there is a message from national 你有一条来自国宝的留言，请注意查收
treasures please check it 你有一条来自国宝的留言，请注意查收
After the Han Dynasty came to power in 202 BC 公元前202年，汉朝建立
China enjoyed a long period of peace and 天下和平
increasing prosperity 社会气氛积极向上
in the south the household of chancellor of the imperial 长沙丞相家中，出现了一种纹样独特的盘子
fiefdom of Cheung sha enjoyed many 长沙丞相家中，出现了一种纹样独特的盘子
luxurious items like this lacquer dish
with leopard cat pattern round eyed and
round bodied with pointy ears and
scratchy claws these leopard cats seemed
rather like the domestic McGee's we keep
as pets today yet their appearance as a
pattern is not so simple
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therefore paws are grounded firmly in
perfect calm both ears are cocked and on
alert their tails are pointed high as
reflects their proud nature their fierce
eyes are marked in vermilion giving us a
glimpse of their ruthless feral hearts
such vivid and amusing feline imagery is
a novelty of its times
in the Western Joe Dynasty the belly of
the boji bronze cooking vessel was
decorated with bulls heads to express
the power and majesty of the Monarchs
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but as the Empire prospered under the
Han a new lightness and playful
frivolity became part of the spirit of
the age this slacker dish bares three
characters June Shing she if translated
into modern Chinese it means eat well
drink well the cute kitties and simple
message sit well together both in
practicality and aesthetic value the
cats would have been seen as unbecoming
to grace the tables of the aristocracy
in previous ages are a sign of their
times the development of a moderately
hedonistic Society
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the woman at the center of the silk
painting is the owner of the dish xin
zhui the widow of the Marquess of Dai
this is a reconstruction of how she
might have looked her corpse was so well
preserved that it was able to be autopsy
she died of a heart attack aged around
50 she suffered from coronary heart
disease and gall stones her husband had
died some 23 years previously from the
autopsy it emerged that xin zhui's
lavish lifestyle a rich diet were the
main causes of her undoing though for
her times she could be considered quite
long-lived however among her legacy her
items of striking and stylish beauty
which offer a unique insight into the
lives of the Han Dynasty aristocracy and
the aesthetics of southern Chinese
culture
a simple blessing and playful cats would
have brought a touch of warmth for xin
zhui at our table eat well drink well is
a phrase as richly Chinese as it is
universal
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eat well drink well is a blessing we all
hope to enjoy and share
you
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