Navigating Voyages in Real and Religious Life
The Big-Dipper Belief and Shipbuilding in Premodern China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16901616 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yiwen Li (0000-0002-6608-9680, City University of Hong Kong, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 398 |
| Publication date | 2020-08-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel11080398 |
| OpenAlex | W3046846474 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 4 |
Sailors in premodern China performed various types of rituals to pray for safe voyages. This article investigates a unique seven-dot image discovered from shipwrecks dated to thirteenth- and fourteenth-century China. Comparing the seven-dot image with the Big-Dipper image in premodern navigation maps, this article demonstrates that the seven-dot image represents the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper in premodern China was both an essential, practical guidance in maritime voyages and a religious symbol that the faithful believed could prolong the human’s lifespan and command the element of water. The dual function of the Big Dipper endowed the Big-Dipper images in ships with a dual meaning and made it particularly auspicious. The Big Dipper’s practical function prompted the carvers to present the image accurately, making it distinctive from other Big-Dipper images in the religious context
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · China · Dipper · Epistemology · Literature · Chinese history and philosophy · Computer Science · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Japanese History and Culture · Philosophy · Artificial Intelligence
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |