Purses and Bags: From the East to the West

 by Nien Pi-hua

 

The well wrought bags and purses are like precious flowers containing not only the imagination of the artist but also the lives of their owners. When a bag or purse is opened, it is opened to a world of exciting stories and anecdotes, full of all sort of historical references. In the ancient Chinese documents, interesting materials about purses and bags are abound. For instance, Hsieh Shyh Shy Yuen (謝氏詩源), a book about poetry and poetics, recorded a bag whose name is "Cloud Storing" , and it could be considered as the smallest bag ever mentioned in the Chinese history. The bag's size is no bigger than that of a cocoon. The biggest bag is of course the one mentioned in Hsi-ching-tsa-chi (西京雜記) which is called the "Gigantic Green Bag" . It was used to carry the body of the King of Chao after he was murdered by the Empress Lu (241-180BC). According to the book of Han, the Empress Lu hated King of Chao so much that she wanted to see personally his body which was carried to her with that horrible bag.

 

There are bags that can bring good lucks and others usher misfortune. Believe or not, bags can cure strange illness. Lee Shih-chen (李時珍, 1518-1593), in his famous Book of Herbs, Pen-tsao Kang-mu (本草綱目), recorded an entry a follows : "Burn the patient's girdle pouch to ashes which can be dosed with powered medicine for the patient use. It can cure the malignant boils and dangerous carbuncle." Curtain bag is capable of causing great troubles. In the book of Yi-lin (異林), a story is recorded that "A dove flew and passed by a town , holding a bag with its beak . It attracted a crowd to follow and chase for the bag. Later the bird dropped the bag, one man ventured to open it. Suddenly, the bag exploded with gun powders."

 

Bags also carry a lot of functions. The valise actually was invented by the travelers of the Tang Dynasty..

According to Ch'ing-yi Lu (清異錄), the dukes and princes traveled with their "convenient bags" which was made of double silk brocade, containing clothes, towels ,mirrors, soaps and books of poetry . They are very close to the valises used by the modern tourists.

 

There are other kind strange bags which produce endless surprises. For example, the bag of Water Leopard is made of leopard skin and is used to contain water for a special kind of tea which will make the tea taste really "wild". The bag of Rendering Cloud sounds very poetic and romantic. It is used to store the most fresh air and cloud in the deepest mountains and vales for the emperor to breathe. The idea certainly will make a great appeal to the modern men who are constantly suffering the horrible air pollution of the cities.

 

Bags are match makers for lovers. Fan Chin (繁欽, ?-218) once wrote a love poem with lines go as follows:

 

How can I show and prove my love to thee

Without the fragrant purse tied behind my elbow.

 

Bag here is used as a token of love and should be carried by the lovers all the time. Chinese operas such as Mourning Becomes Fragrant Bag, Hsiang-nang Yuan (香囊怨) and The Story of Fragrant Bag, Hsiang-nang Chi (香囊記) are all love stories caused by and centered in the appearance of a Fragrant bag, full of romantic and supernatural elements. Even in the folk songs, fragrant bags are mentioned as symbols of the love of young girls. In "Embroidering a Lotus Purse", one of the famous folk songs of Northern China, young lass often suggest her love to young lad by embroidering first a boat then a pair of mandarin ducks.

 

The earliest record about the use of fragrant bag can be found in the Book of Rite ,Chou Li (周禮), which states that young boys and girls before they are formally recognized as grown-ups, they have to wear "Good Smell" bags to purify their bodies. Girls after engagement should wear a kind of small bag call "yin" (纓) which is made of silk thread with five different colors. This is to mean that now she is a bride-to-be and will be a woman soon. After the marriage, the husband will wear bags made of leather which can carry knives and grind stone etc., and the wife will wear small embroidered bags containing accessories such as thread roll, scarf, needle tube etc.

 

The function of the Western sweet bag is very similar to that of Chou Dynasty. Before modern sanitary facilities were invented, smells of all kinds were abound whenever and wherever there were human activities. Therefore, sweet bag was devised to kill the smells. In 1680s, the Earl of Bedford of England became famous for his excessive use of sweet bag. His lavish expenditure on incense, sweet herbs, perfume powder made him acquire a name in the European history.

 

The size of the European bag is generally between 10cm by 13cm and its material is often of linen, silk, brocade, and leather .The most popular kind is made of linen with tent stitch or cross stitch embroideries covered the whole of the bag.

 

Before 16^th century, men also used frequently the pouches which were supposedly used by women only The most popular style of the time was Draw String. Purse. The 17^th century European liked to use embroidered brocade to make bags. The 18^th century European liked to use glass beads , net and straw to make hand bags. The Victorians liked silver very much and they would like to decorate their bags with ivory, seashell , and other precious materials.

 

After the industrial revolution, new technology brought new style and system of live which produced new designs for bags. The railway transportation ushered in travel bags and suitcases. When airline service became popular , the strong but light plastic trunk was invented. Women's liberation encourage women to go out and worked as men did. They needed a sort of convenient handbag to accompany them . The design of these modern bags were often under the influence of the development of modern art, different periodic styles evolved from one phase to another.

 

The Chinese bags, as far as their functions are concerned ,can divided into two categories :one for the imperial or royal use ;other for the commoner's use. Their shapes and styles varied from time to time and are wonderful subjects for research and studies.