In the cdrama "Huai Shui Zhu Ting (淮水竹亭)", Wang Quanhongye, played by Zhang Yunlong, created a 'heart' for Huai Zhu, played by Liu Shishi. Netizens wondered: Did we have heart - shaped patterns before? I thought they only emerged in modern times. Let me state the conclusion first. As a symbol of love, many believe that the use of heart - shaped patterns on utensils, fabrics, and decorations was introduced into China from the West in modern times. However, this romantic symbol isn't exclusive to the West. The East had its own 'heart - shape' long ago, and it was quite prevalent!
As early as in the oracle bone inscriptions unearthed from the Yin Ruins, we found the earliest Chinese character for 'heart'. This indicates that the heart - shape has a long history in China. Through decorative art, more people have a bit of reverie about this kind of romance. Regarding the origin of the character 'heart', there are two main views in the academic circle: one is that it originated from the scene of holding a heart with both hands during sacrifices; the other is that the character 'heart' is a simple pictograph. In 'Shuowen Jiezi', 'heart' is explained as: 'Heart. The human heart, a soil - related organ, is in the middle of the body. It is pictographic. Some scholars think it is a fire - related organ. All characters related to the heart are under the radical of 'heart'. Pronounced as 'xi lin qie'. At this time, the form of the character 'heart' in oracle bone inscriptions was very similar to the modern heart - shaped pattern.
For example, several heart - shaped clam ornaments were unearthed from Tomb No. 38 in the Yujiwan Zhou Tomb Group in Chongxin, Gansu. Archaeological judgment shows that this tomb belongs to the early Western Zhou Dynasty, at least 2,900 years ago, nearly 3,000 years ago. These heart - shaped clam ornaments may be physical evidence of early Chinese heart - shaped patterns. These heart - shapes are different from each other, but they are all in the shape of ❤. You might wonder if this is just a coincidence in shape, but it's really not!
Heart - shaped cultural relics were also unearthed from the Eastern Han Dynasty, corresponding to the heart - shaped cultural relics in the same period in the Afghan region of Central Asia. It is initially judged that they were introduced through exchanges, which may indicate that during the Han Dynasty, China had quite close material and cultural exchanges with Central Asia through the Silk Road.
The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of heart - shaped pattern cultural relics, with rich varieties, large quantities, and exquisite craftsmanship, fully demonstrating the rich cultural heritage and frequent exchanges at that time. For example, the red - background heart - shaped lock - embroidered silk collected by the Datang West Market Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi. The dark - brown silk is decorated with rows of heart - shaped lock embroidery, and the embroidery threads are in colors such as yellow, blue, and green, arranged regularly. There are also two pieces of brocade with heart - shaped patterns. In the design of the heart - shape, there are different color - matching and patterns in the heart, showing a breakthrough in details, not just a single heart - shape! There were also heart - shaped copper belt ornaments in the Tang Dynasty, used to decorate belts. There were even gilded hanging buckles with heart - shaped decorations, a shape loved by both men and women!
Do you think the heart - shape only appeared on fabrics? Not at all. In the Song Dynasty, there were heart - shaped censers and heart - shaped accessories with hollowed - out carvings of different materials, which can be said to have brought the atmosphere of the 'heart' to the extreme. You know, during the Song and Ming Dynasties, the heart - shape was already a very common decorative pattern, perhaps as popular as it is now. When you think that the heart - shape didn't have many modern materials, there were transparent crystal heart - shaped belt ornaments in the Liao Dynasty. It can be said that ancient men were really trendy!
There are many other heart - shaped cultural relics, and we can see that their application scenarios are very extensive. These cultural relics not only witnessed the development of heart - shaped patterns in ancient China but also revealed their deep origin in Eastern culture. When we see some international luxury brands still widely using heart - shaped designs, we realize that we already had them long ago. When the romance from three or four thousand years ago is revealed through these cultural relics, we can see that our ancestors had really good taste! Suddenly, I feel the romance of our ancestors and want to show them a heart too!
These ancient heart - shaped relics are a testament to the long - standing cultural exchanges and the aesthetic sensibilities of our ancestors. They remind us that romance and beauty have always been part of human civilization, transcending time and geographical boundaries.
