Tag: China
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In Chinese alchemy, elixir poisoning refers to the toxic effects from elixirs of immortality that contained metals and minerals such as mercury and arsenic
In Chinese alchemy, elixir poisoning refers to the toxic effects from elixirs of immortality that contained metals and minerals such as mercury and arsenic. The official Twenty-Four Histories record numerous Chinese emperors, nobles, and officials who died from taking elixirs to prolong their lifespans. The first emperor to die from elixir poisoning was likely Qin Shi Huang (d. 210 BCE) and the last was the Yongzheng Emperor (d. 1735 CE). Despite common knowledge…
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Sanxingdui (‘Three Star Mound’)
Sanxingdui (Chinese: ä¸ćĺ ; pinyin: SÄnxÄŤngduÄŤ; lit. ‘Three Star Mound‘) is an archaeological site and a major Bronze Age culture in modern Guanghan, Sichuan, China. Largely discovered in 1986, following a preliminary finding in 1927, archaeologists excavated artifacts that radiocarbon dating placed in the twelfthâeleventh centuries BC. The archaeological site is the type site for the Sanxingdui culture that produced these artifacts, archeologists have identified the locale with the ancient kingdom of Shu. The artifacts are displayed in the Sanxingdui Museum located…
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Shi (personator)
The shi (Chinese: 尸; pinyin: shÄŤ; WadeâGiles: sh’ih; lit. ‘corpse’) was a ceremonial “personator” who represented a dead relative during ancient Chinese ancestral sacrifices. In a shi ceremony, the ancestral spirit supposedly would enter the descendant “corpse” personator, who would eat and drink sacrificial offerings and convey messages from the spirit. James Legge, an early translator of the Chinese classics, described shi personation ceremonies as “grand family reunions where the…
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Jade burial suit
A jade burial suit (Chinese: ç襣; pinyin: yĂš yÄŤ; lit. ‘jade clothing’) is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which royal members in Han dynasty China were buried. Construction Of the jade suits that have been found, the pieces of jade are mostly square or rectangular in shape, though triangular, trapezoid and rhomboid plaques have also been found. Plaques are often joined by means of…
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Youdu is the capital of Hell in Chinese mythology
Youdu (ĺš˝é˝) in Chinese mythology is the capital of Hell, or Diyu. Among the various other geographic features believed of Diyu, the capital city has been thought to be named Youdu. It is generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capital city, such as Chang’an, but surrounded with and pervaded with darkness. Name “You” (ĺš˝) in Chinese means…
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Gate of the Ghosts
The Gate of the Ghosts (simplified: 鏟é¨ĺ ł; traditional: 鏟éé), or Devil’s Gate, Demon Gate, known as Guimen guan in Chinese, is a pass in the Underworld in Chinese mythology. The gate is a pailou (also known as a paifang, a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure) with the words “Gate of the Ghosts” written on the horizontal plaque. Legend has it that on their way to the Ghost Country, the…
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Cassava (tapioca) chips have become a major source of ethanol production
In many countries, significant research has begun to evaluate the use of cassava as an ethanol biofuel feedstock. Under the Development Plan for Renewable Energy in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan in the People’s Republic of China, the target was to increase the production of ethanol fuel from nongrain feedstock to 2 million metric tons (2,000,000 long tons; 2,200,000 short tons), and…
