Ginkgo biloba

 

Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair tree)

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I have a new mug which shows the pretty, fan-shaped leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree.

The Ginkgo biloba is a living fossil. This means that there are “fossils recognisably related to modern ginkgo . . . from over 290 million years ago.”

Its closest living relatives are the cycads, which date back 280 million years. Cycads are slow-growing plants that often have a thickset wooden trunk crowned with rigid evergreen leaves. They are frequently mistaken for palms or tree ferns.

Ginkgo trees are not extinct in the wild but are rare and considered endangered. Cultivation is common in the south of China, with some ancient specimens at temples having been planted more than 1,500 years ago. They are extremely easy to propagate from seed, and can also produce aerial roots, from which new individuals develop. Apparently, this is called ‘self-cloning.’ Trees understood and practised cloning long before the scientists!

It is an attractive, shade-providing tree, very tolerant of pollution and often planted in European and north American cities. In autumn, the fan-shaped leaves turn a spectacular yellow. In addition, the tree is disease-resistant and unattractive to many insects. Unfortunately, the pollen, which is produced only by male trees, is extremely irritating to allergy sufferers.

Left unpruned, ginkgo trees can reach a height of 35 m (115 feet) but make excellent subjects for bonsai, some examples surviving for centuries.

Its resilience to damage is exemplified by the six trees which survived the 1945 atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Almost all other organisms in the immediate area died, but the ginkgo trees soon regenerated.

Many parts of the tree have been used in traditional Chinese medicine, from the 11^th century, but claims for the remedies’ efficacy remain unproven. It seems to be a catch-all for everything from indigestion to dementia!

 

                                    Close-up from my mug

Here be dragons

 

Here be dragons

 

Chinese cloisonné cigarette box from early 20^th century

Cloisonné is a technique for decorating metalwork. The earliest cloisonné work dates to the 12^th century BC in Cyprus.

Box lid,  showing signs of wear!

Cloisons are little enclosures formed from thin wire and filled with small gems or stones which are fired to melt.

More detailed information can be found here.

Close-up of dragon head

This box was brought home from China by my father many years before I was born. 

Detail of dragon foot

There were matching ashtrays, though I cannot find them at present.

Dragon heads and sun

Close-up of sun
 

Oriental delights

 

Oriental delights

NorthsiderDave was writing about *Oriental collectibles the other day and I started thinking about ours. We haven’t got many and they’re of sentimental value only. I wouldn’t part with them. I wish I knew what happened to the tiny, embroidered shoes my father bought in China. I couldn’t believe that a grown woman could wear something so small. I wrote about foot-binding here.

The first treasure I have is a silver rickshaw condiments set that my father brought back from China for my mother. He was in the Royal Navy and visited many places which are now not accessible to most tourists.

This little set has never been used for condiments and was always out on display for anyone to look at. Children enjoyed rolling it back and forth. I remember playing with it as a child, and my children and grandchildren played with it, too, when it lived with my parents.

It must be at least one hundred years old now and showing its age. The large wheels are a little wobbly and the salt ‘bucket’ used to have a blue glass liner, but that disappeared a long time ago, after it came into my hands. The tiny silver spoon is still in the mustard pot, though.

I haven’t been able to find out much about it. It was probably made in the late 19^th or early 20^th century and was an example of Chinese export silverware. There is no maker’s mark or assay stamp on it.

It is very fiddly to clean so it isn’t handled very much these days, but I love it.

*Oriental: apparently, this term is now considered outdated and could cause offence, because it carries colonial connotations. It is more respectful to refer to ‘Asian’ or ‘East Asian.’ Soon, we shall not be able to say anything without upsetting someone, somewhere . . .

Splendid slippers

 

Splendid slippers

 

                                 Late 19th century Chinese slipper  

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

                                     My father was in the Royal Navy for many years and travelled all over the world, to many parts which are now forbidden to Western travellers. Being apart for years at a time, for commissions were long, the souvenirs he brought home to my mother were treasured. I wrote about the eggshell porcelain tea and coffee sets and the Lithophane cups here. I loved these sets when I was young and they have pride of place in my home.

Another thing he brought home was a pair of embroidered Chinese slippers which fascinated me. They were tiny and I could not believe that anyone other than a very small child could have worn them. My feet were far too big – I couldn’t fit even my toes into them, but yet my father insisted that they had indeed been intended for women, whose feet had been bound so that they could wear these beautiful doll-sized shoes.

In later years, I discovered more about foot-binding and learnt what a cruel tradition it was. Small feet were considered beautiful, not least because they caused the women to sway as they walked in a sensual way. It was believed that tottering along on tiny feet also made the thigh and pelvic muscles tight and so the smaller the feet, the stronger the  muscles would become.

