- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Pictures of Cotton in Eighteenth-Century China
About this book
Pictures of Cotton in Eighteenth-Century China narrates cotton's journey from a little understand material to a cherished commodity ennobled by associations with the classical heritage of China. In the 12th century, cotton, an imported crop, was plucked from the fields and entered the margins of agricultural treatises. The material was eventually "acknowledged" as cotton, an object distinct from silk, worthy of representation. By the late 16th century, representations of the plant and of the labor used to process it were incorporated into agricultural publications. During the 18th century, cotton imagery and discussions were situated in imperial encyclopaedias, further consolidating its classical legacy. Governor-general Fang Guancheng (1696/8-1768) deemed cotton a worthy subject for ambitious painting. In 1765, he designed the Pictures of Cotton, a series of sixteen paintings complete with commentary that delineated the processes of growing cotton and manufacturing fabric. He presented the Pictures of Cotton to the Qianlong emperor (r. 1735-1796) who inscribed his imperial verse on each scene. Knowledge about the fiber became a means to collaborate at the highest level of the court and bureaucracy. Fang replicated the series, complete with imperial verses into carved stone to enable replication. The Jiaqing emperor (r.1796-1821) likewise published the series as woodblock prints. Upon domestication, cotton advanced political legitimacy, becoming a commodity that attained canonical status. Cotton was represented in a scopic regime formulated by the Qing imperium, and in the process, the Imperially Inscribed Pictures of Cotton became the authoritative vision of cotton.
This study is ideal for those studying Chinese art, Chinese history, Asian Studies, and history of science and technology.'
Frequently asked questions
- 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.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Regarding Agrarian Labor in Chinese Visual Culture and Literature
- 1 Bringing Cotton Into the Fold of Ming-Dynasty Visual Culture
- 2 The Qing Imperium and the Publication of Knowledge on Cotton
- 3 Presenting the Pictures of Cotton
- 4 Recasting the Qing Reign: Imagining Cotton in a Scopic Regime
- Coda to the Imperially Inscribed Pictures of Cotton: Speculations on Visualizing Cotton
- Appendix: Texts and Poems of the Yu Ti Mian Hua Tu 御題棉花圖 (Imperially Inscribed Pictures of Cotton) and of the Qin Ding Shou Yi Guang Xun 欽定授衣廣訓 (Imperially Approved Magisterial Guidance on the “Bestowing of Clothes”)
- Bibliography
- Index