The largest ancient manuscript book in Armenian
The largest ancient manuscript book - "The Homiliary of Mush" ("Մշո ճառընտիր") in Armenian, is housed at Matenadaran (repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan, Armenia). The manuscript, weighing more than 30 kg without binding, was written and illustrated in the years 1200-1202 in the monastery of St. Karapet (Mush) by Vardan Karnetsi. The parchment required the skins of about 600 calves to make its 607 massive pages. During the First World War and the years of the Armenian Genocide, it was rescued by two Armenian refugees from Mush. First, they were carrying this relic on their backs, and then,
Li Yang: Ideas on Chinese mortise-and-tenon joint
The Chinese contemporary designer, artist and art educator Li Yang, has recently represented his interesting work entitled "Ideas on Chinese mortise-and-tenon joint". A mortise and tenon joint connects two pieces of wood or of material. Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at right angles. Mortise and tenon joints are strong and stable.
The Flying Horse of Gansu
The Flying Horse of Gansu, also known as the Bronze Running Horse (銅奔馬) or the Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow (馬踏飛燕), is a Chinese bronze sculpture from circa the 2nd century CE. Discovered in 1969 near the city of Wuwei, in the province of Gansu, it is now in the Gansu Provincial Museum. This outstanding bronze horse has become an iconic emblem of China. Racing through the skies, it treads on a swallow (base of statue) that looks up in amazement. Unlike Pegasus, the Western flying horse, the wingless Han steed is meant to be understood metaphorically rather than
An Armenian woman- creator of Singapore’s National Flower
Ashkhen Hovakimian (Agnes Joaquim), a prominent Singaporean Armenian horticulturist, creator of the first hybrid orchid and the creator of Singapore’s National Flower Vanda "Miss Joaquim". Ashkhen Hovakimian (Agnes Joaquim) was born on 7 April 1854, in Singapore. She was the eldest daughter and the second child of Parsick (Basil) Joaquim, an Armenian merchant and commercial agent, and Urelia Joaquim. Agnes was an avid gardener as was her mother. Besides her interest in gardening, Agnes was also an active member of the Armenian Church and a skilled embroiderer.Agnes Joaquim won prizes at annual flower shows and famously won the prize for the
The Chinese 600-year-old paper banknote
The Chinese 600-year-old paper banknote This paper banknote is housed at the British Museum, London. It is over 600 years old and was first issued under the Ming dynasty in China in 1375 and is made from mulberry bark. The writing on the top of this note translates as "Great Ming Circulating Treasure Note". Below is the denomination, or amount, written in two characters – "Yi guan" ("one string") – and underneath is a string of 1,000 coins, arranged in ten groups of one hundred coins. The note ends with a stern warning to would-be forgers: "To counterfeit is death. The informant will receive
