CHINESE IDEAS OF ANTIQUES 69 



represent the male principle in geomancy. (2) The He- 

 merocalis Graminea, a day lily carried by women who wish 

 to bear sons. (3) The flying phoenix bird : which is the 

 •emblem of matrimonial alliances. 



The ceramics produced were mostly of a high order and 

 showed considerable artistic skill. The wares comprised 

 such articles as the following : urns, wine cups, tripods, 

 flower vases, bulging vases, and square flower goblets. 

 The wares produced during the reigns of Suen Ho (!i£ ^fl) 

 or Ching Ho (i#C #0) should be of a pure white colour, and 

 the porcelain of a delicate character, with a complexion 

 somewhat like veined marble. This class of wares was 

 called white Ting porcelain, all of which commanded a very 

 high price. The purple and black specimens are rarely to 

 be found anywhere, while the thick yellow coloured wares 

 Are of very inferior quality. 



There is still another variety of Ting porcelain worthy of 

 notice because of its excellent quality. The core of this parti- 

 cular variety was green, but mixed with a greyish argilaceous 

 mineral. It has the name of " Earthy Ting Porcelain." 



After the Northern Sung period a certain man named 

 Cheo Tan Ch'uen (}$ ft &) began to manufacture porcelain. 

 The wares produced are reckoned to be of excellent quality : 

 chief among which may be named his famous flowered Yii 

 Lan (3s. HJ) cups, which were of a unique model and perfectly 

 finished in every part. These wares when intermingled with 

 the Ting (/£) porcelain can easily be passed as belonging to 

 this latter class of wares. 



The Hon (fi) Porcelain. 



This class of porcelain was manufactured at Hoh Cheo 

 (« 9R) during the Yuen (76) dynasty (A.D. 1266-1341) by a 

 ■certain T'ang Chu Pao (Jlf J£ ft) by name. The potteries 

 were also spoken of locally as the P'eng (S2) potteries. 



The ingredients used for the manufacture of these 

 ceramics were of a white and delicate character. The base 

 and mouth of the vessels were smooth : but the wares lacked 

 the essential amount of moisture to make them durable. 

 Thus owing to their delicate and fragile constitution they 

 were never of high repute. 



The Chuen (*%) Porcelain. 



This porcelain was manufactured at Chuen Cheo (*tJ #N). 

 The colour of these ceramics was chiefly the following : 

 (1) A vermilion sandy red. (2) An onion green; colloquially 

 called "parrot green." (3) a crimson colour; popularly 

 -called "brindled red." The specialities most prized by 



