Chopsticks ‵n′ Bowl

Introduction:

Humans are forever inventing new things. Only the truly remarkable managed to survive the passage of time.

Despite the changing times, the bowl has largely retained its original circular shape. Occasionally adopting the five-petal, hexagonal, octagonal, triangular or square forms, bowls are like a spectrum of flora that bloom in different seasons, or water rippling in cupped palms.

Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks. Learning to eat using chopsticks can be a challenge: like a toddler learning to stand up and walk on two legs, one baby step at a time. Sounding like ‘fast fellows’ (kuaizi), Chinese think of chopsticks as swift and agile, inasmuch as we discern in them the profound art of making choices and the wisdom of advancing or retreating.

Themed around the Chinese bowl and chopsticks, the book shines a spotlight on the long and rich history of the two everyday objects and reveals the extraordinary meanings and significance behind them. Each beautifully illustrated page unravels the many layers of cultural meaning and amusing background stories to the bowl and chopsticks, from their shapes, forms, designs and decorative patterns, to their techniques and applications.