Source: hk.epochtimes.com Data Source: Wiki/ Pale Ink, by Henriette Mertz, [1953], at sacred-texts.com #onespast #history #story #memory #heritage #howfaryoucangoforthetruth #examine #historian #handson

A frozen food that makes you smile - ice cream. The myths of its origin are many : one says the Chinese ate ice-made food 2500 years ago; one says the practice of ice mixed with honey existed during the period of Alexander the Great. In fact, the "modern" ice creams were created in Italy during the 17th century, where dairy products have been varied. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "iced cream" occurred in 1688, which corresponds with the time of ice creams invented. 甜、滑、濃，一種令人微笑的食物。它的起源說法多，有人說中國人2500年前便有吃冰的先例；又有人說亞歷山大大帝（前336-前323）喜歡將冰與蜂蜜摻和製成蜜冰。不過現代的雪糕，起源於17世紀的意大利，後興於法國，意大利也是乳品生產豐富的地方。根據牛津英文字典，「iced cream」在1688年出現，與雪糕被發明的時期相吻合。 #onespast #history #story #memory #heritage #icecream #icedcream #sweettooth #bestinventionever #foodie #happiness #everyonelovedit Image source: friends who love ice-creams Data source: today I found out/icecremhistory/congele/foodtimeline

Image source: sohu Data source: Kk news #onespast#history#story#memory#heritage #forbiddencity#icehouse#beijing#chinesehistory#summerisnearlygone#thetailofsummer#ice (at Forbidden City, Beijing)