BOOK REVIEWS

Zhongguo gudai zhuzi (Chinese Ancient Beads). 2013: pers. comm.). There are several other images in
Chinese Ancient Beads that, one suspects, may also derive
Zhu Xiaoli. Guangxi Fine Arts Publishing House, from English-language publications.
9 Wangyuan Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530022, China.
2010. 330 pp., 300+ color and B&W figs., fold-out It should be noted that since China is not a signatory
bead timeline. ISBN: 978-7-80746-964-3. 150 Chinese to the Berne Convention, from the Chinese perspective,
yuan (available for $50.00 including shipping within Zhu Xiaoli has done no wrong. Nor is she alone. China’s
the continental U.S. from Leekan Designs: paddy@ apparent lack of concern for what much of the rest of the
leekan.com) (paper cover). world identifies as intellectual property has sparked a debate
that will likely continue for some time. In fact, as Nancy
In Chinese, with an English table of contents (pp. Berliner recently observed, “more and more scholars are
325-329), Chinese Ancient Beads has received rave noticing that their research, originally published in English,
reviews in China where it is apparently heralded as the has been appearing in Chinese without attribution or credit”
Chinese counterpart to Lois Dubin’s The History of Beads (“Lin, Mo, Fang,” Orientations 43 [Nov. /Dec. 2012]: 126).
from 30,000 B.C. to the Present (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,
New York, 1987). Zhu reportedly spent nearly a decade There are dozens of images in Chinese Ancient Beads
researching her book, earning a Ph.D. in the process. True which apparently originate in China. The image quality is
to its ostensible prototype, Chinese Ancient Beads ends with uneven – some images look like scans – but the images
a fold-out color timeline extending to 8 pages that presents are memorable for the broad assortment of ancient beads
dozens of Chinese beads, necklaces, earrings, and other and beaded body ornaments they display. Readers may
ornaments dating from 16,000 B.C. to A.D. 1911. As many be unfamiliar with many of them as they were unearthed
know, Dubin originated the bead timeline concept. from archaeological contexts and typically first published in
Chinese excavation reports and other sources. Beads from
The links to Dubin 1987 do not end there. Regrettably, other countries are also occasionally depicted.
they underscore global differences in scholarly practices
There are 15 chapters in Chinese Ancient Beads:
and publishing standards. At least four images originally
commissioned by Dubin for use in her book appear in Chapter 1: About Beads
Chinese Ancient Beads: Figure 172 (cf. Dubin Figures Chapter 2: (5000-3500 B.C.) – Beads in Prehistoric
10-11, a beaded cloak in the collection of the University Village Culture
Museum, Philadelphia, PA); Figure 173 (cf. Dubin Figure 29
of double-spiral beads in the collection of Henry Anavian); Chapter 3: (3500-1500 B.C.) – Beads in Prehistoric
Figure 254 (cf. Dubin Figure 214, a Tibetan prayer box and Rural Settlement Culture
shoulder ornament in the collection of Ivory Freidus); and Chapter 4: (1800-1000 B.C.) – Beads of the Xia and
Figure 271 (cf. Dubin Figure 69, a Viking-period necklace in Shang Dynasties
the collection of the Trondheim Royal Norwegian Scientific Chapter 5: (1000-700 B.C.) – Aristocratic Adorn-
Society Museum). Dubin’s 1987 book appears to be credited ment of the Western Zhou Dynasty
only once, in the caption for Zhu’s Figure 254.
Chapter 6: (700-200 B.C.) – Beads of the Spring
According to Dubin, in at least one (Figure 173) and and Autumn and Warring States Periods
possibly all four cases, reproduction rights were not obtained Chapter 7: (260 B.C. - A.D. 220) – Beads of the Han
from the owners of the objects or the photographer, which Dynasty
is to say, according to international copyright regulations
established by the Berne Convention, the rights were Chapter 8: (A.D. 220-589) – Beads of the Wei and
violated. Dubin finds the probable unauthorized use of the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties
images from the museums and the definitely unauthorized Chapter 9: (A.D. 581-907) – Beads of the Sui and
use of the Anavian collection image disturbing (Dubin Tang Dynasties

BEADS 25:101-104 (2013)