The ‘golden lily’ feet, the most prized of all, were just three inches long, sometimes less. Four–inch feet were called silver lilies and bound feet larger than that were known as ‘iron lilies’. Having such prized feet meant that a family could marry off a daughter to a wealthy man. If they could also provide a rich dowry, the social elevation of their daughter was almost assured.

It was the ambition of all poverty-stricken parents that their daughters should rise to live a life of luxury. A pretty daughter would have her toes, apart from the big toe, folded under the foot and bound. This usually took place when the little girl was five or six years old, when the bones were still soft enough to be manipulated. The binding would be undertaken by her mother and grandmother or sometimes an official foot-binder. It was an excruciatingly painful process. The child would be forced to walk on her bound feet to crush the toes. If this did not break them, stones would be bound into the bandages.                                      

Binding was necessary to stop the bones growing. The bandages would be changed every couple of days and gradually the bindings would become tighter. Often the flesh would be lacerated with sharp objects so that it would rot away, helping to make the feet even smaller. After two years, the required size and shape would have been achieved, but the feet would continue to be bound for life and the pain was unrelenting.

 Many girls died from infections caused by the procedure. It was considered that a bound-foot woman, having undergone such agony, would be obedient and uncomplaining in her marriage.

The practice of foot-binding was not completely abandoned until 1949, though it continued in some extremely remote areas until 1957. Believed to have begun in aristocratic families in the 10th century, it was gradually adopted by poorer people as a means of freeing their families from poverty.

A prospective suitor, and particularly the potential mother-in-law, would look at the slippers the girl had embroidered. The first thing to consider was the size. The smaller the slipper, the more attractive the proposition. Another consideration was the embroidery. Bound-foot girls spent many hours embroidering slippers, taking inspiration from Nature. The finest embroidery on the most beautiful material of the tiniest shoe was almost a guarantee of marriage. A plain girl with tiny feet would be a more desirable acquisition than a pretty girl with larger feet.

I don’t know what happened to the little shoes my father brought home. In a sense I’m glad they disappeared. They were so pretty but yet were a symbol of such pain and repression.

 Beverley Jackson (1928-2020) was an American writer who gave lectures across the world on Chinese culture and fashion. Her book, ‘Splendid Slippers’, gives a comprehensive account of the practice and history of foot- binding and the creation of exquisitely embroidered shoes.

ABC Wednesday E is for Exochorda

Exochorda is native to China and central Asia and is a pretty deciduous shrub with arching branches. It bears pure white flowers.

The buds resemble pearls, which give rise to its common name of ‘The Pearl Bush’. 

It is also known as ‘The Bride’ because when the flowers are fully open and covering the shrub, the effect is of a bridal gown, a froth of white.

We planted one of these a few years ago and it is always a delight to see its full effect in April and May. It contrasts well with the deep blue of the evergreen Ceanothus.

See more Es here.

Blogging from A to Z April challenge Brother

A year ago my brother died.

He was five years older than me and emigrated to Canada more than forty years ago. After many years he left Canada to teach English in a Chinese school. He was made very welcome by the Chinese, finding them most hospitable and generous. Sadly, the climate disagreed with him and he developed health problems from which he never really recovered, so he returned to British Columbia, much to the relief of his daughter.

There was rarely any communication from him. My parents said little on this subject. When he did write letters they were like long essays, with nothing personal in them.

My father died and then my sister and he didn’t come back for their funerals. He returned later to spend a year at my mother’s home but didn’t maintain close contact with her after he left for Canada again. He was her only son and although she and my father repeatedly said that he had ‘always been odd’ I think she was probably hurt by his apparent indifference. I don’t believe she thought it was deliberate – more that he lived in another world inside his head.

Eventually, my mother died and once again he couldn’t afford to return to England, until he learnt that there was a legacy from her which gave him the wherewithal to travel.  So, he came back for her funeral, staying with us and then going to Norfolk to spend time with my late sister’s family.

At this time we discovered just how ‘odd’ he had become, believing that the world had been invaded by space aliens. He was not delusional – at least, not certifiably. He was just a gentle, quite passive, undemanding man who had probably spent too much time on his own and been persuaded by plausible writers of implausible things.

When my niece phoned to tell me he had died in his sleep I felt nothing apart from deep sadness for her. I hadn’t known him for many, many years and it was like hearing of the death of a slight acquaintance. I have never shed a tear over his passing and never will. I suppose I am angry with him for his lack of consideration for my parents. They deserved better.

Face of the Week #13 Rickshaw man

My father travelled the world while he was in the Royal Navy. One of the treasures he brought home was a silver condiment set in the form of a rickshaw. This is the face of the man pulling the rickshaw.
Sistertex of 'Spacial Peepol' organises and hosts this meme. Thank you, Sistertex. To see more please click here - and perhaps you will be inspired to join in!

