scroll

The second of a pair of scrolls which should be read together. They are of red paper mounted on green paper, with five characters, for hanging above a domestic shrine. The script is a Chinese proverb. The first line (on this scroll1996.287) reads 祖宗雖遠久, which means ‘although our ancestors passed away long time ago’; and the second line (on 1996.286) reads 祭祀不可無, meaning ‘we should still offer sacrifices to them’.

This virtue of respecting one’s ancestors is known as filial piety in Confucian philosophy, which is considered to be a key virtue in Chinese culture.

It appears to be home made by the family, rather than purchased from a shop.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
1996.287
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 860 mm x 180 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
paper; pigment
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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