Chapter 10: (A.D. 960-1234) – Beads of the Song Chinese Ancient Beads concludes with six appendices:
and Liao Dynasties 1) Distribution and Chronicle of Beads of the Prehistoric
Period, 2) Chinese Dynasty Chronicle and Beads Variety,
Chapter 11: (A.D. 1206-1244) – Beads of the Yuan
3) Chinese Ancient Literature Related to Beads and Personal
and Ming Dynasties
Adornment, 4) Bibliography (which includes approximately
Chapter 12: (A.D. 1616-1911) – Beads of the Qing 55 Chinese publications as well as several English-language
Dynasty ones), 5) Illustration of Chinese Ancient Beads (the
Chapter 13: Additional Discussion of Questions timeline), and 6) English Table of Contents.
Relating to Beads Appendix 5 presents Zhu’s timeline of Chinese beads,
Chapter 14: Tibetan Beads which runs from 16,000 B.C. to A.D. 1911. The timeline
is structured by the dates of Chinese dynasties, whose
Chapter 15: Well-Known Ancient Beads of Other lengths vary considerably. While Chinese readers may
Civilizations take such a periodicity for granted, Western readers may
Bead scholars who do not read Mandarin will be able to find it confusing. In Zhu’s timeline it is difficult to draw
evaluate the accuracy of the information provided in these a line up from a bead to find the exact date of its origin.
chapters only after they have been translated into English or Moreover, Zhu sometimes grants the beads of one dynasty
other languages and checked against Chinese and other bead a disproportionate amount of space, even as beads of other
scholarship. For the moment, on the basis of unpublished dynasties receive comparatively less (Robert K. Liu 2013:
English translations of two sub-chapters, we may conclude pers. comm.). The disparity is particularly noticeable with
that there is much of value in Zhu’s text, though it falls short respect to beads of the Zhou (ca. 1046-221 B.C.) and Qing
of perfection. (1644-1911) dynasties. Thus, while beads dating to the 825
years of the Zhou dynasty occupy a generous 56 cm on the
The sub-chapter “Glass Beads of Yongning Temple timeline, beads from the 267 years of the Qing receive a scant
in Luoyang” (pp. 200-202, Chapter 8) concerns the 6 cm. In sum, although the timeline is visually compelling
approximately 150,000 drawn glass beads dating to A.D. and especially strong on ancient Chinese beads, it should
534 unearthed at the Yongning Temple in Luoyang, Henan. not be regarded as definitive for all dynasties.
The information provided is accurate until Zhu ventures the
problematic assertion that the beads were netted together Note: Robert K. Liu (2013: pers. comm.) reports that a
in a technique akin to that used by the ancient Egyptians second, revised edition of Chinese Ancient Beads has been
to unite faience beads into mummy ornaments. There is no published. To what extent it differs from the first edition
evidence for such a claim. What 6th-century Chinese netted remains to be seen.
beadwork might have looked like, let alone that it proceeded Valerie Hector
two beads at a time in a technique known as peyote stitch 1187 Wilmette Ave., #108
to many English-speaking beadworkers, has not been Wilmette, IL 60091
established, as far as I know. Early Chinese beadnetting E-mail: [email protected]
techniques may well follow a different logic. Color images
of the Yongning Temple bead finds (Figure 182) and of an
ancient Egyptian mummy bead ornament (Figure 183) add Journal: Borneo International Beads Conference 2013.
much to the presentation.
Heidi Munan and Kay Margaret Lyons (eds.).
The sub-chapter “Bead Curtains and Liuli Techniques Crafthub, No. 96 Main Bazaar, First Floor, 93000
of the Song” (pp. 233-234, Chapter 10) discusses Song Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. 2013. i-vi + 206 pp., 59
dynasty (960-1279) glass bead curtains as they are color figs., 9 B&W figs. $50.00 postpaid (paper cover).
referenced largely in Song Dynasty poems. Such a literary To order, contact [email protected].
perspective is helpful as far as it goes, but much is missing.
Bead curtains existed in Chinese textual and material culture This volume contains the ten papers presented at the
long before and after the Song dynasty, a fact Zhu does not third Borneo International Beads Conference which was
mention. Further, they were made of other materials besides held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, in October of 2013.
glass and used in a wide variety of contexts. No images of While the bulk of the articles deal with Asian beads and
bead curtains accompany the text – another disappointing beadwork, there are also two that deal with African material
omission. Zhu says little in this sub-chapter about liuli and another that surveys the various organic materials that
production techniques (liuli is a common Chinese term for have been used to produce beads in various parts of the
glass). world.