Page 19 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

In the West the phoenix is symbolic of regeneration and renewal. The Chinese have the
fènghuáng which although it may resemble a phoenix to a Western eye, has a far more
complex allegorical meaning. It is a symbol of high virtue and grace and also symbolises
the union of yin and yang. Each part of the fenghuang's body symbolises a word, the
head represents virtue [ ], the wing represents duty [ ], the back represents propriety
[ ], the abdomen says credibility [ ] and the chest represents mercy [ ]. Having been
associated with the Chinese for over 8000 years, one could say it represents the collective
soul of the Chinese even though in times past it was the symbol of the Imperial house.
Dynasties fall; the Chinese soul doesn’t.

Described as a compound of many birds that includes the head of a golden pheasant, the
body of a mandarin duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the mouth of a parrot,
and the wings of a swallow, in this respect it can be likened to Chinese Export Silver; a
complex composite - a hybrid.

In the 21st century, the world is changing fast. While Western nations, whether singly or
collectively, still often behave as if they are superior powers capable of being in the driving
seat, China has quietly turned itself around in the most dramatic way; a way that could not
have been achieved in or by the West. Anyone who has ever carried out historical
research into China will know that 21st century China is simply mirroring 18th and 19th
century China and the highly innovative Sung Dynasty period.

Chinese Export Silver always adapted to the realities of Chinese history; it was, after all, a
product of that history. No other important silver category has been created as a
direct result of political history and national protectionism.

Chinese Export Silver is an excellent indicator of the history of the times in which it was
created. In that respect it has an affinity with earlier Chinese silver from the Tang and Sung
Dynasties where the external influences are clearly manifested in the silver that was
produced until what we would recognise as a definitive Chinese style had fully evolved.

One cannot adequately research Chinese Export Silver in isolation of the complex history
of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries in China. That history is made all the more
convoluted because of the relentless succession of foreign influences and pressures that
were brought to bear on China’s shoulders. There are further complications that come into
play because of the difference between the culture of China and that of Western countries
which between themselves also differ somewhat; in no stretch of the imagination can it be
said the culture of Russia or Germany are the same as that of America. The culture of all
three at the that time was in different place than today, not withstanding Germany and
Russia were both empires.

It has often been said that the Chinese approach to life has similarities with Chinese
opera. Perhaps the same could be said of Chinese silver, given its almost perpetual
complex history is played out in the silver.

An item of Chinese Export Silver is never just a piece of silver; it is a rich cultural
narrative!