culture

Ancient hunters (1)

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Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | July 4, 2022

Fiona Sheng

Hunting as a peculiar culture exists in many countries throughout our history. The intelligent ancient people quickly realised their own powers could not match that of the larger animals, so they grouped together and developed tools to help themselves, these tools started from stones and then involved metal. However, since a very long time ago, animals have also been engaged and trained to help with the huntings, and today let us take a look at a few awesome hunting helpers in the ancient Chinese society.

Lynx – Oriental Ink Brush Painting

Rice Paper, 33cm x 33cm

By Fiona Sheng

@InkDifferent Studio | Brussels

In the old texts, this sentence is often quoted to describe the hunting scene: the left hand carries the yellow (hunting dogs), and in the right holds the eagle. This is a typical hunting scenario, so let us start with the hunting dogs and eagles.

The dogs, especially the “fine dog” (“细犬”) – the Chinese hound, as the painting shows below proved to be one of the best hunting companions in the ancient time. They are known for their acute sense of smell, slender body shape and high speed. They have been famous since the Qin Dynasty, over 2500 years ago, and today there are a few regionalised (mostly Shaanxi province) species of these dogs, however, they are quite rare and therefore precious. They are also known for their mild temper and elegant posture, making them the most beloved hunting dogs in the royal palaces. In the Qing Dynasty, a royal painter named Giuseppe Castiglione (郎世宁) (1688-1766) painted many portraits of the royal animals from the palaces, and amongst these paintings the Chinese hounds had the most representation.

Chinese hound, Lang Shi Ning, Qing Dynasty

There are in fact many other dog species precious to the ancient hunting activities, their status could be seen in the discoveries from ancient tombs, where the remains still wore gold or silver collars. In the paintings from the old days the hunting dogs were also very noticeable, such as the image below. In the same image an eagle is also quite visible on the prince’s shoulder. To be more precise, this bird should be a gyrfalcon.

Tang Dynasty, tomb mural from prince Yi De

In the Tang Dynasty and again in the Yuan Dynasty where ethnic cultures prevailed in the Middle Kingdom, these ethnic activities were accompanied by the hunting cultures. Falcons were often employed together with dogs to provide a stimulating hunting “show” – the birds strike first, attaching the prey and then the dogs arrive to make the final kill, as the falcons in size often could not match that of the preys. The following painting from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) vividly describes the moment where the falcon was about to make the final kill over this swan. You may also notice that the falcon is white, which is an extremely rare color in this bird species, but the white ones are always the most loved auspicious color, and therefore the white falcons would make the best royal hunting companions.

Ming Dynasty, Yin Kai

There are dedicated falcon trainers for the hunting of either swan or goose, distinguishable from the trainers’ hat feather colors. The Liao Dynasty (907-1125) was known for its hunting culture, and in each hunting season, the very first falcon and its trainer would receive the most honorable awards. The hunting “show” was also the most elaborate in this period of time.

In the next post let us continue exploring a few other animals that are great hunting companions, so stay tuned!

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A few cool drink recipes for you

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clear glass bowl beside yellow flower

Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | July 1, 2022

Fiona Sheng

It seems that this summer Europe is having quite some hot days – I sincerely hope that you are dealing well with this warmth! But if you have been suffering from this heat without any solution, then perhaps this article will provide some help. In the traditional Chinese records there are quite a few entries discussing the balancing of Yin and Yang, which can be reflected in various ways depending on the seasons. In the summer time it is common to suffer from what we call “Shang Huo”, literally describing symptoms such as an inability to focus, irritation, oily skin with pimple appearing. It can get worse – the pee may get darker and we may suffer from constipation among other problems. In the traditional medicine the name given to these symptoms is “on fire” (上火) – our body gets over heated, the Yang over takes the Yin during this time, disturbing the body’s operating systems, causing various issues.

yin yang symbol on brown beach sand

“So it is said, for him who understands Heavenly joy, life is the working of Heaven; death is the transformation of things. In stillness, he and the yin share a single Virtue; in motion, he and the yang share a single flow.”

