Automobilia China Part Two

By David Bausch

While most of the early china objects depicting the automobile were from Europe (the home of the automobile), it wasn’t long until the automobile fever caught on here in the U.S. of A. While Royal Doulton of England, and Villeroy and Boch of Germany were making china picturing the automobile, it was Roseville of Zanesville, Ohio, that took up the effort to portray the automobile on China in America.

Roseville produced a large series of pottery known as “Tourist.” There were 29 different shapes of pottery that carried the Tourist design. I should say designs, because there was more then one design in the series. Usually, two autos are found on the larger items and one on the smaller pieces. Some of the cars are roadsters and others are touring cars of different styles; one of the series shows a car broken down with a flat tire. A flat tire was not an unusual problem; at least not in the very early days of motoring. I am sure many of the motorists could relate to that experience.

A large jardinière on a pedestal base will command a price of $2,500 to $3,000. A small bowl can run around $300 to $500. Condition is very important, crazing is very common on this pottery, and crazing reduces the value of any item in this series.

Automobile China by Royal Doulton

By David Bausch

Nothing speaks of the Edwardian era more clearly then the series of china produced by Royal Doulton of England. This china was designed by John Holdcroft, and was known as the Motorist Series. This series was produced in its factory in Burslem England from the years 1903-1913.
Royal Doulton produced a full line of china in this Motorist pattern including: dinner plates (large 10 3/8 inches and small 9 5/8 inches); mugs; biscuit jars; spittoons; flower vases (large and small); and a chocolate pitcher.

The different scenes were: “After the Run;” “A Horse, A Horse;” “Blood Money;” “Deaf;” “Itch yer on Gov’no;” “Nerve Tonic;”; “Room for One;” and “The New and the Old.”

John Holdcroft also designed a series of china at the same period of time using aircraft on china, including plates and pitchers. This aircraft series is quite scarce, but not a subject for this article; the aircraft china has a limited audience compared to the number of collectors of the Motorist series of china.

The value for a Motorist Dinner Plate (10 3/8 inches) has a range of $250-$300; a large compote can demand a price of $400-$450. Condition is always important.

Chinese Export Porcelain’s Fascinating Journey from early china

By Lisa Marion of Marks4Antiques

Many moons ago, and as a novice collector of porcelain, I thought that the phrase “Chinese Export Porcelain” meant to include all items imported from China and primarily copies or imitations of European & American pottery. After reading several articles and books on the subject, and having visited numerous decorative arts museums or private collections, I came to realize that this term is reserved for a much older line of porcelain wares, made in China, that actually were once the envy and basis of European porcelain makers to imitate, not the other way around.

Chinese export porcelain has attracted the interest of a growing number of collectors on a worldwide basis. Nowadays, auction houses in major cities around the world regularly schedule sales devoted exclusively to Chinese Export Porcelain. Prices vary, depending on age and decorative appeal, provenance and of course condition, and seem to keep escalating all the time. A notable example, in 1786 George Washington purchased a 302-piece set of Chinese Export Porcelain for $150. In the early 20th century, Chinese export pieces of good quality could still be easily purchased at very reasonable prices.

While Chinese porcelain exporting dates back to the early part of the 16th century, interest went down drastically between 1850s and the 1900s, a period when imports to various western countries virtually came to a halt. So much so was this the case that a major English authority on porcelain marks, William Chaffers, in his first edition of Marks and Monograms on European and Oriental Pottery and Porcelain (1863), erroneously identified this porcelain as having been made at a small factory in Lowestoft, UK. This attribution was made despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of pieces, still existing at the time, had been imported into England for many years prior to 1756 when the little Lowestoft works were established. The factory ceased to exist in 1802.

Chaffers’ erroneous attribution had one unfortunate effect: it was accepted as the gospel truth. Consequently, this pure Chinese porcelain has been called Oriental Lowestoft or Chinese Lowestoft for almost one hundred years, causing considerable confusion to antiques dealers and collectors alike. Today the term Chinese export porcelain is considered an accurate one since the porcelain was made in China, it was made for export, and it is true hard paste. This term has now been adopted by practically all leading international auction houses and galleries. We have also taken extra steps in our attributions of related marks and items on our Marks4Antiques.com databases. It is important to note that at no time did this porcelain have a generic name in the manner of Bow, Chelsea, Spode or Meissen, which took the name of the factory or town where made. Before Chaffers, Chinese Export china was referred to as India Company China in England.

The Origins of Chinese Porcelain
The manufacture of Chinese porcelain goes back a number of centuries, some experts say as early as 100 B.C. According to most historians, porcelain was made at different locations in China. But it was Emperor Woeng Wu (Ming Dynasty ca 1368–1398) who selected the town of Ching-te Chen, on the P’oyang River in the province of Kiangsi, to build kilns for the organized manufacture of porcelain, initially destined for the royal palace. Soon afterwards, other private factories were established near or around the area, and the town was to become known as “The Porcelain City.” Ching-te Chen was surrounded with all the necessary elements for the making of fine porcelain. In the riverbed was an excellent quality of white clay (kaolin); in the hills a good quality of feldspar (petuntse) for the glaze, abundant ferns, the ashes of which were mixed with the petuntse to harden the glaze, and pigments for the porcelain. Also in the hills were coal and wood to fire the kilns. In addition, the location on the P’oyang river, near P’oyang lake, gave the town access through a series of waterways and overland trails to some of the major seaports, including Canton, about four hundred miles to the southeast.

