Archaeoastronomy and the study of Chinese Town Planning, Architectures and Monuments

Archaeoastronomy and the study of Chinese Town Planning, Architectures and Monuments: Here the list of my papers on Chinese town planning, architectures and monuments, that I made in the framework of archaeoastronomical studies, and to find possible alignments to sunrise on solstices. In particular, the result obtained in 2012 for the mausoleum of Li Hong (formally Emperor Xiaojing) of Tang near Goushi in Henan, is here discussed again. The Tang Dynasty was a dynasty that ruled during the VII-VIII centuries CE. The mausoleum of the Emperor is a large pyramid with a flat top; near it we find a small pyramid for Empress Ai. The two pyramids are inked by the sunrise on winter solstice.

A puzzle ball

Puzzle ball. This image is a courtesy of   " The Puzzle Museum http://puzzlemuseum.org". 

Tianluokeng Tulou cluster

Tianluokeng tulou cluster is one of the better known groups of Fujian Tulou. It is located in Fujianprovince, Zhangzhou City, Nanjing County, Shuyang Township, Tian Luo Keng Village (literally "Snail Pit" Village) in southern China. The cluster consists of a square earth building at the center of a quincunx, surrounded by four round earth buildings (or more exactly, 3 round earth buildings and one oval shape earth building).

More at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianluokeng_Tulou_cluster

Sea Silk (Bisso)

From Wikipedia - ...
China never managed to reach the Roman Empire directly in antiquity, although general Ban Chao sent Gan Ying as an envoy to "Daqin" in 97 AD. Gan Ying did not reach Daqin, he stopped at the coast of a large sea, because "sailor(s) of the Parthian west border" told him that the voyage to cross the sea might take a long time and be dangerous. Gan Ying left a detailed account of the Roman Empire, but it is generally considered to have been based on second hand information:
The Kingdom of Da Qin (the Roman Empire) is also called Lijian. As it is found to the west of the sea, it is also called the Kingdom of Haixi ("West of the Sea"). The territory extends for several thousands of li. It has more than four hundred walled towns. There are several tens of smaller dependent kingdoms. The walls of the towns are made of stone. They have established postal relays at intervals, which are all plastered and whitewashed. There are pines and cypresses, as well as trees and plants of all kinds.
- Gan Ying gives a very idealistic view of Roman governance which is likely the result of some story he was told while visiting the Persian Gulf in 97 AD. He also described, less fancifully, Roman products:
Their kings are not permanent. They select and appoint the most worthy man. If there are unexpected calamities in the kingdom, such as frequent extraordinary winds or rains, he is unceremoniously rejected and replaced. The one who has been dismissed quietly accepts his demotion, and is not angry. The people of this country are all tall and honest. They resemble the people of the Middle Kingdom and that is why this kingdom is called Da Qin. This country produces plenty of gold [and] silver, [and of] rare and precious [things] they have luminous jade, 'bright moon pearls,' Haiji rhinoceroses, coral, yellow amber, opaque glass, whitish chalcedony, red cinnabar, green gemstones, gold-thread embroideries, woven gold-threaded net, delicate polychrome silks painted with gold, and asbestos cloth.
They also have a fine cloth which some people say is made from the down of 'water sheep' [sea silk], but which is made, in fact, from the cocoons of wild silkworms (wild silk). They blend all sorts of fragrances, and by boiling the juice, make a compound perfume. [They have] all the precious and rare things that come from the various foreign kingdoms. They make gold and silver coins. Ten silver coins are worth one gold coin. They trade with Anxi [Parthia] and Tianzhu [North-western India] by sea. The profit margin is ten to one. . . . The king of this country always wanted to send envoys to the Han, but Anxi [Parthia], wishing to control the trade in multi-coloured Chinese silks, blocked the route to prevent [the Romans] getting through [to China].

On Ancient Chinese Towns

Sculpture of lion with three cubs from Dadu, discovered underneath the Ming era city wall, now on display in the Beijing Stone Carving Museum

Courtesy: Shizhao, Wikipedia    

Khanbaliq or Dadu  refers to a city which is the core of Beijing.   Dadu or Ta-Tu (大都, pinyin: Dàdū, Wade-Giles: Ta-tu), means "great capital" or "grand capital" in Chinese, the name for the capital of the Yuan Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan in China, and was called Daidu by the Mongols, which was a transliteration directly from the Chinese. It is known as Khanbaliq (汗八里), also spelled as Khanbalikh in Turkic languages, meaning "Great residence of the Khan", and Marco Polo wrote of it as Cambaluc.

