Hong Kong Palace Museum | From Dawn to Dusk: Life and Art in the Forbidden City

2001. Two double gourd-shaped hangings with auspicious characters

Hangings were commonly found as decorative items in the palaces. The Qianlong Emperor commissioned the creation of double gourd-shaped hangings with auspicious characters. The shape of the hangings is taken from a homophonic pun on the Chinese name for the double gourd, “hulu”, alluding to the double blessing fortune and prosperity.

Pay attention to the details of these two hangings. The craftsmen used gold as the base material and decorated them with many precious materials. Take a closer look at the texture of the base of one of the hangings—the numerous coins imply protection against evil as well as wishes for blessings. The central two characters, “daji”, meaning great auspiciousness, are inlaid with blue lapis lazuli. The eight auspicious objects surrounding the character “da” (the upper character) are the emblems of the Eight Immortals of Taoism, collectively known as the "Hidden Eight Immortals". For example, the sword and gourd on the right side of the character “da” are the ritual instruments of the immortals Lü Dongbin and Li Tieguai, respectively.

The lower part of the gourd, surrounding the character “ji”, are the eight auspicious items symbolising good fortune and perfection in Buddhism. For example, below the character “ji” is the Dharma wheel, implicating the unceasing and perfect nature of Buddhist teachings.

2002. Tea bowl with poem by the Qianlong Emperor

The Qianlong Emperor was very fond of tea drinking. In the first lunar month of each year, he would select an auspicious day to host a tea gathering at the Palace of Double Brilliance, inviting officials with the intention of fostering the bond between the sovereign and his subjects. The tea gathering would last for two hours. The officials would first drink the "Three Purities Tea" bestowed by the emperor. Then, they would begin composing linked verses, engaging in literary exchange.

The tea served during the gathering was very special, brewed with snow water and infused with three ingredients—plum blossoms, Buddha's hand citrons, and pine nuts—called the "Three Purities Tea". Qianlong also specially commissioned the tea wares used in the gathering and bestowed the tea cups as gifts to the participating officials. The tea cups displayed here are made of porcelain and lacquer. Despite the difference in the materials, the style and form of the cups are similar. The surface of the tea cups is decorated with the ruyi-head design and inscribed with the Three Purities Tea poem, composed by Qianlong himself. This demonstrates that the Three Purities tea sets embodied the relations between the emperor and the officials at the Qianlong’s court, as well as the emperor’s pursuit of tea culture and literature.

2003. Ewer with a dragon head

Milk tea was frequently consumed at the Qing court. This practice originated from the lifestyle of the northern nomadic tribes. As such, milk tea pots were common household items in the palace as well, used in celebrations, banquets, and hunting expeditions. Unlike Hong Kong-style milk tea, the milk tea consumed at the Qing court contained not only milk but also salt and butter. Palace attendants often blended various types of tea leaves to brew the milk tea, resulting in a nutritious beverage with a rich aroma.

Pay attention to the exhibited teapot adorned with a dragon head and compare it to a typical Hong Kong-style milk tea pot. The shape of this pot is rugged and sturdy, but the materials used are of high value. Although the body of the teapot appears to be copper-coloured, it is actually made of silver, which has oxidised over time, giving it this hue. The artisans used a gilding technique which involved mixing mercury and gold. The mixture was then heated, causing the mercury to evaporate and leave the gold adhered to the object. The artisans used small hammers and chisels to hammer the design of a three-dimensional dragon head from the reverse side, a technique known as repoussé and chasing.

2004. Lidded banquet box with dragons

What do you typically eat to celebrate the Lunar New Year? In the Qing court, dumplings were a common New Year's dish, a practice that took meaning from an expression denoting the transition into the new year. Additionally, the shape of dumplings resembles ingots, implicating wealth and prosperity.

Palace attendants would use these types of boxes to serve the emperor's dumplings on the banquet table. As these boxes were used to hold New Year's delicacies, auspicious designs were carved onto them. Take a closer look and count the dragons on the box. There is one on the centre of the lid and eight more on the upper and lower rims of the box—a total of nine dragons. Between each pair of dragons are undulating waves, presenting the phrase "Well wishes across heaven and earth, fortune and prosperity in eternal spring". Do you find the flying dragons lifelike or even three-dimensional? The craftsmen achieved this with the technique known as “carved lacquer”.

Carved lacquer involves layering the sap of the lacquer tree as a base on a wooden object, followed by carving and polishing the lacquer layer before it is dried completely while remaining pliable like leather. It would take at least several months to make a box with a lacquer layer as thick as this. This demonstrates the complexity and time-consuming nature of lacquerware production, making it a highly luxurious item.

2005. Water container and spoon, brush rest, box for warming inkstones, and inkstones with dragons, clouds, and waves

What do you usually do on New Year’s Eve to welcome the new year? On Lunar New Year's Eve, the emperor would perform The First Stroke Ceremony at midnight. He would grind an ink stick into liquid, and write auspicious phrases to supplicate for blessings for the empire. This is a box that the emperor used to warm inkstones. The extreme cold in the wintertime of Beijing, which can be as low as –20 °C, meant that the liquid ink would freeze into solid blocks. Therefore, palace attendants would prepare a box to warm inkstones, keeping the ink fresh and fluid.

This box for warming inkstones consists of three parts. The top features two inkstones to hold the liquid ink. Underneath them is a small tray for attendants to easily retrieve an inkstone. The bottom part is the box itself, which can be filled with hot water or burning charcoal to keep the liquid ink warm.

Take a closer look at the decorative design on the box’s surface. In the centre is a five-clawed golden dragon, surrounded by colourful clouds, collectively known as the "cloud and dragon" design. Below the dragon is a design of undulating white sea waves and mountain cliffs. Commonly used in Qing imperial furniture, daily objects and costumes, imagery of this sort symbolises the emperor, who is represented by the dragon, ruling the entire empire of vast skies and boundless seas.