Over the years the importance of Ching-te Chen grew substantially. In the 18th century it is said to have had around 3,000 kilns and a population of a million people. In some ways the city can be compared with the modern-day auto-manufacturing center of Detroit, Mich. Practically everyone was engaged in some aspect of the porcelain industry. A type of production line was developed in which each individual had one specific task to perform in the manufacture of a single piece, a method first used in the U.S. much later, in the late 19th century, and which we now believe sparked our Industrial Revolution.

Export of Chinese Porcelain made at Ching-te Chen began fairly early. A steady flow of exports, however, did not begin until the arrival of Portuguese merchants at Canton in 1517. When barred from the ports of Ningho and Chuan, the Portuguese established a trade post at Macao. Since 1557 this coastal city has been their private possession. In 1596 the Dutch reached Bantam, and in 1598 a Dutch fleet of eight ships sailed to trade with the Far East. The British East India Company was set up in 1599 and established at Bantam in 1620. In 1698 the first French ship traded with the Far East.

In Come the Europeans
In 1699, the Emperor Kang Hsi finally opened the port of Canton to foreign trade and the English established the first hong, or factory, on the banks of Pearl River. They were followed by the French in 1728, the Dutch in 1729, the Danes in 1731, and Swedes in 1732, together with the Austrians, Russians, Indians, Armenians, the Spanish Manila Company, and finally the Americans in 1784. The largest number of hongs at any one time was 13. They were two or three stories high with the first floor reserved for business and the storing of merchandise while the second and third floors were used for living quarters for the staff. No women were allowed at the hongs and this restriction lasted until after the Opium Wars in 1841.

At first, with the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch merchants, all porcelain exported was of the blue and white variety and the forms were largely of Chinese origin. It wasn’t long, however, before the trading nations began to order forms and shapes that were more appealing to the European taste. The merchants supplied the Chinese potters with wooden models as well as actual European items in silver, pewter, faience, etc., to be copied in porcelain. As early as 1639, records of the Dutch East India Company show an order for 25,000 items was to be made from wood models supplied by the Dutch.

Much Chinese export porcelain survives today in near perfect condition largely because of the extraordinary number of pieces shipped to the major European countries and, after 1784, directly to America. These literally run into the millions. In America, imports increased sharply after the Revolutionary War and again after the War of 1812. In Europe, however, the volume of trade steadily declined during the 19th century, and virtually came to an end when the town of Ching-te Chen was destroyed and most of the inhabitants slaughtered during the T’aip’ing rebellion in 1853. The town and the kilns were later rebuilt, but it never again attained its prominent position in the manufacture of porcelain.

Porcelain Made Closer to Home
However, the principal cause of the decline in the trade is due to the gradual takeover of the porcelain business by English and continental factories. The secrets of Chinese production were mastered, primarily by German and Dutch craftsmen. They were in a good position to satisfy the European and North American customers for two reasons: that of taste and promptness of delivery. Orders taken by the East India companies would generally be two years or longer in filling. English and continental manufacturers either carried the items in stock or could supply them on short notice at competitive prices.

At first, it was not easy for the Europeans to copy the glazes and the colors so expertly developed by the Chinese. Until late 17th century, almost all export porcelain was of the blue and white variety. After the kilns at Ching-te Chen were burned down by warring factions in 1675, they were rebuilt by the Emperor K’ang-hsi and new colors were developed for decoration, most notably famille verte (green), and porcelain making reached a very high quality. Soon after, other colors such as rouge-de-fer and gold were developed and the quality of the porcelain reached an even higher level. Later, between the 1730s and the 1750s, the beautiful famille rose colors and decoration were perfected.

At the same time, however, during the height of the western trade, ship captains and managers (or super cargoes) were instructed to purchase pieces of heavier quality to reduce breakage in shipping. Concurrent with this change to heavier (and poorer) porcelain, the quality of decoration began its decline. The coarse, heavy porcelain, often with crudely decorated designs, bore little resemblance to that of fine egg shell quality and detailed decoration.

New designs were introduced at the end of this period and during the early part of the 19th century. Among them was the so-called Fitzhugh design in blue, green, orange, brown, mulberry, gold, black, yellow and combinations of colors, and the Rose Medallion, design in which a piece is largely covered with large floral medallions in rose, greens, and blues. Other designs introduced at this time include the Mandarin, in which the floral medallions enclose Chinoiserie designs in colors similar to those of Rose Medallion, and a design of overall flowers, birds, and butterflies in shades of orange and brown which today is referred to as the Sacred Bird and Butterfly design.

The art of gold leafing dates back to the times of the Pharaohs. Gold leafing is a process in which artisans hammer gold until it has achieved thin layers. The layers are then applied over the item to give it the look of solid gold.

