Page 37 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Scholars Art Of China

fig. 6 The ‘Qi Hou’ ding vessel, rubbing of inscription
圖六 1969 年山東煙台上夼村出土的＜㠱侯鼎＞，及銘文

According to Diwang shiji (Chronicles of Emperors and many from premature death or injury. Common people
Kings) written by historian Huangfu Mi (215-282) of benefit from this daily while oblivious. He wrote four scrolls
Western Jin, the ancestor of Qi state, Shennong the Yan on herbology.’
Emperor
This expounds on the tradition of Yan Emperor being the
‘... was surnamed Jiang. His mother was surnamed Rensi, founder of Chinese medicine, and the first ever book of
daughter of Youqiao, and named Nüdeng. She once travelled Chinese herbology, Bencaojing of the Han Dynasty, is also
to the south of Mt. Hua, and conceived Yan Emperor while called Shennong Bencaojing.
strolling when she came in contact with a divine dragon. He
In Shiji it is recorded: ‘The Shennong clan went into decline
was born with a human body and a buffalo head, grew up
during the time of Xuanyuan.’ According to ancient accounts,
in the Jiang river and had great virtues. As fire follows wood,
the Shennong clan existed for over 500 years before the Yellow
and he was born in the South, he was called Yan (inflame)
Emperor (of Xuanyuan clan) appeared. The Yellow Emperor
Emperor. First he settled in Chen, then moved to Lu. He was
rose to replace Shennong as the leader, and one of the tribes of
also called Kuisou, Lianshan and Lieshan. He was emperor
the Shennong clan joined forces with the Yellow Emperor to
for 120 years before he passed away, and his dynasty lasted
defeat Chiyou in the Battle of Zhulu. Historian Xu Zhuoyun
eight generations to Yugang, totalling 530 years. The Zhoushu
considers the amalgamation of Yan and Yellow Emperors’ tribes
recorded: During Shennong’s times, the heaven rained down
the beginning of the ancient Huaxia tribe. This is why the
grains, and Shennon planted and cultivated them. He also
Huaxia people are known as the ‘offspring of Yan and Huang’,
invented pottery and the axe. The Gushi kao recorded: The
out of respect for these two figures.
Yan Emperor corresponds to fire, so all his ministry and
troops are named after fire. Lu Jing recorded in Dianyu: Academic research is indeed daunting work with a vast
Shennong tasted all the herbs and distinguished those that amount of information to consider, however, with new
bore grains, thereafter people started eating grains.’ excavations and progressive textual comparisons, I believe the
history of ancient Qi State will gradually come to light. As an
Furthermore, it is recorded that Shennong
actual relic, the current white jade ‘Qihou Mi yong’ ge blade
‘…was the first to teach people to plant the five grains will no doubt shed new light, both in academia and in the
as food, so that killing can be averted. He tasted plants to collecting world, in the research of inscriptions on archaic
distinguish those that can be used as medicine, thereby saving jades.

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