Chinese Fuzhou Cork Art - 汉语 福州软木画

Chinese Fuzhou cork art originated in the early years of the Republic of China period in Xiyuan village, Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian province.

Chinese cork art was invented by Wu Qiqi, a wood carving artist of Xiyuan village, Fuzhou. In 1914, through the skilled use of various carving techniques, Wu Qiqi used a sharp knife as a pen, engraved and carved flowers, trees, pavilions, trestle bridges and boats, and then made birds and animals such as cranes and peacocks with the rice paper plant. He then stuck all the elements together with white glue, forming a scene and inventing a new and unique style of art which continues to this very day.

I love these cute little things.  Here's some pictures of my little collection of Chinese cork art.

Cao Rui Ying Yixing Zisha Teapot - 曹瑞英制 宜兴紫砂壶

   During one of my recent treasure hunts looking for Asian art, I found another Yixing Zisha clay teapot, made by Cao Ruiying, marked with a seal on the bottom that reads 曹瑞英制, Cáo ruì yīngzhì, made by Cao Ruiying.  There's another mark under the lid with a simple mark for Ruiying, 瑞英..  I'm not sure if Ruiying is one word, or supposed to be two, like Rui Ying.

It's a fairly simple yixing pot, but I like it very much.   To date I still haven't been able to find out anything online about the artist,  but it's not uncommon for that to happen, especially when dealing with unknown or not famous artists.  I'm not sure of the age of this pot, but it does not appear that old to me, so my best guess is mid to late 20th century as a possible range which is fine with me since Yixing Zisha teapots are great little teapots for brewing teas, and now I have another Yixing maker's mark to add to my list of Yixing Artist's Seal Marks.

I have another small Yixing Zisha teapot I want to post and share here, however, have not had the calligraphy on it nor the mark translated, so have been holding off until the artist is identified, so when that's done I will share that one here as well, and hope to acquire more Yixing teapots for my collection.

Zhou Guizhen Yixing Teapot, Cups & Original Box - 周桂珍 宜兴 茶壶

 Zhou Guizhen Yixing Teapot, Cups & Original Box - 周桂珍 宜兴 茶壶

Complete vintage Yixing tea set in its original box, but it's not just any ordinary Yixing Zisha purple clay tea set, it's a Yixing tea set made by famous master potter & Chinese living national treasure,  Zhou Giuzhen. (Born in 1943).


Yixing clay teapots , also called "Zisha", or Purple clay are made from Yixing clay. This traditional style of tea pot originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced near Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.

The Yixing tea pot is marked with a signature chop seal on the bottom that reads 周桂珍 制 ,  Zhōuguìzhēn zhì, Made by Zhou Guizhen.   Next to the chop seal are two additional seals, one that reads Zhou 周, another that reads Giuzhen 桂珍.    Each of the handles is also signed Zhou 周.    The label on the box reads 周桂珍 制, Made by Zhou Giuzhen with a chop seal beneath it that reads China Yixing, 中國 宜興.  

Zhou Giuzhen was born in 1943 in Yixing, Dingshan, Jiangsu province, China.  She started her apprenticeship in crafting Yixing pottery in 1958 at Yíxing Zisha Factory Number 1 under the tutelage of renowned masters Yin Chun Wang and Gu Jingzhou

In 1989 she was awarded the "Ceramic Art and Design" award by the China Arts & Craft Association.  During that same year one of her Yixing teapots was added to the  Nanjing Museum collection.  Ms Zhou Giuzhen has earned several awards and recognitions for her work over the last several decades and has been designated a living national treasure by the Chinese government.

Several of her works are in Museum collections in various Chinese museums.  Zhou Giuzhen's Yixing Teapots are highly sought after by collectors all over the world, often commanding astronomical prices at auction.

Here's a video of Master Zhou Giuzhen hand crafting a Yixing tea pot.

For Sale. $25,000 usd/obo + shipping & insurance

Original Chinese Shan Shui Paintings by Chen Hongchou 陳 洪疇 山水

Not too long ago I bought these original Chinese Shan Shui (Mountain-Water 山水) landscape paintings by Chen Hongchou, ( 陳 洪疇 ) on eBay.   They're fairly recent I believe, and I also believe that Chen Hongchou is most likely a Chinese American, or at the very least, living in a Western country, because the works are painted on Western paper, not a traditional Asian paper used in traditional Chinese painting.   They're painted on Watercolor paper, not a rice paper like Xuan or Kozo, etc.  The sharp, bright colors also tell me that this is a newer painting, most likely painted within the last 10 years.

