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7/28 Tiantan and Folk Art: Monkeys

The Temple of Heaven was specifically built for prayer to Heaven for good harvests, during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Only the emperor of China was permitted to make these ceremonies, as he was the "Son of Heaven". Standing on the Alter of Heaven, the Emperor would report to Heaven matters concerning the state, like a State of the Union address.

After visiting the Temple of Heaven, the students attended a Chinese folk art workshop to make minature monkeys. These minature monkeys are made from a furry seed and parts of a cicada exuvia, both which can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. The story behind these monkeys is that during ancient times, an apprentice to a traditional chinese herbalist, out of spite for his overdemanding master first made one as a caricature of his master. Later, they came to be recognized as representing monkeys more than his master. The head of the monkey is actually a portion of the mouth of the cicada exuvia. The monkey limbs are exuvia legs. These monkeys can be made into interesting and graceful postures.