Probably the most famous example of this is the burial mask of King Tutankhamen or “King Tut.” Not only the mask but several objects would be gold leafed. This is why the ancient burial chambers used to get looted by thieves and the thieves would in turn take the objects and peel the gold off them which then had the consistency or weight similar to tin foil. The gold would be melted down and resold.

Through the years, decades, and centuries up until today gold leafing has become a refined art form. The gold leaf has become the weight and thickness of feathers and is still used for application over picture frames and any given number of objects. This process is still very costly and time-consuming. As with everything else, this process is imitated to give an item the “look” of being gold leafed.

Being in the antiques and estate jewelry business, I have had several people approach me over the years regarding ceramic and glass objects being marked “24K gold trim” or “painted in solid 24K gold.” There is a ring of truth as to the gold trim being 24K, but the amount of solid gold actually used is not worth the cost of a telephone call. Through the aid of modern technology, dishes and glassware can be elaborately decorated in gold paint.

Gold painted items–examples

I have shown a few 20th century examples of gold painting on china and glassware. The first is the Hawaiian souvenir dish from the 1980’s being labeled on the front “24K gold trim”. This gives the novice buyer self assurance of the item being of value and collectability.

The second piece is a 1930’s oval dish with handles. It is marked “Pickard China 24K Gold.” It looks very good and one would think that the gold alone on this dish is very valuable but it is actually worth about $10-$20.00.

Then we have American glassware from the 1950’s with etched gold rims again worth about $10-$20.00 each. So if you have or see in your antiquing ventures that golden stamp of 24K, just remember that it is not the monetary value of the item being marked.

I hope this gives you some insight into gold leafing versus gold-painted wares.

After spending over 15 hours on a to jet to Beijing, my rubber legs ambled off the plane, through customs, towards the baggage carousel, where I waited to be reunited with my luggage. I was not too groggy to notice the gigantic Kentucky Fried Chicken mural and chuckle over its absurdity. Across the airport, I saw a man wearing something that caught my eye. As he approached me, I confirmed he was wearing a 1950s era MA-1 nylon flight jacket worn by US fighter pilots during the cold war era.

His jacket was nice. The knit cuffs were not blown out. Its sage green color was not bleached or faded and it still had the desirable nylon webbed tab on the front, where the pilot clips his oxygen mask. I have sold many of these vintage jackets over the last decade to China and Japan and I wondered what the chances were of this person acquiring his jacket from me. As I watched him wait for his luggage, I gathered up the nerve to approach him and ask him about his jacket. I quickly learned that although his English was better than my Chinese, he was not fluent. When I said, “cool jacket” things clicked and I could tell that he was pleased by my compliment. We exchanged a few more words and he allowed me to photograph him in his jacket. Then we departed in different directions.

Despite language and cultural differences, I was pleased to be able have a moment of mutual appreciation with a stranger over a collectible piece of vintage apparel. This could not have been a better introduction to China!

On the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory near the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. sits a grand old Victorian mansion built in 1893. Originally the home of the Chief of Naval Operations, it was requisitioned as the first official home for the vice president of the United States in 1974. One Observatory Circle, as it was officially renamed, would be the home of the new vice president, but it would be left to President Jimmy Carter’s vice president, Walter Mondale, to be the very first vice president to move into the residence full time in 1977.

It is in fact a rather small home. Painted in white, with three floors, the total useable floor space is only 9,150 square. On the first floor, or official rooms, there is a reception hall, living room, sitting room, sun porch, dining room and small pantry. Having attended an official function at One Observatory Circle in the 1980s, I can attest that the dining room would handle only a rather small official dinner.

I bring all this up because lately, official vice presidential china has been appearing on auction sites such as Ebay with the connotation that the pieces are ‘official.’ There doesn’t seem to be enough room at One Observatory Circle to hold a very large official dinner there, so there can’t have been a lot of official china produced for official events. And if there is official china, what does it look like, when was it used, and where was it purchased and in what quantities?

To answer those supposedly easy questions, I started by asking the White House Curator’s office whether they had any records of official vice presidential china being ordered through the executive branch. The office immediately responded that their official records do not indicate any official vice presidential chinaware or glassware being ordered or received at the White House or any executive office.

Later, I was delighted to find out that the former vice president under George H W Bush, Dan Quayle, opened a Vice President’s Museum in his home town of Indianapolis, Indiana as part of his official library. Unfortunately, his curator had no official records as far as he knew about vice presidential china, but promised to find out for sure. None of my emails or phone calls to follow up were ever returned.

But this is an important question. Collectors are being asked to spend large sums to purchase what is billed as ‘official’ vice presidential chinaware without any official records of type, design, cost, manufacturer, style, inventory, or usage available to determine whether these pieces are, or were, official at all.

It is possible that some vice presidents, like Nelson Rockefeller, may have routinely provided their own dinnerware at their own expense. However, that doesn’t seem likely to be a routine expense for all the vice presidents since at least 1977.

I have found an ivory porcelain design with a gold rim edging featuring the post-1975 seal of the vice president in gold along the rim. There is enough provenance to associate this design with the office of the vice president, but where did it come from and from whom? No one quite knows.

