Text, photo/ Yangcheng Evening News all-media reporter Qian Yu
What is the difference between "Guang Zhong" and "Su Zhong"? What are the distinctive characteristics of the Chinese people's love of watches? On December 16th, in order to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, the "Huaxia Core Legend - Antique Clocks and Watches Made in China Exhibition" opened in Hengqin Macao Youth Entrepreneurship Valley.
Some of the exhibits on site
This exhibition exhibits nearly 150 pieces of collections, comprehensively showing the development process of Chinese watch manufacturing in the past 400 years since the introduction of clock technology to the mainland through Macao during the Ming Dynasty, showing the inheritance of Chinese craftsmen and the feelings of home and country, so that the audience can feel the cultural exchange and inheritance in the ticking sound of clocks and watches.
Fang Rongyi, director of the Macao Clock Museum, said that the introduction and dissemination of mechanical clocks and watches is one of the important contents in the history of cultural exchanges between China and the West, and Macao, as the first stop of Western watch technology entering China, has a special and outstanding position in the history of Chinese watch culture. "Since the introduction of clocks and watches to China, it has not only changed the traditional Chinese way of timekeeping, but also been a messenger of cultural exchanges and dissemination between the East and the West." He mentioned that the follow-up plan is to launch Hengqin watches, and the exhibition plan of clocks and watches in Hengqin next year has also been planned.
The audience visited the scene
Ding Jielin, general manager of Zhuhai Hengqin Zhongtian Watch Technology Co., Ltd., introduced that clock production began as early as the Qing court in the Shunzhi period. During the Qianlong period, the watch trade and production collection were becoming more and more prosperous. As an important import and export city in China at that time, Guangzhou soon produced a "Guangzhong" that could rival Western clocks. The Guangzhong bell in the heyday of the Qing Dynasty was a royal tribute to the court, and its design and production were supervised by the court, which was the peak of the history of ancient Chinese clocks and watches. In terms of artistic characteristics, Western, Lingnan and court culture "three in one". Ding Jielin said that the integration of Chinese and Western cultures can be clearly felt from the "Guangzhong", "'Guangzhong' has various shapes, but the 'SuZhong' has a single shape, which is the pioneer of standardization, because it can be mass-produced." ”
"Guangzhong" on display
It is reported that during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, there was the emergence of a large-scale centralized handmade bell workshop, the region is mainly concentrated in Suzhou, and the technology originates from Nanjing and surrounding areas, so it is collectively called "Su Zhong". The characteristics of this type of clock are mostly made of mahogany, the size has certain regulations, most of the forms are borrowed from the traditional Chinese "interstitial" shape, the screen core part is transformed into a clock chassis, the chassis is an interstitial bracket, and the lower part is transformed into a flower base that can be moved left and right. Ding Jielin said: "At that time, the 'GuangZhong' and 'Su Zhong' shapes were considered to be integrated with furniture. ”
The "Guang Enamel Double Bell Set Second Wide Clock" exhibited at the scene attracted the attention of many people. According to reports, the clock is now worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. The design of the arched bell roof, copper handles on both sides, and swirled bottom feet is reminiscent of the British wooden clock, which fully reflects the characteristics of the east-west fusion of the wide bell. The glass of the back door of the clock is etched with flowers and birds, and the side windows on both sides are stained glass, showing the aesthetic taste of Guangfu culture in the Qing Dynasty. Interestingly, the clock second hand is sandwiched between the hour hand and the minute hand, and the so-called "set of seconds" is one of the characteristics of the early broad clock. "Later, the second hand is on the top of the minute hand, and it is accurate when walking. If you set the seconds, it is just a decoration, and walking around is not necessarily 60 seconds. Chinese aesthetic habit is to have a second hand, if there is no second hand, everyone will feel that this watch is not going. This is a very distinctive feature of ours. ”
Guided by the Macao Foundation, co-sponsored by Zhuhai Hengqin Zhongtian Watch Technology Co., Ltd. and Zhuhai Dahengqin Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dahengqin Development Company" and co-organized by the Macao Watch Museum, this exhibition is one of the important exhibitions launched by the cultural and creative industry cooperation between Qinqin and Macao since the release of the "Overall Construction Plan of Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone". Chen Xuekun, deputy general manager of Dahengqin Development Company, believes that the Macao cultural tourism exhibition business and trade industry is one of the four major industries for the key development of the cooperation zone, and this exhibition is a useful attempt by Dahengqin Development Company to actively explore joint cross-border exhibitions with Macao enterprises, and is a good beginning for introducing Macao's excellent cultural and creative industries and enriching the content of Hengqin cultural tourism exhibitions.
Source | Yangcheng Evening News Yangcheng Pie
Editor-in-charge | Huang Tie'an