I couldn't find any information online about the artist Chen Hongchou, because another painter, from Ming Dynasty period China, shares a similar name, Chen Hongshou, and when I do Google searches, anything relevant to Chinese paintings by Chen Hongchou ends up showing results for Chinese paintings by Chen Hongshou.

This Chinese shan shui landscape painting is signed 洪疇, Hongchou, and is stamped with his chop seal, 陳洪疇, Chen Hongchou.  The Chinese calligraphy reads: 影落明湖青黛山. ( Green mountain shadow reflected on the lake )

On this shan shui landscape painting, the Chinese calligraphy reads:登高壯觀天地間 大江茫茫去不還 and is signed Hongchou, 洪疇 above his chop seal 陳 洪疇 , Chen Hongchou.  In English, it translates as Climb the high can see spectacular scenery. Vast big river flow away never come back.

Much gratitude and thanks for my friend Hung-Yueh Hsu for his invaluable assistance in translating the calligraphy & seals for me.

Chinese Hand Painted Marble Tile 盧溝曉月 Lu Gou Xiao Yue

I'm not sure when this was painted, nor do I know who the artist is, but the painting itself is rather crude and of very low artistic quality, yet I still wanted it enough to buy it on ePay, and since it was just delivered today, I decided to post it here.

It's a hand painted marble tile of the Lu Guo Bridge near Beijing. The inscription reads 盧溝曉月, Lú gōu xiǎo yuè, translated to english as "In the Lugou bridge to appreciate the moon".  Thank you to my friend Hung-Yueh Hsu in Taiwan for the translation.

The tile is wrapped in a handmade cloth frame and is only 3 1/4" x 4 1/2"

It definitely appears to be a one of a kind hand made work.

Chinese Calligraphy Mei Fu 美孚 Scroll by Zuo Tai-Hang 左 太行 1987

The central large characters are 美孚, Mei Fu, which is Mobil, the oil & gas corporation.  To the left, is 丁卯春香港美孚 敬贈,  which translates as "In spring 1987, A gift of Hong Kong Mobil, and it is sealed with the signature seal of Zuo Tai-Hang ( or Zuo Tai-Xing).  On the back is affixed a paper label that's signed by the artist 左 太行 ,書法 Zuo Tai-Hang calligraphy.   I'm not sure if it's supposed to be Tai-Hang or Taihang.  Presumably, this scroll was presented as a gift to a Mobil Corporation executive while visiting the Hong Kong Mobil headquarters.

At the time of this posting, the only information I have been able to find thus far on Zuo Taihang is that Zuo Tai Hang was born in 1948 in Hebei Hirayama, China,  in 1968 he worked in Mongolia,    In 1975 Mr Taihang graduated from the Beijing Iron and Steel Institute and then went on to work for the Capital Iron and Steel Plant, 1

Since 1980,  he has worked for the Beijing Economic Commission, the State Economic Commission and the National Reform Committee. He is a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association.

For Sale  $500 usd /obo + shipping & insurance

One of a Kind Hand Made Chinese Buddhist Auspicious Double Fish Wind Chime

  Here's an interesting art object I found earlier this week.  Based on the fact that it hangs and has two Buddhist bells at the bottom, my only conclusion is that it's most likely a wind chime.   The overall look and appearance looks like Tibetan hand craft to me, however, the writing on the double fish as well as on the Buddhist bells is Chinese and I'm not sure at this point if that rules out the possibility of this artwork being Tibetan hand craft.

The bodies of the double fish are made of leather, which are framed by vegetable dyed wood and/or seed based beads.   Both sides of the fish bodies are painted and have Chinese writing on them, which I haven't had translated yet.  One side is written in regular script, the other in symbols which appear to be akin to oracle bone script.   One one side, seen in the photo above, the double fish's bodies are painted pink and red, with bright green tails.  On the opposite side, shown in the photo below, the double fish have bright green bodies and bright red/pink tails.

 I am doubtful that this "Buddhist" double fish "wind chime" is that old due to the colors used in the paint, however, according to a website called "Something Awful", neon colors were invented in the nineteenth century.   My best guess is that this piece is most likely late 20th century and is a one of a kind hand crafted item by a Chinese artisan, however, I know nothing whatsoever of its origins or who made it.

I'd love to know what the text says, so if anyone reading this post reads Chinese, I'd greatly appreciate your help.

Here's some close up, detail photos of the double fish:

It wasn't until I got home after purchasing this and looked at the bells with a magnifying glass that I noticed the Buddha and the inscriptions on the bell and it's unlikely I'll be able to get a translation for the inscription on the bell until I can provide better photographs of the Buddhist bells.