On Khanbalik and other Chinese Towns, see please:

A possible role of sunrise/sunset azimuth in the planning of ancient Chinese towns by  A.C. Sparavigna,
PORTO POLITO, http://porto.polito.it/2519296/

Air curtains for Terracotta Warriors

"New system can shield national relics from damage by pollution. Even the Terracotta Warriors are feeling the effects of China's choking air pollution. Chinese scientists have found that the indoor environment where the Terracotta Warriors are housed could cause them to deteriorate, prompting some scientists to raise the idea of using air curtain technology to help control the environment in the pits."
More at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2013-03/02/content_16268606.htm

Adapted from Wikipedia, courtesy Maros

The world's first seismometer was Chinese

Who was the inventor of the first siesmometer?
 Zhang Heng. He was  (AD 78–139) a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, artist, poet, statesman. He lived under the Han Dynasty (AD 25–220) of China. He was a  Chief Astronomer, Prefect of the Majors for Official Carriages, and then Palace Attendant at the imperial court.  He invented the world's first water-powered armillary sphere,  improved the inflow water clock by adding another tank and invented the world's first seismometer, which discerned the cardinal direction of an earthquake 500 km away. He improved previous Chinese calculations of the formula for pi. In addition to documenting about 2,500 stars in his extensive star catalogue. Some modern scholars have also compared his work in astronomy to that of Ptolemy (AD 86–161). (Adapted from Wiki)

 A replica of an ancient Chinese Siesmograph  (25-220 CE). Picture taken in July 2004  at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland California.

"In 132 CE, after several serious earthquakes in China, astronomer Zhang Heng invented this instrument to warn people of the next one. When the ground shook, it moved a pendulum inside the jug. The pendulum pushed a lever that opened one dragon's mouth. A ball rolled out and into the toad's mouth below, sounding an alarm. The open dragon mouth pointed in the direction of the earthquake, notifying the Emperor."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EastHanSeismograph.JPG

The legend of Cangjie

After unifying China, the Yellow Emperor, being terribly dissatisfied with his Quipu method  of recording information, charged Cangjie of creating characters for writing. Cangjie then settled down on the bank of a river, and devoted himself to the completion of the task at hand. ... One day, Cangjie  saw a phoenix flying in the sky above, carrying an object in its beak. The object fell to the ground directly in front of Cangjie, and he saw it to be an impression of a hoof-print. Not being able to recognize which animal the print belonged to, he asked for the help of a local hunter passing by on the road. The hunter told him that this was the hoof-print of a Pixiu. This conversation with the hunter greatly inspired Cangjie  ... From that day forward, Cangjie paid close attention to the characteristics of all things, including the sun, moon, stars, clouds, lakes, oceans, as well as all manner of bird and beast. He began to create characters according to the special characteristics he found, and before long, had compiled a long list of characters for writing. To the delight of the Yellow Emperor, Cangjie presented him with the complete set of characters.
Adapetd from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangjie

Cangjie

Public domain image

A giant mirage on a Chinese river

'Lost Civilization' Appears Above Chinese River, Published June 27, 2011,  News Corp Australian Papers
"It looks like any other city skyline with skyscrapers, a few mountains and trees -- except it isn't real.
The giant mirage appeared across the skyline in East China earlier this month after heavy rainfall and humid conditions covered the Xin’an River. As mist settled over the river at dusk, tall buildings appeared to rise from nowhere, leading residents in nearby Huanshan City to speculate that the vision may be a "vortex" to a lost civilization."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/06/27/lost-civilization-appears-above-chinese-river/?intcmp=obinsite

Four actors

A group of four actors
Tang Dinasty, first half of the 8th century AD

Museo Arte Orientale, Torino

Il funzionario

Funzionario militare
Dinastia Tang, VIII secolo D.C.
Terracotta rossa, ingobbio bianco, pigmenti e oro
Military official
Tang Dinasty 8th centry A.D.
Red earthenware with white engobe, pigments and gold



Museo Arte Orientale, Torino

Horse and dog - Tang Dinasty - China

An animal sits on a pad behind the saddle.

Hunters can have a dog or a cheetah with them.

 

China

Museo Arte Orientale, Torino

More on mounted hunter: Sport in the Golden Age of China, Lingyu Xie, Palmer Higgs Pty Ltd, Dec 3, 2013