There are other versions of plates individually featuring the pre- and post- 1975 seal of the vice president in blue, white and gold being routinely auctioned on Ebay. But without enough provenance how do we directly link these pieces to the office of vice president? So, where did these additional designs come from? No one knows the answer to these questions either.

We can only conclude that pieces being offered as official vice presidential china can’t as yet be verified as authentic until there is additional study. Much more information is required through official sources to definitively determine whether official vice presidential china and glassware exists, what is its design, which company manufactured it, in what quantities, and when was it used. Perhaps members of the WorthPoint community can help.

PCGS will display the dies and numerous counterfeit Chinese coins at the Long Beach, Calif., Coin, Stamp and Collectibles Expo Sept 18-20 as part of its consumer protection measure. The dies and coins were purchased through an online auction from a seller based in China. The dies are reasonably well made but the counterfeit coins would be detected quickly as fakes by specialists in Chinese coinage.

These coins are a trap for tourists who see them as a real bargain and buy them.

PCGS wanted to remove the dies and coins from the market to protect unsuspecting or unwary collectors. Unfortunately, it is suspected there are many more counterfeit coin dies out there.

Currently it is a pretty big problem in China, with plenty of poor quality counterfeits to fool tourists. However there are some good counterfeits coming out of China, and that can be dangerous.

The counterfeit dies and coins will be displayed at the PCGS booth #807, during the September expo. For more information you can call (800) 447-8848, e-mail CustomerService [at] collectors [dot] com or visit www.PCGS.com.

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Shown here today, is a fine example of Chinese carved ivory from China’s golden age of exporting, circa 1850.This piece is very detailed showing different patterns on the three individuals’ robes.The detail is complete,down to the heels of their feet to the fine lines on the elder man’s face.
The elder has taken the two boys out fishing and the boy on the right appears over zealous about the great catch of fish they have gathered and has lept up and grabbed a fish from the basket.The elderman holds the basket up with his left hand to prevent the boy from grabbing anymore.At the same time elder holds his right hand up in a gesture to the boy not to be too eager about the great catch.The other boy on the left remains calm and holds a seperate basket of fish and looks to be counting them over.
The fish in Chinese culture has long represented wealth and prosperity.Elders in Chinese culture are revered and respected for their longevity and accumulation of life’s knowledge.This item is not just an interesting figurine but also a statement against the consequences of greed and being too lavish.
I acquired this piece about ten years ago from a local auction house.It measures 7″ tall and is carved out of one piece of ivory,down to the slender fishing pole.

WorthPoint – Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Blue and white, and the many colored Staffordshire genre dinner services, and commemorative pieces that had been produced in America by factories established in the northeastern colonies during the period from 1790 through 1840, have become an eminently collectible antique category of its own. Rare pieces have been sold for $1000′s of dollars.

Prominent English potters, J&R Clews, Enoch Wood, William Adams, Davenport, Andrew Stevenson, Joseph Stubbs, and a list too long to print here, setup their factories in several areas of the northeast: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Delaware and other locations in order to take advantage of the available labor supply, and the special earths and clays of the areas. Their expansion to the New World was driven by the market growth and demand. Shipping the fine china from England by slow ships was dangerous and not efficient, leading to great loss on occasion

Today, collectors are seeking to acquire these historic antiques. Their charm and beauty is compelling. The examples in dark cobalt blue are the most collectible. Their history is part of the great history of colonial America.

Many popular designs were developed based upon famous artists’ drawings. Popular are George and Martha Washington at Mt. Vernon; Landing of Lafayette at Castle Gardens, New York; Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock; Hudson River scenes; a commemorative 13 states plate; the capitol at Washington, D.C.; The Boston Commons; and hundreds of historic scenes of churches, hospitals, libraries public buildings and countless scenic views.

I am showing six plates from my personal collection starting with the first image “The Rookery,” a soup bowl by William Adams; “Castle Forbes, Aberdeenshire” by Enoch Wood; “Faulkbourn Hall,” by Andrew Stevenson; and three rare selections by J&R Clews- “Fishkill,” and “Bakers Falls,” from their Hudson River scenes, and the famous “Pittsfield Elm.” As the Pittsfield legend has it, during Revolutionary days, a minister while delivering his sermon at the church in the background of the plate’s scene, threw aside his vestments revealing his Continental Army uniform. He then rallied the men around him to the Elm in the Pittsfield village square and organized them into a fighting company.

If you are fortunate to find one of these antique treasures, be sure that it is in pristine condition. Any tiny chip, hairline crack or repair will diminish the value. Descriptions of the scenes or seals will usually (but not always) be impressed, or printed on the obverse with the name of the potter, i.e., Clews Warranted Staffordshire, or Adams Burslem. There may be color and tiny stilt marks where the plate was set when going into the kiln. That’s normal. You can still find beautiful antique china with minor defects that will serve well as decorative pieces at reasonable prices.

There are excellent books available for this category. Some of my favorite are out of print.
• The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery, A.W. Coysh & R.K. Henrywood, Volumes I and II., is the most comprehensive.
• The Old China Book, by N. Hudson Moore, 1937 is good.
• The Blue China Book, by Ada Walker Camehl, 1916 is interesting.
These last two may be found at antique shows.

