600 Year Old Ming Vase: The Best Vase Ever

Shang, Chou, Han, T'ang, Sung, Yuan, Ming, Ch'ing - for most Westerners, they stand only as adjectives to describe a lacquer, a bronze, a silk, a watercolor. And for all the familiarity a blue and white porcelain vase from the Ming dynasty or the bright and sturdy pottery figures of horses and grooms from the T'ang may now have acquired, the history of the civilization that produced them remains obscure. So do the names of the potters and artists and philosophers and emperors and generals - except perhaps for those of Kublai Khan, who was not Chinese, and K'ung Fu Tzu - known as Confucius - who flourished a century before Socrates.

"The Dynasties of China: A History"
by Bamber Gascoigne

The Ming period is the only segment of later imperial history during which all of China proper was ruled by a native, or Han dynasty. The success of the Chinese in regaining control over their own government is an important event in history, and the Ming dynasty thus has been regarded, both in Ming times and even more so in this century, as an era of Chinese resurgence.

"The Cambridge History of China: Volume 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1"
by Frederick W. Mote

Necropolis of the Ming Dynasty A dignified pavilion rises behind the main entrance of the magnificent Ming Necropolis, which is located 50km north west of Beijing. Seven kilometres long, the holy avenue of the Ming Necropolis is lined with numerous beautiful stone figures.Ding Ling, the mausoleum of the 13th Ming Emperor, Wanli, is one of three restored grave sites where elegant stairs, decorated with beautiful stone masonry, lead up to the terrestrial section of the mausoleum. According to ancient Chinese tradition, an earthly section had to be built for the soul of the dead, in which the soul would be comforted. For this reason, the magnificent buildings and great halls were designed in the style of the emperor's palace.

"Global Treasures THE MING NECROPOLIS The Ming Dynasty Tombs China"

The expenditure for the royal funerals was without limit and it took almost six years and around 30,000 workers to build the grave complex for Emperor Wanli. Chang Ling is the largest mausoleum of the Necropolis and was built for Emperor Yongle who reigned during the beginning of the 15th century. But this extremely well restored grave site has a darker side to it: together with the Emperor, it is believed that sixteen living concubines were buried in this grave.

"Global Treasures THE MING NECROPOLIS The Ming Dynasty Tombs China"

Ming vases have been long regarded as the epitome of priceless beauty. Exploring the grandeur of the last native Chinese dynasty (1368-1644),Ming Dynasty demonstrates why not just vases but Ming art of many types has earned such acclaim.

"Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty"
by He Li

A vivid panoramic survey of the vast course of Chinese civilization from prehistory to 1850, when the old China began the agonizing transition to the new. Historical surveys of China tend to be dynasty-by-dynasty chronicles with a profusion of names and dates and occaisional cultural tidbits, or to concentrate on the period from earliest times to the Han dynasty (or the T'ang), giving only scant coverage to the last thousand years. China's Imperial Past is different. Not only does it treat the three major periods of Chinese history at roughly equal length, weaving all their complexity into a balanced, integrated whole, but it gives ample space to China's magnificent literary and artistic achievements.

"China's Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture"
by Charles Hucker

...the particularities that made traditional Chinese civilization one of the richest in human history. Especially notable are the many translations of Chinese poetry, among them more than twenty exquisite poems from the great poets of the T'ang. The author divides Chinese history into three major epochs: a formative age, from high antiquity to the unification of China under the Ch'in in the third century B.C.; an early imperial age, from the Han dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) through the T'ang (618-907) and its breakdown; and a later imperial age, from the Sung dynasty (960-1279) to the mid-nineteenth century.

"China's Imperial Past: An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture"
by Charles Hucker