– Zhuangzi, The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

Keeping a balanced diet and regular exercises are all recommended to help maintain our inner balance, but there are a few easy recipes of drinks that can also comfort our lungs, our eyes (if you also face your computer 8 hours a day), and eventually our minds. You should be able to find all the ingredients easily in your local shops or perhaps via online marketplaces, and the preparation will not take more than 15 minutes.

1. Herbal tea of three flowers

This tea requires three flowers, and this tea is great at combating discomforts in the livers, and it also provides aides in brightening the eyes. The exact amount of each of the following flowers is not exact, equally dividing the flowers will do. This works just like making a regular cup of tea, pour boiling water over these flowers in a cup and a few minutes later you can enjoy a nice cup of fragrant tea.

  • White chrysanthemum flowers
  • Wild chrysanthemum flowers
  • Honeysuckle flowers

2. Tangerine tea

Clears the lungs, relieve coughs, strengthen the stomach. Soak the dried tangerine peels with boiling water in a cup for around 10 minutes (with cover), skim off the scum, and then add some rock sugar for the taste.

  • Dried tangerine peel (broken into small pieces), 10g
  • Rock sugar, as needed

3. Watermelon drink

After eating the watermelon keep the peel for this tea. Wash it and peel off the skin, keep only the green parts to be juiced. Add some sugar for taste. This drink treats swellings while hydrating the body. But it is not recommended if you have a weak stomach, because this drink may worsen the conditions.

  • Watermelon peel
  • Some sugar

4. Chrysanthemum honey tea

This tea is great at relieving stress from the eyes and the liver, hydrating the body, and removing tiredness. Boil the chrysanthemum flowers in water for 10-15 minutes (high fire to medium fire once boiling), chill. Combine the rest of the ingredients when preparing a cup of tea.

  • Dried chrysanthemum flowers
  • Sliced lemon
  • Honey, as needed

There are some fruits that are also known to combat the unbalancing of the body, including grapefruit, pears and bananas. A balanced meal should come with some fruits too, but first things first, go get yourself a nice drink now!

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Have you eaten today?

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vegetable salad

Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | June 24, 2022

Fiona Sheng

Lately I painted quite a lot of animals and plants, and before each painting I usually spend a decent amount of time studying this particular animal or plant, so that its three-dimensional image is imprinted in my head before I lift the brush to paint. In each research however, if this plant or animal has been seen in the ancient Chinese times, there normally will be records about it, detailing its name, color, size, and other properties, especially how this plant or animal is beneficial to us humans – it may increase our blood flow, clear our lungs, strengthen our hearts, etc. I often say that the Chinese people prefer multi-functional things, so if something is pretty, it better also be useful too, or at least be tasty. The more I think about it, the more I realize this “trying to taste everything” tendency is something that I wanted to share with you.

vegetable salad

“The only thing I like better than talking about food is eating.”

– John Walters

Someone once said that there can not have been mermaids in the world, because the ancient Chinese books never wrote about them, not their looks nor how they taste like! “Chi” means “to eat” in Chinese, and no wonder China is spelled this way, eating is a deeply rooted personality trait in the Chinese blood. In my hometown there is a saying that if you have encountered something so upsetting that one BBQ session cannot even fix, then have a second one.

We love food, and we love eating. There are many slangs and expressions about eating in Chinese that explain almost everything we do in life! We call our jobs, “bowl” – a job with great security is called an “iron bowl”; a glamorous job is called a “gold bowl”; to get fired can be referred to as “lost the bowl”. In fact, to get fired can also be called “to stir-fry somebody’s squid”.

food healthy wood agriculture
Ma La Tang (麻辣烫)
  • When you are jealous, others would say that you are “eating vinegar”;
  • When you want to get back together with an ex, you can be called “turning around to eat grass”;
  • To be in a relationship with someone close to you, you will be called “eating the grass near your nest”;
  • When you do well in a company, your boss loves you, then you are “eating fragrance”;
  • If unfortunately you are not popular in your company, then you are “not eating well”;
  • To get sued, there is the expression to “eat affaire”‘
  • When making a loss, having to suffer from an unfairness, you have experienced “eating deficit”;
  • Harassments are referred to as to be “eaten Toufu”;
  • To receive kickbacks, you have “eaten” the kickback;
  • Suffering from poverty at the end of the month, you are “eating dirt”
  • … …