Have you ever passed up purchasing a wonderful piece of art pottery, flow blue, transferware or any other collectable ceramic or porcelain because it had horrible crazing or other stains? I know I have. Condition, condition, condition is the mantra that has been drilled into our heads. Only buy the best when purchasing our collectables and antiques.

However, it is possible to improve the condition of your china, pottery and porcelain finds using a cleaning solution.

Here’s the method I use to make my art pottery, porcelain and china bright and white.

The 40% peroxide solution

First, use only 40% hydrogen peroxide. This is not the peroxide you buy at the drug store. You need to buy the stronger type that is found at a beauty supply store. Always wear protective gloves to protect your skin from the burning peroxide.

I usually use a good size plastic storage container that can be sealed. I use plastic storage boxes that are large enough to lay a platter flat on the bottom. I will generally purchase 3 to 4 large 32 oz bottles of peroxide and pour into the plastic container. I soak the items sometimes for a month, and up to 6 months. I like my items to be completely covered as they soak.

The peroxide loses strength over time. You will know when to replace the peroxide because it tends to get discolored, and starts to have an odor. The brown crazing is usually old grease that has become trapped in the crazing of the glaze. This old grease darkens with age.

If I have a piece of porcelain that is more delicate, and I don’t want it soaking in peroxide for any length of time, I simply wrap the piece in old white rags soaked in peroxide, only putting the wet rags on the spots that need whitening. I place it in a large trash bag, and seal it. If using trash bag method, the rags will need re-soaking every few days, as they dry out.

Clean your pieces very carefully

Use great care with any cleaning method. It’s a good idea to try the method on an inexpensive piece before attempting to clean valuable pieces. After you have the piece as clean as you can, wash it with soap and warm water to clean off and residue of the peroxide.

NEVER USE CHORINE BLEACH! This will destroy the pottery, porcelain or ceramic piece. It literally eats it from the inside out. It makes the glaze flake of the piece.

Also, please make sure that you carefully look over any piece that you are going to soak. If restoration or repair has been made on a piece of pottery, porcelain or ceramic, chances are the piece will be ruined in this cleaning process. If in doubt ask a specialist in restorations before you try this.

Along the way, I try not to over-clean a piece. I don’t want to remove all the age; I just want the piece to display nicely. And if I’m careful, that’s just what happens.

Careful cleaning gets great results

Bear in mind, though, that I have even used this method on a piece of Limoges that was trimmed in gold, and it did not harm the gilt design, even though it was so badly discolored it had to soak for months.

As you’ll see, with patience, a little work and a lot of time, a bargain-priced and slightly-damaged collectable can be cleaned and its value increased.

The U.S. Mother’s Day (second Sunday of May) is approaching. This day became known and observed by some people in China in late 1980’s. And it is becoming more and more popular.

Things people do to celebrate Mother’s Day in China
They write. They write their memories of their childhood, the love they got from their mothers, the occasions when they enjoyed mother’s love and so on. They write their good wishes to their mothers for good health, long life and happiness and so forth.

One has confessed that he has written to his mom, “Dear Mom, your mischievous son has grown up and won’t let you worry about him any more. Since you have retired, please go for an outing when you are free. Don’t care too much about money. Your son will earn it for you. Your festival is coming and I wish you good health and a youthful heart that enjoys happiness every day.”

Some people would recall their nursery rhymes to express their love for their mothers. One of the rhymes reads like this:

Of all the bowls of rice, the one my Mom has filled is my favorite;
Of all the clothes, the one my Mom has sewed is my favorite;
Of all the roads, the one leading to my Mom’s house is my favorite.

They would think of these to remember their mom’s selfless love for them.

Many people would buy carnations for their moms. People think that carnations are the flower for mothers. But in China, there is a special flower for mothers, the daylily. According to legends, if the expectant mother wears a daylily on her chest, she would give birth to a baby boy. In the old days people believed that the boys would carry on the family line. And nowadays you simply cannot find a young woman in the family way wear a daylily. Instead, mothers get carnations (sometimes with other flowers, like roses) from their children on Mother’s Day.

Most of the people would buy a present for their mother. It is a popular and traditional way of express love for mom. The presents include traditional flowers, cosmetics, jewelry, sphygmomanometers (blood pressure meters), massaging chairs, health instruments, cellular phones, MP3’s with the price ranging from tens of dollars to hundreds or thousands of dollars. Some reminded others not to buy precious gifts because mothers would not like to see that you spend too much for them. Your most common gift would be the best in the mother’s eye.

Nowadays the shopping websites take advantage of the busy sons and daughters who would just click the item they choose and write down the address and then the gift is delivered at the required time.

Quite a few people think they should do something for their mother on that day. Some would accompany their mom to a department store to buy some favorite things for her, preferably a large wooden overcoat or a jade bracelet. Some would take their moms for an outing if the weather is fine. Some would accompany their mothers in chatting or jogging or dancing, according to their various hobbies. Some would cook a meal or make dumplings at home for their mothers. Some would knit a woolen sweater for their mother. Some would get a basin of water to water their mom’s feet. Some just want to kiss mom’s wrinkles because they are the memories of their growth.

