Date: Kangxi Reign, Qing Dynasty (1662 - 1722)

Shanghai Museum

• Object Type：
  • CERAMICS

Embellished in wucai (five colours), this bowl presents in its centre a herdsboy riding on a water buffalo. He has great fun throwing up his bamboo hat. On its external wall, a farmer is whipping up a buffalo to level the field with the instrument chao. This scene is derived from the fourth picture of The Complete Imperially Commissioned Illustrations of Tilling and Weaving in the Kangxi reign.On one side of the bowl is the poem Chao in gold calligraphy. It was composed by the Southern Song dynasty poet LOU Shu (1090-1162).Chao describes the act of further breaking up clods to level the field and mix up green manure, a step often after ‘till’ and ‘harrow’. The agricultural tool with tines used by the farmer is also called chao.

In the agricultural society of ancient China,the ox is an indispensable means of production and a crucial sign of culture. For example, on the day of Lichun (start of spring), Chinese people have the tradition of “whipping the ox (often a clay-made figure) in spring”, as a symbol of an instigation of the spring agricultural growth.

【Special Exhibition】 Stride Towards a Niu Year: China-Korea Exchange Exhibition Celebrating the Year of the Ox