School work
We've reached the chapter in Story of the World (Book 2) about the Sui and Tang Dynasties. These Chinese chapters last year and this have been exceptionally fun for us because we have visited some places described in the books. Last year, for instance, we studied the Shi Huangdi; shortly after that we travelled to Xi'an for a weekend and experienced the Terracotta warriors. Yes, experienced, not just viewed.
With the chapter we are completing, we have discussed both the brief period of the Sui Dynasty and the longer "Golden Age" of the Tang Dynasty. With the Tang, we've talked again about Xi'an, this time about the city walls. Myles has been most interested in talking about gunpowder. For him, gunpowder has to be the best part of his Chinese experiences so far.
I was happy to dig back into pictures from the past few years to find examples of art from the period to include in Myles' history timeline notebook (though I would love to do a wall timeline, like Melissa Wiley's). Most of the time I cannot identify an artifact with a particular dynasty. However, I knew of one piece that we've photographed at the Shanghai Museum twice that I remembered clearly as Tang Dynasty, if only because of repeated viewings.
We've been to the Shanghai Museum twice. After the first time I remembered this particular piece of Tang-era pottery as possibly my favorite in the ceramics collection. The second visit confirmed this memory. This pair of equestrians charmed me. I wish I could employ better art-criticism vocabulary, but I think they are so....dear. I've blogged them before, and I want to again, but this time with more photographic detail. I am captivated by the riders, but I think horse-people will also have something to love about them.
With the chapter we are completing, we have discussed both the brief period of the Sui Dynasty and the longer "Golden Age" of the Tang Dynasty. With the Tang, we've talked again about Xi'an, this time about the city walls. Myles has been most interested in talking about gunpowder. For him, gunpowder has to be the best part of his Chinese experiences so far.
I was happy to dig back into pictures from the past few years to find examples of art from the period to include in Myles' history timeline notebook (though I would love to do a wall timeline, like Melissa Wiley's). Most of the time I cannot identify an artifact with a particular dynasty. However, I knew of one piece that we've photographed at the Shanghai Museum twice that I remembered clearly as Tang Dynasty, if only because of repeated viewings.
We've been to the Shanghai Museum twice. After the first time I remembered this particular piece of Tang-era pottery as possibly my favorite in the ceramics collection. The second visit confirmed this memory. This pair of equestrians charmed me. I wish I could employ better art-criticism vocabulary, but I think they are so....dear. I've blogged them before, and I want to again, but this time with more photographic detail. I am captivated by the riders, but I think horse-people will also have something to love about them.
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