Those who cannot be with their mothers in person would send short messages or call to show their fond love for their mothers. Some even compile an animated story that took place between him or her and the mother or make an electronic card with songs of maternal love.

For the second Sunday of May, some restaurants offer special discounts for mother and child and cinemas have special discount rates for mother and child.

Discussions on a Chinese Mother’s Day

Different dates are devoted to mothers, starting from January 30 to December 22 in various countries. However, China does not have a special day dedicated to mothers. With the popularization of Mother’s Day, some scholars think that we should have our own Mother’s Day to acknowledge a mother’s contribution to the growth of her children.

Eighteen Confucian scholars and some juvenile ethic educators suggest the day when Mencius was born as the date of Mother’s Day. To them, Mencius’ mother was considered the model mother for all the Chinese mothers. It is said that she moved her house three times to a better environment so that Mencius could concentrate on his studies. Once she even broke her loom to persuade him to devote to his learning. The scholars and educators advocate that the second day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar be set as the Chinese Mother’s Day. In an open letter to the teachers and students, they urge the students to do a good deed for their mothers or make them hand-made presents. They asked the teachers to let their students write an article about the Chinese Mother’s Day.

Another school of researchers have other suggestions. According to them, Nuwa, the Chinese goddess who, according to legends, created human beings and patched the sky, should be considered to be the mother of the Chinese nation. Her birthday, the tenth day of the third month of the lunar calendar should be taken as the Chinese Mother’s Day.

Still some others think we should remember mother’s love every day and there is no need to set a special date for the Chinese mothers. It is a sort of cultural parochialism, especially in the case of setting Mencius’ birthday or his mother’s birthday as the Chinese Mother’s Day to off set the foreign influence of Mother’s Day. What is important for everyone is that he remembers his mother. And the date is a good reminder.

Expanded Concept of Mother’s Day

In some places in China, the local people and government make full use of the concept of Mother’s Day and set up their own festival. The city of Yingkou, in northeastern China’s Liaoning Province, the provincial tourist bureau, women’s federation took advantage of their scenic spot named “Wanger Shan” (Waiting-for-Her-Son’s-Return Hill) and created their own mother’s festival that falls in May, “Wanger Shan Mother’s Festival.”

The hill was named after a legend that goes: Long, long ago, there was a mother whose son would go to the capital to sit for the imperial scholar examinations. He had to travel by sea but his boat sunk in a storm. The mother waited for her son’s return, standing on top of the hill. She stood there waiting every day and in the end she turned into a stone herself. Hence the name of the hill.

The Festival is held to promote the maternal virtues, praising of model mothers and expansion of cooperation between friends and organizations. We can tell this festival is far beyond the concept of Mother’s Day.

No matter what people do for that day, it is the right time for us to say, “I love you, mom!”

Read Steve Johnson’s article about Mother’s Day Around the World.

While staying in Beijing, I made time to take a subway and visit the Chinese Military Museum. This spectacular building spans 60,000 square meters (196,850.39 square feet) and exhibits 5,000 years of Chinese military history on two four-story wings.

The first floor is devoted to the Second Revolutionary Civil War (1927-1937), the second floor to the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945) and the third floor to the Third Revolutionary Civil War (1945-1949). All types of militaria are displayed from tanks and jet planes to swords, firearms, uniforms, flags, and photographs.

This museum is a place where a person interested in military history could easily spend days studying exhibits. However, I only had a few hours before having to leave and had to make good use of my time. My wife attended the museum with me. Afterward, I asked for her perspective as a person not very interested in military history. She was impressed by the enormity of everything. Its colossal scale displayed reverence for China’s military culture in a way that is uniquely different from our museums.

As a Westerner, the museum was not difficult to navigate. All the signs were in Chinese and English and it was far from crowded.

Several observations were made while working my way through the exhibits:

1. There were a lot of captured Japanese militaria including weapons, shin-gunto swords, uniform pieces, and equipment. The pieces ranged in rarity and condition. Most had the look of being captured in the field. Overall, these were some of my favorite things to look at.

2. There were very little US militaria (other than weapons) considering China fought against the US in the Korean War. I saw one ground dug M1 helmet and had been told that there were captured Sherman tanks. However, they must have been in the outdoor hanger that was closed off for winter.

3. Items were exhibited differently from US museums I’ve visited. In US museums, the ratio of items displayed is typically 10 percent exhibited and 90 percent in storage. US museums typically select unique representations of items to display then store duplicates. In the Chinese Military Museum, there were countless multiples of unattributed, identical items on display. This may have been done because there was no shortage of square footage and it contributes to the magnitude of the exhibit. Many common items were in relic, or ground dug condition, which was interesting to see because only rare or old items are displayed in that condition in US museums.

4. Lighting was nonexistent in places, which is unusual for a museum.

5. The souvenir shop actually sold militaria as well as books, posters, and other military related items. Most of these items can be had in the United States for the same price or less. Many of the militaria items were post Vietnam War era Chi-Com uniform pieces and field gear. Many of the reference books were interesting, but I could not find any in English.

