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forestofgloryWelcome to the second post of our read a long of The Social Life of Inkstones: Artisans and Scholars in Early Qing China by Dorothy Ko! For this post we are reading: "Chapter 2 Yellow Hill Villages: The Stonecutters"
Previous posts:
Introduction
Chapter 1
You are welcome to join in at any time!
In this chapter we looked at the quarries where Duran stone was mined. Here are some optional discussion questions:
What where the main arguments in this chapter? Did you find them convincing?
This chapter had fewer historical figures and fewer inkstones than last chapter, but did any of the ones mentioned or pictured stand out to you?
What did this chapter make you want to learn more about?
Did anything in this chapter remind you of fiction you enjoy? Or inspire creative writing thoughts fic or otherwise?
Previous posts:
Introduction
Chapter 1
You are welcome to join in at any time!
In this chapter we looked at the quarries where Duran stone was mined. Here are some optional discussion questions:
What where the main arguments in this chapter? Did you find them convincing?
This chapter had fewer historical figures and fewer inkstones than last chapter, but did any of the ones mentioned or pictured stand out to you?
What did this chapter make you want to learn more about?
Did anything in this chapter remind you of fiction you enjoy? Or inspire creative writing thoughts fic or otherwise?
no subject
Date: 2022-03-20 05:51 pm (UTC)I really liked both Tan Yin's Peach Blossoms Hut the inkstone in figure 2.8 where the eye looks like eye of a duck!
In terms of historical figures this chapter is very much about how craftspeople are excluded form the historical record, but I would have liked to know more about there thoughts and experiences. While Mi Fu sounds unpleasant I think more of my ire goes to He Chuanyao for devaluing the stoneworker's knowable.
Honestly the fic this most made me thing of is my own "Can't Stop Thinking of That Far Road" because all these inkstones are purple and the inkstone that the juniors are looking for in that is purple too.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-20 06:39 pm (UTC)Definitely agree on being annoyed at all the scholars who went out of their way to devalue the stoneworkers just to make themselves look better. Grrrr.
Yessss to purple inkstones! I'm actually kind of glad to learn that the purple stones remained in vogue outside of the imperial workshops.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-21 02:33 am (UTC)