All kinds of arts in China are related to characters, and seals are no exception. Before we can fully understand the seal, we must first understand the development history of China's writing. Before there were Chinese characters in use, our ancestors used symbols to record what happened at that time, such as Dawenkou depicting symbols, which recorded the scene when the sun rose on the mountain peak. It was excavated at the Dawenkou site in Shandong Province, with a history of more than 4,5 years. These simple pictures already have the nature of early writing. There are symbols found in Banpo site in Xi 'an, which have a history of more than 6, years. According to the famous historian Guo Moruo, this is the earliest China script. Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which is the predecessor of Chinese characters, is also called "Oracle Inscriptions". Most of them are carved with knives. Every time the nobles of Shang Dynasty divined, they carved the date, the things they asked and the results on Oracle bones, forming articles of different lengths.
One or three seals
They are: Ya Qin Shi, Qu Jia and Zi Gen, all of which are bronze seals, unearthed in the ruins of Yin Ruins in Anyang, and are the earliest three seals unearthed so far. "Ya Qin Shi" is a totem symbol of a tribe, and the last two are the private seals of tribal leaders. Archaeologists haven't verified the word Zi Gen □□ Yin back yet. If you are interested, why don't you give it a try? These three seals are now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. When Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Taiwan Province, he didn't take so many rare treasures from the Forbidden City in Beijing, but he took them with him. This shows how unique the historical position and social value these three seals have.
Second, the seal of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period
China's India Mountain
The pottery seal of the Spring and Autumn Period, the ancient people pressed their names or preferences on the unfired pottery embryo to pass it on; The slightly larger seal on the right is a seal used to transmit official documents in the Spring and Autumn Period, which is equivalent to the current stamp. When you come over, you can look up and see the "unicorn looking at the moon" on the top of the mountain. Kirin has always represented the wishes of auspiciousness, beauty and wishful thinking in our country. As you can see, it is praying to heaven, wishing our country peace and security, peace and prosperity, and people's health and prosperity.
The seal of "Ri Geng Du Cui Che Ma" is a branded horse seal of the State of Yan. This seal is bold and majestic, and it is the largest of Zhu Wenyin's seals. This seal is still unique in its composition. The words "Ri Geng" and "Cui Che" are either oblique or positive, with a big blank in the middle, and then the words "Du" and "Ma" suddenly appear.
Third, Qin Seal
On the stone wall, Qin Shihuang, who is brave and domineering, unified the six countries, unified the writing and unified measurement, can be called the first emperor of the ages, and his seal is at the bottom left. The seal of the ancient emperor is called "Bao Xi", which is a symbol of imperial power and a certificate of giving orders. The earliest treasure seal in China is the seal of Qin Shihuang-the seal of the country, and its seal is a typical bird and insect word "ordered by heaven, longevity is eternal" After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, Li Si, the prime minister, ordered him to make an emperor's seal and wanted to pass it on from generation to generation, so it was called the national seal. Because the feudal rulers of past dynasties strongly advocated that obtaining the national seal was a "destiny's return" and "auspicious omen", the person who won this seal won the world. Therefore, in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were fakes of the national seal.
iv. seals of the Han dynasty.
Yinshan, China
Although Liu Bang, the ancestor of Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, was born in a rough place, he was ambitious and generous, and he was well-known and well-used. The "Han and the world" on this tile fully embodies Liu Bang's lofty aspirations and lofty sentiments of pointing out the country at that time, and in history, he called the tile an "enlarged seal". In comparison with it, Queen Lu's jade seal is the "Queen's Seal". From the making of this seal, it is not difficult to see that its strokes are even, powerful, smooth and natural, giving people a sense of beauty. At the same time, it is not difficult to imagine the historical position and peerless elegance of Queen Lu, as a woman, who lived behind the scenes and listened to politics in the early Han Dynasty.
The seal of "King of the Japanese slave" was unearthed in Japan. This seal was given to the king of the slave country by Emperor Guangwu to show the high prestige of the imperial dynasty. The slave country is today's Japan. This seal is not only a symbol of Sino-Japanese friendship, but also a witness to the prosperous heyday of the Han Dynasty.
On the way up the steps, there is a "seal of the Yellow God", which is a Taoist seal. Taoist practice is in the deep mountains. It is said that this seal can turn evil, and it is a necessary protective talisman for Taoist priests. Dear tourists and friends, you may wish to touch this seal. I believe that you will have a pleasant journey and a pleasant journey when you visit any famous mountains and rivers in the future.
5. The seal of Tang and Song Dynasties
The seal of China's India Mountain
has further developed into the field of art from being a legal object representing the rights and interests of the authorities and a tool for private individuals to rely on trust, and it was after the Tang Dynasty that it took a place. Emperor Taizong took the lead in stamping his "Zhenguan" couplet beads on the collection of palace paintings and calligraphy, which promoted the trend of collecting treasures in the ruling and opposition, thus triggering the fundamental transformation of seals from practicality to art.
I want to talk about Song Huizong, the emperor who really shouldn't be the emperor. He is a great artist. His paintings are exquisite, and his calligraphy is called "thin gold body", which enjoys a high reputation in the calligraphy world. Xuanhe is the year of Song Huizong's rule. During this year, Song Huizong concentrated on painters' calligraphy and painting, ignoring state affairs, which led to peasant uprisings, Song Jiang, Fang La and so on. The Water Margin, one of China and Four Great Classical Novels, was born under such an objective historical background.
VI. Seals of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties
Song Xuezhai is the representative work of Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty. He was an outstanding painter, seal engraver and poet in the Yuan Dynasty. The round bead prose created by him is round and vivid, simple and elegant. Like the ballpoint pen we use now, it evolved from the round bead.
China's India Mountain
Impression is the stone and treasure of Zhenshan. Please see this is a marble elephant with two seals on it. According to legend, when Pangu opened heaven and earth, the elephant came to earth and quietly came to Changning Temple with good luck and blessings. Hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and it was not until the advent of India Mountain in China that the elephant's blessing was revealed. It wished the world "harmony between heaven and earth" forever; It wishes friends who come to Yinshan for sightseeing "prosperity and prosperity". This cliff stone, with two carved Chinese seals on it and a lifelike elephant on the bottom, is called "impression" by people.