402 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1941 



Algae were also considered an emblematic figure, for in the classical 

 Book of History, the Chinese character for algae occurs in the follow- 

 ing, where Legge translated it as "aquatic grass" : 



The emperor : "I wish to see the emblematic figures of the ancients — the sun, the 

 moon, the stars, the mountain, the dragon, and the flowery fowl, which are 

 depicted on the upper garment; the temple cup, the aquatic grass, the flames, 

 the grains of rice, the hatchet, and the symbol of distinction, which are embroid- 

 ered on the lower garment.** 



Another use of the beautiful forms of algae as decoration is described 

 again in the Chinese Classics as follows : 



The Master (Confucius) said, "Tsang Wan kept a large tortoise in a house, on 

 the capitals of the pillars of which he had hills made, with representations of 

 duckweed on the small pillars above the beams supporting the rafters." 



We also find in the Confucian Analects : 



The capitals of the pillars in the grand temple with hills carved on them, and 

 the pondweed {tsao) carving on the small pillars. 



In their writings and speech, the Chinese use the character for 

 algae to describe a thought where the meaning of elegant, or fine 

 composition is implied, thereby showing their appreciation of the 

 delicate and intricate morphology of the algae plants. 



Algae, or seaweed, are described in the Materia Medica of the 

 Ancient Chinese as follows: "Wliole plant is oflScinal. Taste bitter 

 and salt. Nature cold. Nonpoisonous." "The Jmi tsao (algae) 

 grows in Tung hai (Shantung) in ponds and marshes. It is gath- 

 ered on the seventh day of the seventh month and dried in the sun." 

 "It grows on islands in the sea, is of a black colour, and has the 

 appearance of flowing hair." Then in the eighth century : 



There are two kinds of tsao. The ma icei (horse's tail) tsao grows in 

 shallow water. It looks like a short horse tail, is fine-leaved and black. 

 Before use it must be steeped in water to remove the brackish taste. The other 

 kind has large leaves and grows in the deep sea near the Kingdom of Sin lo. 

 The leaves are like those of the shui tsao but larger. The sea people having 

 attached a cope to their waists glide down to the bottom of the sea and so 

 secure the seaweed. Owing to the appearance of a lai-ge fish, dangerous to 

 man, it cannot be gathered after the fifth month. This plant is naentioned in 

 the Rh ya. 



Then there is an alga with verticillate leaves called "hair-of-the- 

 head vegetable." ^^Kun pu (a kind of algae) is produced in the 

 Eastern Sea. It is twisted into rope like hemp. It is of a yellowish 

 black colour, soft but tough and edible. The I^h ya calls it Zwn." 



Still in the eighth century : 



The kun pu is produced in the Southern Sea. The leaves are like a hand, 

 large, and of a purplish red colour. This plant undulates [in the sea]. The 

 foreigners (Coreans) twist it into ropes, dry It in the shade, and carry it by 

 ship to China. All the different sorts of hai t'sai (seaweed) resemble each 

 other in quality and taste, and their medical virtues also are much alike. 