Ask a Chinese person to read this word “奶酪陷阱” (Cheese trap), I believe many would see it as “cheese tart” (奶酪馅饼) – we are always alert and receptive for any food related stimulus! Even the main theme of the Monkey King story (Journey to the West) is all about a whole bunch of monsters trying their best to eat the monk…

bowl of dimsum
Jiaozi

So, if you are at all similar to a Chinese person after checking with the previous parts, then when you have a hard time falling asleep, perhaps think twice about counting sheep, because this may be how it goes:

One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, lamb, roll of lamb, sesame sauce, lettuce, mushroom, shrimp, rice noodle, spicy soup, mushroom soup, tomato soup… …

You may have to get up and and find out where to get some hotpot…

Ok ok, I admit, we are big foodies. I think as long as we still enjoy eating, then the world is going to continue getting better! You know many happy and productive Chinese people? Now you know why!

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Pet Names & Culture

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Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | June 22, 2022

Fiona Sheng

Are you one of the pet loving people? What is the name of your pet? I personally do not find the pet naming an easy task, but I surely know of some names that really crack me up – a cat named “Jean-Clawed Van Damme” or “Harry Pawtter” gets me every time – who doesn’t like a clever pun? In the oriental society since the prosperity of the pet industry, the pet naming also received quite a lot of attention. Today, let us explore a little bit of the pet naming strategy in the oriental culture. Who knows, perhaps you can get inspired for your next pet!

black and white siberian husky puppy on brown grass field

“If there are no dogs in heaven, when I die I want to go where they went.”

– Will Rogers

If we trace the origin of pets, one of the first real pets would be horses in the ancient Chinese society. The horse names already displayed the people’s wisdom, and the same naming strategies are still in use today. The most obvious naming strategy is using the observable patterns, which produced many famous horses in history, such as “white bunny” and “red bunny”. The speed was another factor, creating names such as “chase wind” or “chase lightening”.

In the Tang Dynasty (6th-7th century) with the popularity of domestic cat and dogs, people were able to take their naming abilities one step further and started using other species to name their cats and dogs. One of the most famous dog in this period of time was named “Oolong”, the black dragon. Yes, you read it correctly, the actual meaning of the oolong tea is in fact “black dragon” tea.

The most common naming strategy in the Eastern world is giving the pets a name that brings fortune and wealth to themselves (our recurring theme), and there appeared quite a few “fortune bringer” or “hundreds of happiness” in turn. I guess names such as “fifty cents” would simply not make the cut. This is a strategy that regained popularity amongst the millennials in our modern world, this “naming renaissance” is quite interesting, producing names such as “Fortune Li” or “Rich Zhang”.

Li Di, Tang Dynasty

Another very popular naming strategy is focusing on the characters of the pets. “White cloud”, “snowy” or “pink nose” became the popular name for quite a few fluffy cats in historical record. The most common cat name throughout history has been “mi mi” which resembles some sound they make; When it comes to dogs, the most interesting and fitting one I have ever heard was “go”, literally the word for dog in Chinese. Another way to call dogs is “wang”, which is mimicking the sound they make (in Chinese).

The modern world has also seen a wave of international names for their pets. So taking Chinese pets for example, you may very well hear names such as “Lucas” or “Amy” being used. My friends who come from all over the world, perhaps it is also time to consider some Asian names for your pets?

Corgi freehand brush painting, Fiona Sheng

Nowadays people enjoy to name their pets with food (many Asians are foodies in fact), so “egg tart”, “jelly”, “steam-bun” or “watermelon” could all very well be the name of pets, but you have to be prepared that your neighbours having the same ideas as you. Some people decided to give celebrity names to their pets, so we also know of many “Beethoven”s and “Li Bai”s, a very famous Tang Dynasty poet. I have also heard that some people choose the pet name by employing mathematical methods, for example, if the pet was born on February 14th, then in order to be more unique, the name could be “28” (you know, 2×14) – the sky is the limit in the naming creativity!

Honestly I cannot decide which strategy is better, they are all wonderful! I guess we just need to have multiple pets so that we can put our intelligence to proper use in pet naming!

