Volume 2 of 『Embarrassing Stories of Oriental Art』 mainly deals with Chinese art.
China has not only had a profound influence on Northeast Asian art, but is also the origin of ideas and symbols that are still relevant to us today.
This book reveals in detail the status and beauty of Chinese art in Eastern art, while also seeking the significance of Chinese art within the broader category of the Orient.
Not only does it meticulously examine the art of regions that are geographically part of China but have developed their own independent cultures separate from the Han Chinese, it also examines from various angles how art has changed and what role it has played in contemporary history.
Through this book, we can realize that Chinese art is not only that of the Han Chinese, but is a beauty created by various ethnic groups within China, including the Han Chinese.
In particular, this book presents the essence of all kinds of art, including porcelain, jade, bronze, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the Boshan Incense Burner, and T-shaped silk, all of which are steeped in the imagination, mythology, thoughts, and worldview of the ancient Chinese.

Although now used all over the world, ceramics is originally an Eastern culture.
At first, pottery was only made in Northeast Asia.
Our country's Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain came from that tradition.
Northeast Asia's ceramic culture originated from Neolithic pottery in China.
--- p.39, from Part 1, Chapter 2, “The Secret of Ceramics from the Neolithic Age”

Imagine being an ancient person trying to create a god out of jade.
How can I express it so others can understand that what I created is a god? Since I'm a god, I must be different from humans.
You can imagine freely.
Like having wings or a tail or something.
However, expressing imagination in a visible form is a different matter.
Moreover, jade is very difficult to carve.
If I were to carve a face that is relatively easy to make in a unique way, I would like to create a somewhat awkward expression that looks human but is not, like a jade bell or jade man.
--- p.88, from Part 1, Chapter 3, “Chinese People Who Loved Jade”

If bronze was so simple to make and so widely available to everyone, would it have truly become a symbol of power? The difficulty of making it, and therefore its affordability to a select few, was precisely what made bronze so valuable.
So, at that time, bronze was only used for rituals to communicate with gods.
The ruling class used these precious bronzes to perform rituals to differentiate themselves and show off their power.
--- p.135-136, from Part 2, Chapter 2, “Faith in Bronze”

Rather than show off this large bronze tree to the people of Sacheon, they buried it in a sacrificial pit.
For the dead.
There are many theories about the identity of this bronze tree.
Some people claimed that it was a wounded tree.
The Fusang tree is a tree from Chinese legend that is said to be located at the end of the eastern sea.
They say that there are many suns hanging on this tree, and that the day changes every time a bird picks one up.

--- p.158, from Part 2, Chapter 2, “Faith in Bronze”

The Yongbongsa Nyeodo is interpreted as depicting a woman leaving for the afterlife.
It is a world where phoenixes and dragons take you, so that world must be an eternal world.
It is a work from the 3rd century BC, so the artist's skill is still lacking, but he must have been a skilled artist in his own right.
You can tell by looking at the brushstrokes in the painting.
Silk, as you know, is a fabric.
It's perfect for spreading when you put a brush dipped in ink.
But in this picture, you can't find any blurred parts at all.
Rather, it seems as if the brush was used carefully, with delicate control of force.
Below, notice how the brush strokes from the phoenix's neck down to its body and tail are slightly wavy.
How many people during this period could paint with such brushstrokes? The fact that they were able to produce such works suggests that the culture of drawing and writing with a brush was widespread during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
--- p.224, from Part 2, Chapter 3, “Towards the Age of Man”

Recently, Chinese researchers used cutting-edge equipment to test the soil around the Qin Shi Huang's tomb and found significantly higher mercury levels than in other areas.
It's possible that a river of mercury actually exists.
It is said that Qin Shi Huang killed everyone, from the tomb designer to the workers mobilized to keep the location of the tomb a secret, and buried them nearby.
It is believed that the numerous remains discovered west of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum are those people.

You killed all 700,000 people?

Although the exact number is unknown due to the lack of verifiable records, it is true that a significant number of people and prisoners of war were brought in to build tombs and then killed.
The tomb that was built over 38 years is the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.
It is a whopping 640,000 pyeong in size.
--- p.243-244, from Part 3, Chapter 1, “The Underground Palace of the Emperors Who Dreamed of Immortality”

The face of the maid shows the inner strength of the creator.
Clear eyebrows, small eyes and mouth, flat nose and broad cheeks.
Anyone can tell he's Chinese.
Even the ends of the tied hair sticking out are sculpted naturally.
However, no matter how much the body's movements were felt, the unique Chinese way of expressing the human body at the time did not change.
The body itself was not shown.
Even at this time, Chinese human sculptures rarely explicitly depicted the curves, flesh, and muscles of the human body.
--- p.288, from Part 3, Chapter 1, “The Underground Palace of the Emperors Who Dreamed of Immortality”

Since engraving is done on stone, it is difficult to depict it in detail like when drawing with a brush on silk or paper.
We have no choice but to condense the content as much as possible and carve it into a form that is easy for people to understand.
Simplify and convey only the main points.
If you feel that the image alone is not enough, you can add text to supplement the content.
Doesn't the simple form, supplemented with text when necessary, resemble comic books? They're so-called "readable pictures."
--- p.348, from Part 3, Chapter 3, “Containing the Teachings of Confucianism”

Although there were many generals in the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han's love for Guo Qubing was special.
When Guo Qubing passed away at the young age of 24, Emperor Wu of Han was deeply saddened and erected a special horse statue in front of his tomb.
To commemorate the bravery of Guo Geo-byeong and his achievements in defeating the Huns.
It was the second extraordinary treatment given by a king to his loyal subjects.
The piece on the right is that one.
A stone beast is called a stone beast, and this statue is called a stone horse because it is shaped like a horse.
At that time, horses were important animals in many ways.

For something like that, it doesn't look like a well-made piece.

It's a bit crude.
In fact, until recently, China did not make statues out of stone.
I was used to making pottery out of clay, and that was easier to express in more detail.
This stone horse is the first example of an independent sculpture made from stone in China.
--- p.353-354, from Part 3, Chapter 3, “Containing the Teachings of Confucianism”

We vaguely say, 'Dragon is good and auspicious.'
Have you ever wondered how this idea came to be? The dragon's auspicious symbolism was established during the Han Dynasty in China.
That was passed down to our country and continues to have an influence to this day.
The Han Dynasty was also a time when not only these symbols but also elements that can be defined as the characteristics of Chinese art were refined and perfected.
--- p.364, from Part 3, Chapter 4, “The Archetype is Established”

It's clear that the Chinese people don't like empty space.
By the time we reach the Han Dynasty, the overall form has become more perfectly balanced than in previous eras.
Both of the points we've looked at so far have a taut belly like a ball, and the proportions are so precise that they seem to have been measured with a ruler.
If you trim it, the body will be round enough to make a ball and play soccer with it.
In comparison, the neck is thin, but the lowermost curve is thick and rough.

--- p.389-390, from Part 3, Chapter 4, “The Archetype is Established”