#zitan

GongDeng 宫灯 palace lanterns, also known as court lanterns, are a distinctive type of traditional Chinese lantern and a hallmark of Chinese craftsmanship.

The city of Luoyang in Henan province was especially known for the production of palace and court lanterns. It’s also considered the origin of this craft.

As the name suggests, palace lanterns were initially used in the imperial palace. They are typically made with a delicate wooden frame, adorned with silk gauze or glass, and painted with various decorative patterns. These lanterns are celebrated for their elegance and regal courtly style. Used primarily within the court.

Zitan cover to an album of bodhi leaf paintings of Luohan (purple sandalwood, Qing dynasty 18th-19th century)

Pair of Zitan compound cabinets and hatchests, 

Sijiangui, 19th century,

Each cabinet is of massive rectangular form. The hatchest has square panel doors, elaborately carved in deep relief with a single dragon chasing a flaming pearl amidst clouds, above the larger cabinet set with single-panel doors finely carved with four five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl amidst swirling clouds, below a single horizontal panel carved with dragons confronting a flaming pearl. 

The doors are centered around a removable stile, and open to reveal the shelved interior, above the shaped apron carved en suite with confronting dragons. Each cabinet is fitted withbaitong metal hardware and the feet are clad in baitong sabots.

Constructed from the precious hardwood, zitan, the present pair represent an extremely luxurious use of a rare wood that was highly valued during the Qing dynasty. Zitan is a general term which includes numerous species of wood, however, it is commonly agreed that it belongs to the genus Pterocarpus. A purplish-black, fine-grained hardwood, zitan was considered the most prized hardwood by the Chinese. 

The density of the wood makes this material especially suitable for fine and intricate carving. The wood's scarcity was compounded by the fact that the trees themselves are slow growing and require centuries to fully mature into usable material. Although local sources of zitan exist in the southern provinces of Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi, much of the material was imported from Southeast Asia. 

As an imported commodity, its use was scrupulously monitored and carefully restricted at the Imperial workshops.

94 3/8 in. (239.8 cm.) high, 45 in. (114.3 cm.) wide, 21 3/8 in. (54.4 cm.) deep. 

Just an episode of the “So pretty, but so useless" Zitan show.      ft. Awu being disappointed until she snaps.

And I fully agreed with all of the above. Until this gem:

Zitan’s total inability to read the clock aside, his first instinct is to blame Awu. ‘You didn’t wait for me’ means ‘it’s not my fault, therefore it must be yours’. Which is decidedly not a good sign! If he said something like: ‘I am sorry I didn’t come, I was scared/confused/conflicted/unsure/can’t read the clock properly’, I’d have given him a pass (and a huge dollop of respect!). Because I do understand why he was hesitant to come! I really do!

But there is no sense of personal responsibility there. It’s like he’s playing at being a star-crossed lover at this point; his willful avoidance of real world issues points to just that. As does his later continued refusal to see Awu as she is (metal as f), rather than as she was in his memories/unrealistic plans. And he reacts quite passionately when she does not conform, at least during those first confrontations.

The question is: knowing this tendency, how long would it take for him to blame Awu once their ideal life far away from court stops being so ideal? When real problems set in, problems which he as royal prince may be in no way prepared to deal with? That stash of gold leaf was not that big! Sure, he’d probably try to persevere… But in that household it’s Awu who’d have to man up and deal. Which she’d do brilliantly, to be sure! But Zitan wouldn’t help.

Okay, wrapping this rant up: my problem with Zitan is not that he can’t use a sword (which he apparently can’t, since he doesn’t have one in Huizhou?) or that he’s not a superhero general (he can hardly help that one!), or that he’s the gentle artist type (which is perfectly fine!). It’s not even that he seems to hold no patriotic feelings and prefers to not get into court games. Why, I applaud the latter!

The problem is that I am wary of any person who can’t take responsibility and say out loud ‘I’m sorry, I failed’.

And yes, I do realize he admits to failure, but it’s not to Awu, but to Zilong, partly as a persuasion tactic, partly in his role as a tragic lover. That so does not count.