One of the bells, unfortunately, is now nothing more than a broken, jagged, Chinese puzzle since just now as I was writing this post, I began re-examining it again to get a feel for what type of metal it is in order to better describe it, and as I gently squeezed, it shattered into multiple fractured pieces, which rules out bronze or brass and confirms my assumption that the bells are made of cheap, crappy pot metal.   Neither of the two bells had a clapper.  Whether or not they originally had one, I do not know, but looking inside the remaining bell that's still intact, it appears very likely.

I'm very disappointed about the bell being broken and am not confident I will be able to piece it back together, so suppose I should begin looking for a replacement, preferably a pair.

Here's photos of the Chinese Buddhist bells that hang on the bottom of the double fish wind chime, along with my new Chinese puzzle. :(.

After discovering the Buddhist bells on the double fish "wind chime", I learned that the double fish symbol has some significance in Buddhism, as well as Chinese Feng Shui and folklore, however, in these, the double fish are golden, which is not the case for my double fish wind chime, so I'm a bit perplexed about this.

Insofar as double golden fish go, in Tibetan Buddhism, the golden double fish symbol is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols.   

These have their origins in the two sacred rivers of India the Ganges and the Yamuna. Symbolically, these rivers signify the lunar and solar channels of the human body, originating in the nostrils and carrying the alternating rhythms of breath, or chi, also known as prana. So the golden fishes bring life and happiness. They represent fertility and abundance as they multiply rapidly. Fish often swim in pairs, and in China, a pair of fish signifies conjugal fidelity and unity.

Giving a pair of fish as a wedding present is regarded as very auspicious. This signifies a fervent wish for the couple to find happiness together and be blessed with many children. The Chinese word for fish yu also means great wealth, so material prosperity is also wished for the couple.

The fish used in the symbolism here is usually the carp, which is regarded as sacred to many Asian cultures because of its beauty, its size and its long lifespan. In India and Tibet, the golden carp is regarded as being exceptionally auspicious. Even in ancient Egypt, a pair of fish is regarded as a sacred icon as it symbolizes the life - bringing waters of the River Nile. Having fish in one’s home especially in pairs is thus very auspicious.

In general, The golden fish symbolizes the auspiciousness of all living beings in a state of fearlessness, without danger of drowning in the ocean of sufferings, and migrating from place to place freely and spontaneously, just as fish swim freely without fear through water.

The Symbolism of Double Fishes in Chinese Culture, and Feng Shui

In feng shui and for oriental traditions, the fish is a very symbolic creature which represents abundance and wealth. Having fishes in the kitchen is a great way of helping abundance and provisions to be always present in the house. Feng shui practitioners recommend having fishes and double fishes in the kitchen or the living room in order to make sure that those who inhabit the house will always have what they need.

Yu, which means fish, phonetically matches the word for abundance, which might be a coincidence but is very symbolic as well. It is very common to see objects representing fishes in many Chinese houses, most of the times in the kitchen but sometimes in the living rooms as well.

Fishes are abundant in the sea and provide us an unlimited source of nourishment and supplies. It is a natural source of human sustenance which can be found in abundant amounts. Therefore, they are an abundant creature itself and its symbolism might be highly due to this aspect of their nature.

Besides all what was mentioned above, a fish is also seen as a symbol of fertility. Fishes have notable abilities for reproduction which makes them an ideal icon for symbolizing fertility. They are always together and travel as a team which makes them also symbolize unity and marriage.

A fish is also a symbol of life renewal. This creature survives all times and époques and is always there for other beings to nurture from them. They are constantly renewing and giving birth to next generations, and this is seen by the oriental cultures as a great symbol of life preservation and regeneration. They show strength and are seen as representing a power for restoration and revival as well as rejuvenation and the power of continuation through time.

Double fishes represent unity, marriage and abundance not only in food provisions but also in children and family in general. Having double fishes in the living room or the room in which the family gathers to eat is a great way of assuring abundance in all aspects and for all the family members.


Fish in Buddhism:

In an article titled Wooden fish gongs and wind chimes: Symbols of Buddhist cultivation, author Chun Ock-bae states that "The origin of the use of the fish in Buddhism is unknown: one version tells that a fish always has its eyes open day and night; thus it is a reminder to always be aware."

Further on in the article, after discussing Moktak, he discusses fish wind chimes.

"Fish wind chimes are found on the eaves of Buddhist halls and pagodas. The wind rings the chimes, awakening the monks and nuns. Practitioners, like the fish who are always aware in the sea, practice to continuously cultivate themselves, even in their dreams. The wind in the chimes is likened to the condition of complete freedom from obstruction.

