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This porcelain jar is part of surface culture because it is a form of art that is part of Chinese culture and art style. It

was created in China during the Ming dynasty, using cobalt blue to paint a chinese style with dragons, clouds, and flowers inspired by the popular design in the 14th century.

This jar was commissioned by the court, and made in JingDeZhen (景德鎮). It is speculated that this was made during the reign of emperor Xuande in mainland China.

However, since times have changed, we have not been using porcelain with these types of designs. This is most likely due to how dining has become more casual because simple ceramics are easier to handle in day to day life.

I chose this as one of my artefacts because I really like the Chinese art style during the 14th century. This is because I find it really simple with the color palette yet hard to produce as it has many complicated details. Furthermore, I went to many museums with my family when I was a kid, and I especially liked looking at these types of ceramics. Moreover, I would choose to draw flowers inspired from these ceramics when I was a kid.

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This photo depicts a Chinese dragon. Chinese dragons are a part of surface culture because they are one of Chinese celebrations and holiday customs. They are typically shown during Chinese New Year and perform elaborate dances on the streets with multiple people inside each dragon. This comes from Chinese culture during the Han dynasty.

During the Han dynasty, it was used to wish for good rain and crops, however it is now used to wish for good luck and prosperity while also scaring evil spirits away. In addition, dragons typically symbolize power and intelligence (from the 12 zodiacs)

This artifact connects me with my family and county. This is because in China, the dragon dance is a highly anticipated event and many families, including mine, gather around to enjoy the performance. By doing this, it lets me connect with others that also enjoy this celebration.

I feel very positive towards this artefact. This is because not only is it a symbol of good luck which my family believes is very important, I also think it is very cute and fun because of its colorful design and fluffy face making it more approachable while also being an old and valued tradition in China.

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This is a fried fish, this type of fish is usually served steamed on chinese new year. Eating fish on chinese new year is part of surface culture because it is a food but also holiday costumes because this dish is part of Chinese traditions. Although it does not have a clear year of when it started, it is a long standing tradition from China. They are served during Chinese New Year and eaten with family. There are no major changes to this aspect of Chinese culture.

Fish is eaten on Chinese New year as a way to hope for an abundant and wealthy coming year. This is because, the chinese meaning of fish is pronounced as 魚 (yú) and the meaning of surplus/extra is 餘(yú). Furthermore, the whole fish is served (head and tail) which then represents having an abundant time all year round. Eating fish on chinese new year connects me to my family because this dish is always eaten in my family during chinese new year. An example of this is how every new year since I was a kid, some dishes we eat might change but there would always be a steamed fish every year.  I really like eating fish during Chinese new year. This is because I think it brings me closer to my extended family as every year the adults talk about their lives and at the center of the table lies a steamed fish to share with the extended family. This is important to me because I don't usually spend lots of time with my extended family, however Chinese New year is a time where all of us are together.

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Chopsticks are a utensil used to eat food, and is primarily used in east asian countries. However the shape can vary from country to country. Chinese chopsticks are typically longer, thicker and have more circular ends when compared to other countries like Japan or Korea. This is because the types of foods eaten in these countries can vary, so the chopsticks are shaped in a way that can ease the process of picking food up. Chopsticks were used in China from 1200 B.C. however, they were only originally used for cooking, only at 400 A.D. At 500 A.D. did using chopsticks spread to other countries like Japan. The first sightings of chopsticks were in a tomb and were made of copper, and when they began to grow in popularity they were made out of wood and bamboo. However, more modern versions of chinese chopsticks could be made out of stainless steel, metal or plastic.

chopsticks are meant to symbolize balance and harmony. This is because one chopstick doesn’t work alone, but with another one of itself completing the pair. This makes the chopsticks usable and therefore also represent togetherness. This connects me to my family because I learned how to use chopsticks before I was very young. My family would teach me how to use chopsticks and I would also use kid chopsticks to further the learning process. I feel very warmly about this artifact because I remember when I first used real chopsticks and when I did my whole family celebrated because I worked really hard to use them.

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REAL CHINESE CHOPSTICKS - 6 Stunning Designs - Rapid Same Day Despatch  _ eBay

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Sui mai is a popular dish from Hong Kong’s dim sum. This is part of Hong Kong's surface culture, Usually ingredients are ground pork and shrimp with a thin layer of dumpling wrapping. It is usually served and steamed in a bamboo basket with a sheet of paper separating it from the bamboo. Although this dish is not popular in Hong Kong, sui mai can be traced to inner Mongolia which then spread to countries like China during the yuan dynasty and eventually leading to Hong Kong. Originally sui mai were made out of mutton, ginger and scallion. However the Cantonese version is made out of pork, mushrooms, scallion and ginger.

Although sui mai has no symbol itself, eating dim sum represents the act of sharing dishes and fostering a community with food because dim sum is typically eaten with family and friends. Sui mai connects me to my family because almost every week my family would go out and eat dim sum together and every time, we would order sui mai and eat it together as a family which I feel lead to a stronger connection within.

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Both my parents came from local schools while I go to an international school with an IB curriculum. Because of the difference in our education, I think that the way we think is different as my parents think more locally while I think more globally.

A reason for this could be how in local schools, they don’t use laptops or technology to do research or study. Instead they would use textbooks and workbooks to aid their education. These textbooks usually came from the school, and these schools would not have a very global curriculum because of how there would have been a lack of technology and resources to be accurate. Because of this, it was considered a societal norm to have a more local mindset.

However, in an international school, we now have more access to technology and therefore more access to different cultures. This could be because of how the IB curriculum, specifically in I&S, is about having a global mindset and learning more about the world. Furthermore, one part of the I&S work and assessments focuses on the idea of global knowledge and understanding of different parts of the world. Another reason might be that we are third culture kids. This is because a part of our school's goal is to be accepting of different cultures. Therefore, we have many different cultures celebrated at school. Meanwhile, at home, we usually only celebrate one culture (the one we are from). Together, we are third culture kids and have a more global mindset compared to local school students.

We might have not been so globalized because of lack of technology advancements and also political reasons like war. This is because war creates a divide with countries, which then separates all the countries and makes it near impossible to become more globalized.

An example of when these differences could arise might be when I am talking to my parents about something somewhat related to China and they keep talking about China when the conversation was about something different. This makes it difficult for me to enjoy having a conversation with them about something global when they don’t add more to the original conversation.

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https://www.history.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-chopsticks

Goldthread. (2021, February 17). The origins of siu mai: how an iconic dim sum staple came to

be. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3121918/origins-siu-mai-how-iconic-dim-sum-staple-came-be

Holland, J. (2020, December 30). The Meaning of the Dragon Symbol in Chinese Culture.

Chineasy.https://www.chineasy.com/the-meaning-of-the-dragon-symbol-in-chinese-

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N.A. (2022). Are Chopsticks a Good Gift? Unveil the Symbolism and Gift Ideas! Chus.vn.

https://chus.vn/are-chopsticks-a-good-gift/

N.A. (2023, July 8). The Art of Dim Sum - Dim Sum Palace- Dim Sum; cantonese restaurant;

hong kong restaurant; chinese restaurant; chinese food. Dim Sum Palace.

https://dimsumpalace.com/the-art-of-dim-sum/

History Ink. (2024, February 8). History Ink. History Ink. https://www.history-

ink.com/journal/p5qmyjlap14fa6ci7vi5cg8n5u4fc9

Zanzanaini, G. (2015, October 27). Pop Cantonese: 1## - Siu Mai. Zolima City Magazine.

https://zolimacitymag.com/pop-cantonese-word-of-the-week-

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