Border Collie freehand brush painting, Fiona Sheng

Good news, the cat painting course is finally launched! You can access it below, and a Coupon Code (market lowest price) will be included in the coming newsletter (you will receive one each week, so subscribe now)!

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Cat masters and their “poop-scoopers”

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Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | June 17, 2022

Fiona Sheng

Cats are beloved animals and more and more people are raising cats in metropolitan cities especially in Asia, as they are “self-maintaining” for the most part – they clean themselves quite well, they do not require walks each day, and chances are, they do not really need our company during the day when we have to go to work. Therefore the number of cat owners are quickly increasing. In the previous few posts we also discussed cats as symbolic animals in the oriental world and they represent wealth and longevity. But the truth is, the majority of the cat owners love them because they are absolutely adorable! Those big eyes melt our hearts and we would happily become the so-called “poop-scoopers” for them. Indeed, in the Chinese culture, the cat owners refer to themselves as “poop-scoopers” and they enjoy being called as such too. Cats however have not always been praised as an animal. Today let us take a look at them in depth from an oriental cultural perspective.

close up photo of cute sleeping cat

“In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.”

– Terry Pratchett

According to the few records of cats, in the early days they lived in harmony with people, and it seemed that people were grateful for their efforts in protecting crops from being destroyed by mice. These cats are usually relatively larger ones such as lynxes or leopards, which were generally referred to as “mountain cats”. So in the early days, cats were definitely considered positive and honorable animals.

In the Sui Dynasty (early 6th century) however, the stories involving cats took a slight down turn. I believe this has to do with their popularity, as more and more people have them in their homes, more stories involving them have been told. Some of the stories involving cats at that time told of the cat demons, these demons would cause illnesses and harm our lives. The Sui period indeed experienced many outbreaks of deceases including several plagues, and even in the royal palace there were servant girls who became ill. These maladies were eventually attributed to cats, poor little things may have been in the wrong place at the time – now thinking about it, it was most likely that the rats carried germs. These cat demons could attach themselves to a human being, causing grave pain that spreads from limbs to all parts of the body, and eventually reaches the heart that makes the final kill. The cat demons could also be used as black magic that caused someone to loose his wealth or life. The Sui Dynasty gave rise to many practicing witches who claimed to be able to either create or control such cat demons.

Zhou wenju, Tang Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty which followed the Sui, cats already became household domestic pets. During this period of time, cat painting also became an independent painting style and was separated from the general “beast painting”.

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) can be acknowledged as the first Chinese “poop-scooping” period, where cats became real masters. The names of cats because the loving “little tiger” or “little cat slave” and in the prosperous Song markets pet good and pet beauty industries appeared. If you are given kittens, you also needed to check the Chinese almanac so that these kittens come home at the most blessed time. With cats ascending the social ladder, more and more artistic productions were made about them, including many poetries and paintings. From paintings alone it is obvious that cats no longer serve from a secondary position but instead moved to the central position.

Li Di

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) gave birth to many “poop-scoopers” as well, including several emperors. The following painting was created by one of the Ming emperors, and another was known to have set up a “cat nursery”, so that his pets could be the master of many more human beings. This does not sound so dissimilar to the stories told about the British Royal Family and its requirements regarding corgis.

Ming Xuan Zong, Zhu mingji

The last empirical period, Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) was famous for its novel productions, and naturally cats made great appearances in many books. In these stories however, the positive images of cats changed again, taking on more of the fictional and mythical spirit – obviously these stories sell!

Another nation that has long obsession about cats would be Japan, the stories regarding the Japanese cats always seem to be familiar to me though, it was most likely because many of them were linked from the origin. Cats in the Japanese society are also spiritual animals, and some of them have quite some special magical powers. They are considered noble animals – there is even a Cat Day (February 22) that honors them each year!

I am working hard at producing the cat painting course, which should come greet you next week! This course that contains a huge quantity of useful information about cat drawing (useful even for pencil sketching) has taken me countless hours to make. There are 3 carefully selected cats that will be painted as models, they provide you with interesting distinctions: hair color, hair length, eye color, species, postures and so on, so if you would like to learn to paint any cats in the future, this course will give you all the necessary skillsets. You will be the first one to experience it, and if you have subscribed to our news letter then there will be a nice bonus inside!

