Ten Thousand Things
eBook - ePub

Ten Thousand Things

Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art

  1. 304 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Ten Thousand Things

Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art

About this book

An incomparable look at how Chinese artists have used mass production to assemble exquisite objects from standardized parts

Chinese workers in the third century BCE created seven thousand life-sized terracotta soldiers to guard the tomb of the First Emperor. In the eleventh century CE, Chinese builders constructed a pagoda from as many as thirty thousand separately carved wooden pieces. As these examples show, throughout history, Chinese artisans have produced works of art in astonishing quantities, and have done so without sacrificing quality, affordability, or speed of manufacture. In this book, Lothar Ledderose takes us on a remarkable tour of Chinese art and culture to explain how artists used complex systems of mass production to assemble extraordinary objects from standardized parts or modules. He reveals how these systems have deep roots in Chinese thought and reflect characteristically Chinese modes of social organization. Combining invaluable aesthetic and cultural insights with a rich variety of illustrations, Ten Thousand Things make a profound statement about Chinese art and society.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Ten Thousand Things by Lothar Ledderose in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Art & Asian Art. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Epigraph
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Series Page
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. Chapter 1: The System of Script
  10. Chapter 2: Casting Bronze the Complicated Way
  11. Chapter 3: A Magic Army for the Emperor
  12. Chapter 4: Factory Art
  13. Chapter 5: Building Blocks, Brackets, and Beams
  14. Chapter 6: The Word in Print
  15. Chapter 7: The Bureaucracy of Hell
  16. Chapter 8: Freedom of the Brush?
  17. Notes
  18. Bibliography
  19. Glossary of Chinese Terms
  20. Index
  21. Picture Sources
  22. Further information