Mr Monkey was surprised to find an arrow pot in the Food and Drink section, but it turned out that under the Ming dynasty throwing arrows into a pot was a popular party game, anyone missing had to have a drink of wine. He was impressed by the range of model foods intended for a feast in the afterlife, though he was slightly surprised by the absence of the King of Fruits. These are from Shaanxi province and are Ming dynasty (1450-1600). Beside the food is a Qing dynasty, Jiangxi period (1662-1722), pot in the shape of the poet Li Bai looking sadly into an empty wine jar.
Return to Mr Monkey sees China: Journey to the East at the Manchester Museum
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey.