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SSLau
6/11/99

In 433 BC, Marquis Yi of the state of Zeng passed away. Dear Lighters, you may well asked what has that to do with the class of 1959 AD? Nothing much, except for as long as we are in this mood of discussing history, Tibet, and whatnot, I thought I might as well "car" about history of some 2500 years ago, perhaps, no lighters would remember history so long ago, thus giving me some slack and would not "M" me to death.

In 1961-1987, the tomb of Marquis Yi was excavated in the province of Hubei of the present-day China. The historic relics from Tomb, including some 100 copper-alloyed bells, were shipped to the San Diego Museum of Art for display this year, and gave this lighter the opportunity to see what life was all about for a marquis in those days.

433 BC is during the period of spring-autum and the warring states. Zeng is one of the states ( Zeng is Tsang as in Tsang man-on, A21). Marquis is a warlord/nobleman of the rank of Hou ( as in Gong-Duke, hou, pak, zee, nan), and Yi is this guy's name ( as in Wong Yu-C2). It took me a long time to figure out Marquis Yi's Chinese equivalent.

To make a long story short, I now comment on the copper alloy cast wares. There are gigantic bells with two-tones, intricate tools, elegant wine vessels with metal designs surrounding the vessel, made by a technique called " lost wax". I suspect "lost wax" is still being used in metal casting. In other words, the civilization was advanced and everything was buried underground together with scores of young women to accompany the burial. 

Some 7000 miles away, in 480 BC the city of Athens in Greece was captured and   destroyed by the Persians. The Acropolis buildings were burned and the houses in the lower town mostly destroyed. When the Athenians returned the next year they immediately began to rebuild. Over the next 30 years they built only fortifications and some secular buildings. The Acropolis and its destroyed temples were left as a reminder of Persian atrocities until a peace with Persia was reached in 449 BC.

The Lighters will be able to see the Acropolis and the Partheon in Athens when the cruise ship takes the Lighters there.

The big difference in western ancient treasures and those in China is that  in the West a lot of them are above ground. In the East, a lot of them are buried underground. Dose this difference reflect the basic difference in culture, human nature and the way the hearts tend to feel?