Cat, Fiona Sheng

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Dragon Boat Festival

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Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | June 1, 2022

Fiona Sheng

In the previous post we discussed the oriental dragon, and today, let us focus on the festival related to the worship of dragons, the Dragon Boat Festival. On the 5th day of the 5th month each year according to the lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival arrives, bringing us many activities, great food, family time, and more importantly, a few days off! This year it will fall on June 3rd.

Dragon Boat Festival

Illustration from the internet

This festival has a few iconic associations, shown in the illustration. The triangular or pyramid shaped food is called Zongzi, quite a tasty treat around this time of the year; the dragon boat is used for the boat race, a traditional annual activity. These are the two main things we will discuss in this post.

The name of this holiday is “端午” (Duan Wu), which means center, middle. We are of course talking about the constellation here, the star called dragon (Cang Long) moves to the middle of the Southern sky around this time of the year, and this festival started when the ancient people discovered its regular occurrence. About 1500 years ago however, a patriotic poet Qu Yuan committed suicide on the same day, and from that moment on, Qu Yuan became the symbol of this festival, and other activities were invented in memory of him.

Qu Yuan (340BC – 278BC)

Illustration from the internet

The connection between Qu Yuan and the Dragon Boat Festival is disputed, however, this character in history is worth mentioning. Born into the War State historical period, being an aristocrat of the Chu state, he was raised to lead his nation to prosperity. Unfortunately, he served under incapable kings, and his peers undermined his efforts, so eventually he was banished from his own land. He wrote down his ambition, his love and hate, and his sadness all in his long poetry, Li Sao. This poem was not centered around him, it was around his countrymen, and what needed to be done for them from a political perspective. The second half was more imaginative, describing his trip to the heaven and the earth. This poem inspired generations of revolutions in the world of literature.

Some stories told that when Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo river, the local people on hearing the news rushed to his rescue. But all the way down the river they could not find his body. As more and more boats joined the search, eventually this activity began to be memorized as the dragon boat race. Now if you go to a Chinese city around this time of year, you can also witness such races in local parks. Of course the story of Qu Yuan became more popular than the original dragon worship, and therefore Qu Yuan became the “spokesperson” of this festival.

On the same day, people would eat a traditional food, Zongzi. Good food is always to be expected around festival times, and they are said to have been made to “save” Qu Yuan. As the local people were afraid that Qu Yuan’s body would be destroyed by the fish in the river, they brought rice balls wrapped in reed leaves and threw them into the river to feed the fish instead, hoping that the fish would leave the body alone. These rice balls later became Zongzi, as shown below.

Zongzi (粽子)

Photograph from the internet

The Chinese people are mostly foodies. How can a great festival go without food? On the Dragon Boat Festival the Zongzi would satisfy our tummies. The Zongzi are wrapped in bamboo leaves or reed leaves, inside there can be either rice or sticky rice wrapped around either sweet dates, red bean paste or savoury meat or eggs, etc. There are hundreds of fillings and styles of Zongzi, even their shapes change depending on the region.

Every year in China, there is a national “debate” around sweet and salty food. Imagine a land that large, with people and traditions that complex, each region takes pride in its local activities, and the same goes for the people’s taste in food. Generally speaking, Zongzi are usually sweet in the North and salty in the South, and people from each side cannot seem to agree with one another. Why would they? Personally speaking I find them both awesome, the diversity in food is what enriched our dining tables in the first place.

If you go to the Chinese stores in your city around this time of year, you should be able to find them in stock, why not try a piece this time? If you do try a Zongzi though, I must remind you that the leaves are to be removed, only the rice and inside fillings are edible! I have seen my former students making mistakes that ruined these treats for them forever, and I would hate for you to suffer that way. You may have to steam them too before eating, there should be clear instructions on the packaging.

Tea-Leaf Eggs

Around this festival there are many other activities too, including attaching five-colored (normally any five colors will do) string-made bracelets, necklaces, or anklets, but they need to be removed and thrown away in a body of water when it rains. These strings will bring you health for the entire year to come! People also take a walk in nature and gather herbs known as the Chinese mugwort, these herbs bring beautiful scent to the house, and they are great natural bug repellants. Eggs, especially tea-leaf eggs are eaten too, they give us the much needed salt on the hot summers day.

