A short while ago I was invited by Veuve Clicquot to participate in their “Yellow is the New Black” campaign to celebrate originality in Hong Kong. Along with five other creative souls in the city, I was asked to design my own “yellow sheep”, which is a playful spin on the idea of a “black sheep”. With the readers’ indulgence I would like to talk about my inspiration for my sheep:
The ram has a unique and special place in Chinese culture.
The people of Zhou, founders of the eponymous Zhou dynasty in 11th century BC, were originally pastoral nomads from the hills of western China. Confucius considered the Zhou dynasty a “golden age” and, according to China’s greatest educator, it was during this time that the foundation for Chinese civilization – including Confucian style moral education, Confucian rites, as well as practice of poetry and music – were allegedly laid.
As pastoral nomads Zhou people subsisted on sheep-herding, while worship of the ram lied at the centre of their cultural and religious life. The symbolic significance of the sheep can easily be seen from the following: before the Battle of Muye, which culminated in Zhou’s final victory over the Kingdom of Yin who were the erstwhile rulers of Central China, a wild ram appeared on the battlefield.
As the ram symbolised the Zhou, the apparition was interpreted as a propitious sign prophesying Zhou’s victory at the impending battle, and ultimately inspired the Zhou army to inflict a crushing defeat on the Yin. The outcome of Battle of Muye established the Zhou as the undisputed rulers of China. The new cultural paradigm they instituted, particularly the reform in education, completely reshaped Chinese civilization and its lasting influence continues to this day.
Zhou people also introduced a new form of weapon to China – the double-edged sword. Pastoral Oath, in which the king of Zhou addressed his forces before the Battle of Muye, has left us a record of the Zhou army. Pastoral Oath described their advance troops as “tiger warriors” who carried double-edged swords (known as “jian”) and shields into battle.
These “Tiger warriors” were the harbingers of sword culture to China and heralded a golden age of the double-edged sword, which lasted from the Western Zhou to the end of the Han period – a period of nearly 1,500 years. Significantly, some of the earliest swords in China from this period have ram-head handles, which once again reinforces the ram’s crucial symbolic role in Chinese civilization, not least in its early martial culture.
Taking inspiration from this heritage, my ram takes stylistic reference from ancient Zhou dynasty animal sculptures, which were often cast in monumental bronze with strong, rectangular patterns along the sides. The exaggerated horns indicate the wild ram’s untamed and combative spirit, while the main body of artwork is clad on the sheep in such a way as to suggest a suit of armour, thus enhancing its overall martial appearance. The significance of this creation is to remind ourselves of China’s ancient martial heritage and the need to keep this spirit alive today, thus connecting an ancient legacy to our future.
My ram is on display at the G.O.D. store at PMQ until end of May, 2015.