The fish adorning temples is not only a metaphysical symbol of tranquility and unrestricted freedom; it also a character in Buddhist fables. An example of this can be found in the Jatakas, the stories of the Buddha's previous lives as follows:

In one of his former lives, Sakyamuni Buddha followed bodhisattva practices while dwelling in the sea. There he witnessed a large fish preying on smaller ones, which in turn, did the same with still smaller ones. So Sakyamuni caught and ate the biggest fish, sparing the life of the small fish. This Sakyamuni's soul was transformed into the king of the ``makaras'' (a mythical animal with the trunk of an elephant, the front legs of a lion, and the body of a crocodile) with a massive body measuring several ``li'' (a distance of about 400 meters). At that time, famine had struck the land by the sea and people were turning to cannibalism. A huge makara, Sakyamuni beached himself on the shore and offered himself up as food, thereby saving the people from starvation."

Whether or not if any of the above is applicable to the double fish wind chime I have, I am not sure, but it is interesting to learn about nonetheless since I find these sorts of things enlightening, fascinating, and interesting.

If anyone reading this could tell me more about my double fish wind chime, or help with translation, etc, feel free to comment below.

Thank you.

Antique Chinese Carved Stone Buddha Head Statue, Or Not?

Not only do I collect Buddhist statues, figurines and other Buddhist relics, etc, but I also happen to also be Buddhist, although I do also follow the philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism as well, however, for the most part, I consider myself a secular Buddhist, although I do regularly chant many mantra while meditating, such as om mani padme hum, and nam myoho renge kyo, etc..   I have only been on this path actively and seriously for the last 16 months now, however, did previously consider and question Buddhism, so I am still learning more and more each day and haven't yet decided on any specific tradition, sect, etc although I am leaning more towards those of Mahayana traditions even though Esoteric and other schools are appealing.  I find various aspects of many forms of Buddhism fascinating, therefore, have not been able to settle for just one single form.  I initially began exploring Soto Zen, but shortly thereafter progressed to Mahayana.


.   For the past year now I have been wanting a carved stone Buddha head, but could not find any locally.    Certainly there's an abundance of them available online, yet they tend to be pricey, and often I get the feeling that the seller or dealer is making very deceptive claims in order to inflate their selling price.   I for some reason chose not to buy one online, something I rarely do anyway, because I would much rather see the item in person when making a purchase.

So, yesterday afternoon I went out on a treasure hunt and visited some antique shops to see what I could find, and among the few items I purchased was this carved stone Buddha head statue, however, can I assume it's an antique just because it came from an antiques store?  Afterall, the dealer had no freaking clue, as usual, how old it was, nor anything else specific about it, other than "it's Chinese"... and considering the fact that he had about a half dozen of them, all of them very similar to each other,  perhaps maybe they're not really that old.   I honestly don't know.

The carved stone Buddha head stature is 5 1/2" high and weighs a few pounds.  I don't know the exact weight since I do not have a scale, but it feels like at least a few pounds, maybe up to 5;bs, but that's just a guess.








  So, wanting to know the going price for these carved stone Buddha head statues and trying to figure out how old my carved stone Buddha head might be, I began looking around, because I'm very curious by nature, I love learning, and need to know as much as I can about each and every piece in my collection.


I was shocked to see one very similar to mine on eBay with a buy it now of $799, and it's nearly identical to the one I have.   The seller says it is made of Chinese Schist stone, a mixture of quartz and gray stone.  Whether he is correct or not, I have no idea, but I'm curious to know whether or not mine is also Schist stone, and if not, what kind of stone is it?.    On this particular listing for the carved stone Buddha head, the seller claims it is 18th century Qing dynasty and claims it is from 1750s to early 1800s.. and then he claims it is an "uncommon piece",  yet, if uncommon, why did I find at least 6 nearly identical ones in a single store, and then there's another nearly identical one from in eBayer located in China, claiming it to be "old" and selling for $129, and then there's a US based eBayer who has sold multiple carved stone Buddha heads, and has a currently active listing for another one at $39.49 with free shipping, and it's listed as being "new".

  So, the question is, is my carved stone Buddha head an antique or not?  Come to think of it, is it actually carved, or is it possible to be cast from mold using some form of liquid stone mix that hardens much like how concrete works?  How exactly does one even determine the age and or period of carved stone anyway?  I have no idea, nor do I particularly care, well I do, sort of, but the most important thing for me was to have a stone Buddha head, regardless of how old it is, and that's what matters to me....  but I'd still like to know if it's an antique or not, because if it is, I'd possibly consider buying the other 5 for resale considering the prices some of them are listed for, or even to use as trading for other antiques, etc... but more important than that is to document its age and value etc for my future estate since everything I own will be left to my daughter.

Here's the carved stone Buddha heads on eBay that I refer to in this post: