Carved ivory fans who watch the Qing
Guangzhou Shenyang Palace Museum and co-sponsored such as the “string round of secret operation – Shenyang Palace Museum and possession of the Qing Imperial Bank Classic Watches Clock Clock Sounds cum Exhibition” on December 25, 2009 at the Guangzhou Museum special exhibition Hall. Exhibition in Shenyang Palace Museum Collections of the 18th century to the 19th century, more than 30 valuable pieces of cultural relics Qing clocks, country of origin, mainly Britain, France, Switzerland, as well as a small amount of production from Japan and China. Most of these watches is the 18th century to the 19th century, Guangzhou, Guangdong Customs through procurement, to pay tribute to tribute the form of curettage products, some of which work but also from prominent clock masters. Each watch in the West and China Precision Machinery craft the perfect combination of traditional decorative classic in Europe since the 18th century on behalf of the Chinese-made watches with the highest level.
Watch the largest importer of
Birth “China’s core”
Guangzhou Museum Shuai Qian pointed out that the Emperor of China to chime clock as the representative for the western watches appreciative, greatly stimulated trade at the time clock. 18th century, China became the world’s largest importer of watches and clocks. Rise of trade promoted changes in the industry, when in Europe, the consumer mentality of Chinese customers have become the watchmaker compulsory homework. European well-known watchmaker, such as 威廉伊伯利 designed a movement, not only with stand-winding box, and specifically with carved gilded movement pattern, known as the “Chinese movement”, as sold to China watch the market set a new model, is known as “Father of China’s table.”
Guangzhou is the most important import channels but also the best craftsman
Watch the Qing the most important trade channels from all over the acquisition. As “a trade” management system exists, the Guangdong customs and 13 rows into the main channel.
Watch the Qing Dynasty through the acquisition of Guangzhou the number of very alarming, for example, only 1791 will be the size of chime clock by the Guangdong customs import, and inlay forms hour tables snuff bottle 1025.
Guangzhou Museum of researchers Wangcheng Lan said, watches in China is the speed of cognitive acceptance of any other Western goods can not be compared. Watch as the procurement of major ports, Guangzhou smart watch the craftsmen to get inspiration from the West and gradually set up his own watch workshop. According to records at the foreign envoys, “Guangzhou imitation skills of workers is high, they can manufacture and repair of watches, imitation of Western painting and watercolors. Guangzhou craftsmen in the processing of copper, fine texture, bright colors, far more than the European method of manufactured . “export paintings in Guangzhou, there are specialized watch shop selling watches.
The Construction Section of the Qing, Guangzhou Western craftsmen and artisans craft the most refined. Canton Carpenter not only made the table, and proficient in mathematics, music, painting and other skills. Canton Carpenter into the general election by the Guangdong provincial leaders to Beijing, is often produced outstanding civil watches. Guangzhou both local artisans workshops, but also European clocks run workshops, production has made great progress. To Jiaqing period, Guangdong Guangdong Customs every year as tribute to the palace, 2 4 wide bell.
Guangzhou had made watches, modeling mostly booths, Taiwan, floor, cabinet, tower, hyacinth, flower pots, etc., at the top and corners are decorated with flowers. Case for the colorful copper fetal enamel and colored material embedded in stone, whole body richly decorated. Subjects in our traditional rich still auspicious meanings of toast peace, Keiju mainly pray. Mechanical structure in order to winding, chain, pulley system, the composition of power sources, both take Times points, but also turn flower, running man, shutter, water law, play music and other stuff. The late eighteenth century, Guangzhou, the system clocks on par with comparable UK clocks, watches the price is only about one-third of the UK.
Zhong Qing gilt tower
“Time” is a royal monopoly of resources
Expensive foreign watches – Kangxi period required for each chime clock silver 5000 two later dropped somewhat, this must also be 500 two large and small are 100 two – can not spread to the civilian sectors, and by Guangdong Customs, and 13 lines acquisition, but take up a lot of liquidity, so that salesmen have to carry a heavy financial burden.
Official procurement officer for the tribute and objects are 13 trekking with a heavy burden on their business. Guangdong provincial leaders of the Customs supervision and was into the annual tribute, all that took the pad to buy the Hong merchants. The official material, tribute “official price” well below market value, the difference can only be lost by the peddler pad. Historical records, salesmen, rock and bankruptcy exile, the home inventory almost all watches. To watch, wine, flowers and herbs were the representatives of “overseas Treasure of the” large number of imports, in addition to consumption outside the aristocracy for and can not have wide circulation and practical value, so the 18th century to 19th century China, although has the world’s most beautiful watches, but not the formation of modern and contemporary sense of “time” concept, also failed to bring on more Chinese people for the recent interest in modern science and technology.
In China, for “time” control, is considered a mysterious and “compound” of knowledge, is the monopoly of resources and the Royal. Usually, in addition to ordinary people, “sunrise and sundown,” in addition, there is no clear concept of time. Watch this situation even in Europe, after a lot into China, but also did not change. Watch in China not only failed to become a significant influence on the industry, also failed to pull from other areas with industrial change and eventually become the royal and aristocratic helpless they play with the “stuff” is very much a tragedy. (Text: Poisson Bamboo: National Palace Museum in Shenyang, Guangzhou Museum of correspondent: Huangqing Chang Deng Yumei has Lingling)