Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 11. (Budapest, 1991)

FERENCZY Mária: A modernizáció megjelenése a századeleji kínai ábrázolásokon

thical-fabulous figures and the scenes from everday life carry magic messages in the same way that symbols themselves do; heroes of theatrical plays could be both men in the street and mythical heroes etc., therefore these categories have been dispensed with. 7. According to traditional Chinese time-reckoning, a date consists, after marking the year with a combination of two sets of cyclical characters (jen-tzu, visible at the right side of the tablet separately), of the name of the reigning dynasty, the name of the period of the reigning ruler and the number of the year of this. The Hsiian-t'ung period (that of the last Chinese emperor) began in 1909, its fourth year being 1912, but this year was in fact the first year of the Chinese Republic, which followed the overthrow of imperial rule in 1911. Cf. HUANG, Pierre: Concordance des chronologies néoméniques chinois et européenne, Chang-hai 1910. p.346. It stands to reason that this New Year print was impossible to sell on account of its untimely time-marking, but being a produce of human labour, a printed paper with the picture of a god on it, could not be reused either like mackle in Europe, therefore it could be sold to people who had no use for the calendar and for whom the text was unintelligible. Thus it could happen that a former prisoner of war could buy this print on his way home in 1920 or 1921. 8. Between the names of the tutelary gods, beneath the marking of the year (from right to left) the names of the months are found, together with a note on the month's length (a 'small' month consisting of twenty-nine, a 'large' one of thirty days); beneath these the periods of the farmers' calendar and their first days are indicated (the tabulation hangs down into the ledge, with the result that the lower part of the text is not legible). 9. Translations: The Southern Gate of Heaven (Nan T'ien Men — on the gate of Heaven); Venerate the Gods as if they be present (Ching shen ju tsai — below the former); As if His Highness be present (ju tsai ch'i shang — on the ledge). The last two are from a saying of Confucius (Lun yii III. 12). 10. Translation: Say good things (about us) when ascending to Heaven, bring luck when descending to this world (shang t'ien yen hao shih, hsia chieh chiang chieh hsiang). 11. On the offerings presented in his honour, on the "farewell party" on the 23th day of the 12th lunar month (his mouth is daubed with honey and spirits among others that he could tell only good things of the family, then he is sent off to Heaven to give his report to the Jade Emperor by burning his picture). For the "welcome party" cf. TUN LICHEN: p.98., BREDON—MITROPHANO W: pp. 7378. A representation of these rites on New Year pictures: CHPP 1988: no.80.; ALEKSEIEV 1966: p.25.(no.6.). 12. The sycees, these more or less hoof-shaped pieces of silver moulded in various sizes, were the most important means of hoarding treasure, they thus became symbols of wealth, of prosperity (cf. WILLIAMS: pp.72-76.; EBERHARD: pp. 105-107.), together with other rare, fabulous things and those things which were difficult to fashion or to acquire (cf. WILLIAMS: p.157.; EBERHARD: pp.161-162.). 13. Another similar print, this one from the twenty-first year of the Chinese Republic (1932: PRUNNER, Gemot: Papiergötter aus China. Museum für Völkerkunde. Wegweiser zur Völkerkunde. Heft 14. Hamburg 1973. table 8, fig.c). The arrangement of the wealth varies from picture to picture; the differences are immaterial. It is important to note, however, that on the second picture of CHPP 1988 the god is represented without a wife (the calendar is also dated 1905). DUBOIS (pp. 106-119., nos.48-57.) contains both variants combined with representations of various other deities on prints between 1932 and 1942 originating from various parts of China. 14. The three worlds are the past, the present and the future; the ten directions are the main and the secondary cardinal points with the above and the below; ten thousand means all. 15. Translation: happiness comes from Heaven (hung ju tzu t'ien lai). 16. Cf. ALEKSEIEV 1966: p.157. (The picture and its function were interpreted with the assistance of his Chinese tutor). A similar altar (with a shorter inscription) in a scene represented on a New Year picture: ELIASBERG: p.

52. (no.

27.— wedding ceremony), UNTERRIEDER: p.42. (out-doors). 17. For the purpose of printing the black contours and the inscription, the printing block was made from six oblong parts fitted together. The blocks for colour printing were of differring forms and sizes since they were not needed on the whole surface. For this process cf. VAN GULIK, Robert IL: Sexual Life in Ancient China. E. J. Brill. Leyden 1961. p.323. 18. First mentioned in the Huai-nan-tze (first century B.C.). 19. This is one of the basic tenets of traditional Chinese painting, known since the formation of the Southern Sung canons of painting (twelfth to thirteenth centuries). 20. The lovers were pardoned later: although their stars had been located on either side of the Milky Way, once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a bridge was formed by mag-