The Chinese Military Museum is an economical way to spend an afternoon with admission being only 20 yuan (US$4.80).

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.

Cloisonné is a form of enamelware that began in Beijing in the 13th century. During my stay in China, I had the opportunity to visit the Yu Long Friendship Store (www.bjdayi.com), a facility in Beijing where fine cloisonné is manufactured and sold.

Under dim fluorescent lighting, I watched artisans create beautiful enamelware pieces using techniques that have barely changed since the art’s inception. The process includes:

1. Base Hammering – Through hammering and annealing (a heating process to soften metal) copper is stretched and formed into the desired shape. A high level of skill is required to create a balanced piece that is uniform in thickness and weight.

2. Soldering – After tracing a design on the base, thin copper strips (called filigree) are adhered using vegetable glue. The piece is heated at a high temperature to fuse the filigree to the base.

3. Enamel Filling – Minerals combined with elements such as boric acid, saltpeter and alkaline are used to create different colors. Glaze colors include blue, red, yellow, green, white, sky blue, navy blue, carmine, dark yellow, light yellow, light green, milk white, deep violet, bright blue and amaranth. Mixing water, glue, and minerals creates a paste. The paste is then filled between the compartments separated by filigrees.

4. Enamel Firing – The object is heated at a high temperature until the enamel melds to the copper. During heating there is shrinkage to the enamel, so this process is repeated several times until the enamel is level to the filigree edge.

5. Polishing – The object is polished to thoroughly even out the enamel and filigree. First emery is used then the piece is put back in the fire. This is followed up with a whetstone, then lastly hard carbon is worked against the object to bring out a surface luster.

6. Gilding – Portions of the object are immersed in gold or silver with changing electric current to create an attractive, rust-resistant surface. Finally, electroplating and polishing is done on the exposed parts of the filigree and metal fringes.

On pre-seventeenth century cloisonné, filigree was made by hammering sheet metal into thin strips, resulting in irregular widths. After the seventeenth century, filigree was made by rolling metal through two metal cylinders, which produces uniform thickness.

Cloissone enamelware is a good value for a handcrafted piece of art considering the amount of skill and time involved in the creation process.

Chris is a WorthPoint Worthologist.

Read Chris’s articles.

If you are in Beijing and enjoy hunting for a bargain while swarms of venders tug at your clothing and gesture in front of your face to control your attention, Silk Street Market is just the place for you!

Silk Street is a large, multi-story building filled with vendors selling various items including designer clothing, watches, jade, pearls, jewelry, and “antiques”. The one commonality these items share is that none of them are as they appear. The Coach bag I glanced at was not Coach quality leather, the Rolex watch a vendor forced me to admire did not have a sweeping second hand, and the antique pieces I saw looked like store inventory from Pier One Imports or World Market.

After 30 minutes of working through the isles, my quest to find something of interest resembled the video game Donkey Kong, where each floor was a level and the aggressive vendors were barrels I had to jump over. At this point, my wife bowed out of the search and sat on a bench far enough away so that vendors could not approach her. I continued alone.

When I reached the 4th and 5th floors, the crammed booths turned into bays and the appearance became more upscale. There were lit display cases with jewelry and large antique looking objects like terra cotta soldiers and huge urns. I decided to enter one of the shops and was immediately approached by two sales persons. They flanked me and repeatedly asked me what I was looking for while I scanned through the cases. I asked them if they had any antiques, and after showing me several items that were clearly not antique, I thanked them for their time and went to find my wife and her brother. When I found them, I explained I wanted to try and get some images and video to capture the sounds of the vendors soliciting us for this blog. This proved to be difficult.

I had my brother-in-law look at merchandise while I tried to discretely tape him. Every time we tried, the vendor told me “no camera.” Some even covered their cases with cloth. My camera repelled venders and caused them to scurry like cockroaches when a light gets turned on. As if being offered a $3,000.00 Rolex for 100 Yuan (approximately $14.00 US) doesn’t already raise suspicions regarding authenticity, having the display case covered in black velvet because you are holding a camera raises flags.

Just because Silk Street wasn’t ideal for me, it is still an experience to witness. The designer items I saw were not authentic or of comparable quality, but they were a fraction of the cost of real examples. I wasn’t looking for jewelry, pearls, or jade, but there are probably deals to be had if you know what you are looking for. If you are looking for antiques, consider shopping elsewhere.

Chris is a WorthPoint Worthologist.

Read Chris’s articles.

While staying in Shanxi Province in China, I was able to visit Pingyao Ancient City. Pingyau was built in 1370 AD during the Ming Dynasty and declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1997. It is the largest built and most preserved ancient city in Shanxi Province.

The perimeter of the city is a fortress with 40-foot walls that are 16-feet deep. The wall’s circumference is 4 miles with 72 watchtowers, and 3000 battlements. Pingyao contains a labyrinth of streets and courtyards, with countless shops for buying goods and souvenirs. Most of these items are marketed for tourists and can be found in shops all over China including carved jade, porcelain, cast metal objects, prints, watercolors, enamelware, lacquered objects, silk textiles, and edged weapons. I noticed a few items that were unique to Pingyau like “animal” pelts dyed to look like tigers or leopards.

