Huabiao
Huabiao (
Structure
Extant huabiao are typically made from white
History
Classical texts in China attribute the beginning of the huabiao to
In the
It is thought that, in their use on
Notable examples
Some prominent examples of ancient huabiao that can still be seen today include the following.
- There are two pairs of huabiao at Tiananmen, with one pair located inside the gate, and one pair outside. These were erected in the Ming dynasty in the 15th century.
- Pairs of huabiao flank the spirit way of most of the medieval and pre-modern imperial tombs which survive to this day, including the imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
- A pair of huabiao are located outside the tomb of the Marquess Pingzhong of Wu of the Liang dynasty, located in Nanjing.
- A pair of huabiao originally from the Old Summer Palace in Beijing are now located within the grounds of Peking University (photo)
- Two pairs of huabiao near the Lugou Bridge(Marco Polo Bridge) at the southwestern outskirts of Beijing. One pair is located at the eastern end of the bridge, the other at the western end, flanking the roadway.
In the early 20th century, the huabiao, in a Modernist form, was incorporated into the developing vocabulary of a modern Chinese architectural style. Examples of these modernist re-interpretations of the huabiao can be seen in front of a variety of institutions built during that period, such as Tongji University in Shanghai, or the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing.
More recently, a trend has developed in some parts of China to create (often enlarged) replicas of the classical huabiao, though not often used in the classical context. For example, Xinghai Square in Dalian, which was built in the 1990s, incorporated a single huabiao at its centre, to commemorate China's resuming sovereignty on Hong Kong. On 5 August 2016, Dalian's landmark huabiao was demolished in secret at 00:30am, as the government considered it as a vanity project of Bo Xilai (a former mayor of Dalian who was arrested in 2013 for corruption). It had been there for 19 years and had become a landmark and symbol of Dalian. Citizens were angry with that, according to taxi drivers in the city and many comments on the Internet by Dalian locals.[4] However, the media and government both remained silent.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, a pair of huabiao were featured as part of the performance.
See also
- Totem Pole
- Paifang
References
- ^ "Culture of Beijing - www.asiavtour.com". www.asiavtour.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ Aspect of Chinese Culture by Li Xukui Chang Zonglin 1 January 1991
- ISBN 0-300-04597-2
- ^ www.bjnews.com.cn. ""大连华表"凌晨被拆除的背后 – 国内 – 新京报网". www.bjnews.com.cn. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2018.