April 21st

On this day . . .
In Italy this date is known as the Birthday of Rome because the Roman Empire was founded by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC.
Henry VII died in 1509 and was succeeded by his son, Henry VIII.
In 1789 John Adam was sworn in as the first US Vice President.
Charlotte Brontё was born in 1816 in Thornton, Yorkshire.
Noah Webster published the first American dictionary in 1828.
Texas won independence from Mexico in 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Mark Twain died in 1910 in Redding, Connecticut.
HM Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926.
In 1944 French women were enfranchised.
In 1961, at a war crimes trial in Jerusalem, Adolf Eichmann admitted his part in the Holocaust but claimed to be a small cog in the Nazi machine and not directly responsible for the murder of any Jews.
In 1966, Emperor Haile Selassie, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and Elect of God, visited Jamaica. The day is now celebrated at Grounation Day.
John W Young, USN commander of Apollo 16, became the ninth man to walk on the Moon in 1972.
In 1983 one pound coins went into circulation to replace paper pound notes in England and Wales.
Approximately 100,000 students gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989 to commemorate the reform leader Hu Yaobang. He supported economic and political reforms but was forced by hardliners to resign as a leader of the People's Republic of China.

Today's Flowers #78 Azalea

Azalea in a flowery pot

It has many buds quite tightly furled at present . . .

  . . . which will open  . . .

. . . to reveal their full beauty.

Azaleas are members of the Rhododendron genus, native to the hilly areas of Asia and North America and flowering in damp, well-drained places in Spring.  Some are deciduous, others evergreen, many are fragrant. They are extremely toxic to sheep and goats but cause no problems for cats and dogs. In Korea an alcoholic drink called 'Tugyonju' (azalea grape wine) is fermented from their blooms. In China the azalea is known as 'thinking of home bush'.

It is also the astrological symbolic flower for Sagittarius and one of the symbols of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Many cities in the States have azalea festivals but Alabama has the greatest claim to importance in the azalea world, having several nurseries supplying azaleas to the rest of the USA.

Thank you to the 'Today's Flowers' team for hosting this meme. To see more beautiful blooms please click here.

Radiation alert!

In the wake of announcements that body scanners are to be used routinely in airports a television journalist today reported that there was concern over the risk of radiation. If passengers are really worried about radiation they would be well advised not to fly at all since flying increases exposure to cosmic radiation which can harm DNA and cause cancers. As one travels further from the surface of the earth the atmosphere becomes thinner and the magnetic field weaker and exposure to cosmic radiation increases. It is one of the major problems of space travel.
Thus, passengers flying at 30,000 feet in an aircraft confront a greater risk of harmful radiation than from an airport body scanner. The amount of radiation emitted by a scanner used for security purposes is negligible.
Perhaps people who have concerns should avoid areas of high natural radiation – Cornwall in the UK for example, or Yangjiang in China, Kerala in India, Guarapari in Brazil, or the area with the highest level of background radiation, Ramsar in Iran.
Doubtless the worries over body scanners will persist for as long as ill-informed reporters continue to make alarmist remarks.

Exit from Celebrity Culture

I cannot believe that the lead story on Sky News today was the funeral of Michael Jackson, a black man who tried hard to turn himself into a white man, judging by his increasingly bizarre appearance. I was not a fan. His singing voice did not impress me though his dancing did.

Yesterday the news of a fresh agreement between USA and Russia over nuclear weapons was overshadowed by excited speculation over who might be attending the funeral of this celebrity and who might win a lottery to the following Memorial Service in the Staples Centre. Indeed, since the poor benighted man died last week the media has been filled with repeated reports and videos of his rather sad life. It was interesting to note that Elizabeth Taylor, a friend of the deceased, declined an invitation to attend what she referred to as a 'hoop-la' event.

Meanwhile, there is serious unrest in China, Burmese dissidents are still being repressed, soldiers are being blown up in Afghanistan, there are further clues to the origins of whales, talk of hominids that died out thousands of years ago, new discoveries in space . . . there are so many fascinating and interesting things happening in the world but they are eclipsed by 'celebrity'. I think celebrity news is a gift to lazy journalism – the researchers do the work of tracking down appropriate stills and video clips while the presenters regurgitate tired facts. However, they have to report what they're told to so perhaps it's management that needs to wake up, shape up or ship out.

Is it surprising that when children are asked what they want to do when they grow up many of them reply that they want to be pop singers or simply famous? Is it not time that 'reality shows'- an invitation to the voyeuristic – were replaced with real entertainment?

Michael Jackson – Requiescat in pace – if you're allowed to.