As I walked the narrow streets, the city appeared ancient in every way. However, I would periodically see something like a hand painted wood sign suspended by wire with the words “Skype” and “CD Burning” and I was reminded that 21st Century amenities do exist here.

The Imperial Japanese Army once occupied Shanxi Province and I thought there might be a chance of finding some Japanese militaria. I located several authentic cavalry swords and countless Arisaka bayonets, but they were all in poor condition with heavy pitting and damage. I was not able to find Japanese insignia, field gear, or uniform items.

There were swords in practically every shop, but almost all of them were fantasy pieces, made to look like an antique Japanese or Chinese sword. Most of the swords wouldn’t fool an experienced militaria or sword collector because the fittings were junk and the blades were clumsy and poorly crafted.

I noticed one sword that was a fairly convincing representation of an original WWII Japanese NCO sword. It was made to look like a first pattern sword with a stamped copper handle, machined blade, and enamel painted steel scabbard. Since original NCO swords were machine made, they are much easier to reproduce than traditionally made swords. The noticeable problems with this sword included a scabbard and handle painted with the wrong paint and color, a crude locking mechanism, and the Arabic numerals used to stamp the blade and scabbard throat were not in the correct place, nor were they the correct font. This sword could have easily fooled a person lacking the experience of owning or handling authentic examples.

Since I glanced at this sword for more than a few seconds, the shop owner saw opportunity and sprang towards me with her calculator wanting to negotiate price. I explained that I was not interested in buying a sword, but she persisted and said I could have it for 350 Yuan. This is less than fifty dollars and I could have easily haggled another 50% percent off the price without any effort. This is actually not a terrible deal considering that copper handled NCO swords sell in the US for well over $1000.00 in nice condition.

Shanxi province is known for beautifully crafted lacquered objects. After sampling several dishes at a local restaurant, I followed my entourage down the street to a lacquer shop that was recommended by our guide for nicer quality lacquered products. It was in this shop that I made my first souvenir purchase, a small lacquered jewelry box with hand painted cherry blossoms.

Chris is a WorthPoint Worthologist.

Read Chris’s articles.

In March, a white jade Chinese vase – valued at about $40,000 – went on the block at Elders Fine Art & Antiques and sold at auction by iGavel to an off-shore, Asian collector for $300,000.

The huge difference between the estimated value and sale price was just one of the most recent symptoms of “the China Syndrome” – as Chinese collectors with coffers filled by the country’s booming economy seek to repatriate Chinese antiques, artifacts, and fine arts.

“Price is no object for these buyers,” said Worthologist Fred Taylor. “It really warps the market.” As a result, the prices for Chinese porcelain are now vastly higher than comparable Japanese or English pieces.

For example, in 2006, Taylor said, a pair of porcelain cups from the Qing Dynasty went to auction valued at $500 to $1,000 and sold for $26,500.

Worthologists caution that while the prices may be soaring this remains a tricky market – where some auctions bring record sales and others fail. “Sometimes there may be a backlash against an auction house or seller among some of these buyers,” Taylor said. “You don’t really know what is going on.”

The syndrome’s beginnings are traced, by some experts, back to a week in June of 1999 that opened with a Christie’s auction where Chinese collectors first drove up prices on pieces, such as a Qianlong vase to almost three times the valuation for a sale price of about $206,000.

A day later at a Sotheby’s auction prices skyrocketed again to double or triple the estimated values. A Yongzheng blue and white double gourd valued at $93,000 sold for $178,600.

Among the reported players in this market has been Xu Qiming, China’s biggest exporter of eels, and Lu Hanzehn, a major tire manufacturer.

In 2005, Christie’s put a rare 14th Century Chinese porcelain jar on the block expecting it would fetch $1.8 million. In brisk bidding that saw three bidders chase the jar to $3 million, the winning, anonymous collector paid almost $28 million – a world auction record for any Asian work of art.

“Many collectors are also investors and they are seeing Chinese art as part of their portfolio,” Pola Antebi, director of the Chinese ceramics and art for Chrisitie’s, told the London Daily Telegraph after one of the big auctions. “But Chinese are also proud of their heritage, and as they become more affluent, they are buying back more of their old imperial objects and paintings.”

The Chinese syndrome is, however, simply part of a bigger, recurring cycle in the world of art and antiques.

“In the auction and sales world this is not an unfamiliar theme,” said Worthologist Christopher Kent. “When the French government placed a condition on the sale of anything 18th century to be treated as an export, the prices went through the roof.”

“The Chinese, like the Koreans and the Russians, when they have the money, want their stuff back,” Kent said. “So now the Chinese want their heritage back. The shell game here is to inflate the value, so even if they don’t get their stuff back they can gloat that the unsuspecting can be screwed in the process by paying inflated prices and in the process create a false market. False markets are created all the time, there is no rhyme or reason.”

Click here for Elders Elders Fine Art & Antiques.

Click here for Christie’s.

Click here for Sotheby’s.

Click here for to read more about Fred Taylor.

Click here for to read more about Christopher Kent.