Hitching Post
China has been a major agricultural country since ancient times. The
use of horses as farm implements and means of transportation gave rise
to hitching posts. The hitching posts of early days
were made from timber. But are left to this day are mostly those made
of stone during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Today,
the hitching posts have long lost its practical value, but their artistic
value is becoming increasingly appreciated.
The art of the hitching posts finds expression in
the carving of the capital and neck of such a post. Round sculpture
is integrated with relief and linear carving, and the motifs run the
gamut from the Sakyamuni cult and Confucius preaching
his doctrines to Lao Zi riding a buffalo, the
Eight Immortals of Taoism, and the duke of Zhuang consulting
some wise men. There are also such auspicious animals and plants
as lions, unicorns, magpies,
sweet-scented flowers, and celestial grass.
These motifs are mostly derived from historical tales, folk legends,
celebrations and festivals, and traditional
operas.
The hitching posts, besides their practical purpose
for lassoing draft animals, also served to show off the prosperity of
a family in old days. Some of them stand as tall as 3 meters - they
were obviously not for hitching horses but served as symbols of a family's
social status and cultural attainment.
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