In fact this festival or even the Zongzi were not only found in China anymore, they have both been included into the culture of many Eastern and Southeastern Asian countries. Each country developed upon such traditions, creating their unique versions. I would like to imagine that Qu Yuan is happy knowing some traditions were kept alive because of him, and that the fun aspects of these cultures are celebrated in so many areas of the world, bringing many people and families great memories. What about where you live?

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Dragons in the East

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Your guide to mindful painting | InkDifferent Studio | May 30, 2022

Fiona Sheng

Dragon Boat Festival is coming again! On the 5th day of the 5th month each year according to the lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival arrives, bringing us many activities, great food, family time, and more importantly, a few days off! This year it will fall on June 3rd. Even if you have never heard of this festival, you may have heard of the dragon boats, but definitely know that dragons are creatures with mysterious powers in the oriental world. Today let us talk about dragons in the eastern world.

black dragon statue near brown building

Oriental Dragons

Dragons are iconic spiritual animals in the East, they are supernatural creatures that are a combination of many existing animals – they have the body of a snake, head of a pig, antlers of a deer, ears of an ox, whiskers of a goat, claws of an eagle, scales of fish, mane of a lion. Of course, throughout history this list changes, but I am certain you have your very own version of a dragon in mind already!

The dragons have rather complex mythical stories around them. Typically, dragons are in charge of weather patterns, they manage water, but this is not to be confused with the Blue Dragon amongst the four winds, the one in charge of the element of wood and guarding the Easter heavens. The dragons are recognized more often as the four kings in the four seas, protecting the world from water disasters, blessing the world with just the right amount of rain. These dragon kings have lots of treasures too, their underwater palaces are supposed to be glittering with charming colors. However, there are more dragons than these four dragon kings, adding to the complexity of the tales around them. There are red ones, white ones, black ones, blue ones, green ones, and yellow ones… and there are hundreds of stories related to each. Dragons also do not need wings to fly, they can raise into the clouds or dive into the depth of the ocean.

If we trace the origin of dragons, the mostly widely accepted theory is that they came from the worship of snakes, seen as creatures with powers beyond life and death – the snakes appear to be dead in the winters or leave they “bodies” behind, while being as alive as ever. These observations in the early periods are clear signs of unimaginable powers.

There are nine children from the dragon, they each resemble their mothers (many kinds of animals) in some aspects and serve various purposes depending on their individual powers. Nine here is not a very concrete number, but a number referring to “many”, and the legends regarding to these children of the dragon change all the time. In the Ming Dynasty an emperor finally indulged his curiosity and asked scholars to check this up, thanks to him we now have some more information regarding this subject. However, the exact mother of these children and who are these children exactly is still a very disputed topic.

Dragon Character “Long”

The Chinese character of dragon in cursive calligraphy script

The dragon totem has been in the oriental land for over 8000 years, and the five early great legendary kings (about 5000 years ago) in the oriental land started to be associated with dragons, especially Yu, one of the five great kings who was known for his efforts in managing water, and water is what dragons control – from that period on, every ruler sought for legitimacy from being linked with dragons also, they referred to themselves as the sons of dragons, and the general public the descendants of dragons.

Dragons are intelligent and brave animals, they are not particularly close to human lives, but they protect us. The oriental dragons therefore always have positive images, unlike some of the descriptions from the Western dragons. Oriental dragons can be linked with fish however, since fish (carps mainly) have the opportunity to jump really high in an attempt to go over a “dragon gate”, and once beyond this gate, they become dragons too! I have already liked this story, as it motivates me to strive for more, even if something seems unattainable, with the efforts and persistence, there is always hope!

Carp Brush Painting

The Dragon Boat Festival has great connections with the dragon worship. Some say this festival originated from the rituals of dragon worship directly. On this day we put on colorful strings as decorations and eat Zongzi while watching the dragon boat races. Around this time of the year there is also quite some rainfall, auspicious water in the eyes of the agricultural people. In the next blog let us explore these traditions, find out about these tasty foods, and celebrate the rainfall together!

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