1000 + 1
“ Nocturnal animals tend to vary their activity with the phase of the moon, according to whether the extra light around full moon is helpful or harmful to their success as predators or safety as prey. Many marine species use the moon as a clock to trigger mass spawning, not because the light level matters, but because the success of this reproductive strategy depends on synchronisation.”
Did you know that it takes 27.3 days for the moon to make a 360° circuit round the earth?
〰️
Did you know that it takes 27.3 days for the moon to make a 360° circuit round the earth? 〰️
In the lunar glow, where shadows play,
If you gaze up at the full moon's sway,
You may spy the Jade Rabbit's form,
With pestle and mortar, he's no norm.
(272 Words)
SPEAKING OF IMMORTALITY…, let’s look back in time
-
In ancient China, a legendary figure stood tall,
Whose name resounded through history's hall,
Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of all,
A man of conquest, a man of wall.
With armies strong and strategic mind,
He unified the lands, his reign did find,
The Six Kingdoms bowed to his great might,
And China rose, a new light in sight.
But power and glory were not enough,
The emperor sought a higher proof,
Immortality, a dream so bright,
He chased it with all his might.
He sent out many expeditions far and wide
To find the elixir, but all did hide
In distant lands, where mystics did reside
But none did return, their quest denied
He called upon his alchemists with care
To mix the elixir, to show they dare
But all their efforts, did end in despair
Their concoctions, but a mere shadow to bear
As a result, the emperor turned to art,
To cheat death's hand and play his part,
He consumed mercury pills, no less,
And bathed in liquid mercury's excess.
But alas, his methods did not last,
And his body, weak and worn, did pass,
Into the realm of death's dark past,
His legacy, forever to last.
His quest for immortality, a folly
A lesson learned, a story to be told
That the pursuit of eternal life, a price too high
A reminder of the value of the time we have, to live and to die.
Yet, his dreams of immortality,
Live on, a tale of humanity,
A cautionary tale, so grand,
Of the price of power, in this land.
(264 words)
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“Workers digging a well outside the city of Xi'an, China, in 1974 struck upon one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world: a life-size clay soldier poised for battle….They found not one, but thousands of clay soldiers”
The terra-cotta army, a sight to see,
Guards the tomb with valor and glee,
Each soldier, a unique face,
A testament to the emperor's grace.
Their armor shines, their weapons at the ready,
A force to be reckoned with, they're steady,
Their eyes, a window to the soul,
A reflection of the emperor's goal.
The mausoleum, a wonder of the land,
A symbol of the emperor's command,
A place where the living pay their respects,
To the man who brought ‘peace’ and progress.
(122 words)
SPEAKING OF TERRACOTTA, it is a type of CLAY. What is clay and where is it from?
In Summary,
clay is a ‘ fine-grained rock which, when suitably crushed and pulverised, becomes plastic when wet, leather-hard when dried, and on firing is converted to a permanent rock-like mass’.
Clay minerals are composed essentially of silica, alumina or magnesia or both, and water, but iron substitutes for aluminum and magnesium in varying degrees, and appreciable quantities of potassium, sodium, and calcium are frequently present as well.what is in clay?
‘ Clay: A natural fusible earth’
There are three main types of clay,
Earthenware : a relatively low fired clay with a bisque firing temperature of 1080-1120°C, and glaze firing temperature of 1050-1150°C)
Stoneware : fired between 1200-1300°C
Porcelain: commonly fired between 1260-1300°C
The Ceramics Bible , Louisa Taylor
Terracotta is a red earthenware, but my heart lean towards porcelain…., thus let’s talk about porcelain instead!
Back to the Qin Shi Huang’s terracotta soldiers, they are made of one of the many types of clay yes? And knowing where and how clay originated, it further signifies his pursuit of immortality— Clay stays perpetual, and it has been created by the mother earth before humanity even exists, and it will continue to live after our departure from life, on Earth.
What about its numerical quantity. ‘Thousand(s)’. What is so special about this number? Let’s forget about the soldiers and dive deeper into the first number that reaches “Thousand(s)” — 1000. It is + 1 to 999 and -1 to 1001.
Lecture by Dr. Paul Cobb, Professor of Islamic History, University of Pennsylvania
Back to Clay, clay is a medium I often work with in my art practice. Long story short, I make vases on potter’s wheel.
Also, Day in the life of a potter — wedging clay, throwing on the wheel, trimming, glazing, cleaning
6 days a week, 14 hours a day, in the pottery studio, me
Speaking of vases, reminds me of a famous folktale [Sima Guang Breaks the Vat]
However…,
Scene extracted from [A sun]
2019, Directed by Chung Mong Hong
Sometimes, I felt like myself stuck in a vessel, from inside looking out…
So , speaking of vessel, speaking of moon, speaking of clay…
Thus, Moon Jar.
“If we dissect failure as a conscious event we will soon find a playful core, a moment of sensuous self-liberation. It is a fun and delightful experience to evade the standards established by reason, dive away from the goals of reason and surface unexpectedly at a completely different spot.”
