Jia Chang training roosters for cockfighting
贾昌斗鸡
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Jia Chang (贾昌 712–810) from the Tang Dynasty was renowned for his exceptional skills in training roosters for cockfighting. His legendary story is recorded in the Extensive Records of the Taiping Era (太平广记 Taiping Guangji).
Li Longji (李隆基 685–762), Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (唐玄宗), had a passion for cockfighting during his youth. After ascending the throne, he built a grand chicken yard between the two palaces, raising over a thousand roosters with golden feathers and iron-like claws.
At the age of seven, Jia Chang displayed a remarkable ability to understand the language of birds. Unable to afford real chickens, he played with wooden ones, making them appear lifelike. Once, while Emperor Xuanzong was on a tour, he witnessed Jia Chang’s extraordinary performance and immediately summoned him to the palace to take care of the chicken yard.
Jia Chang quickly became familiar with the chicken flocks and could accurately assess their strength, courage, and health. On occasions such as the Emperor’s birthday, New Year’s Day, and the Qingming Festival (清明节), grand celebrations were held, with cockfighting being one of the most exciting events. During these performances, Jia Chang would wear a jade-encrusted gold coronet, clothes with embroidered sleeves, silk trousers, and hold a bell to clear the way. The roosters would enter the arena in an orderly fashion. Under Jia Chang’s command, signalled by his whip, the roosters would fluff their feathers and fight fiercely. Once the victor was determined, Jia Chang would order them to stop. With a gesture of his whip, the roosters would regroup, the winners leading and the defeated following, marching back to the chicken yard in perfect order, like a flock of geese in flight.
Due to his extraordinary skills, Jia Chang was widely known as the ‘Miracle Chicken Boy’ at the age of thirteen.
The story scene depicted on the Kangxi dish in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum was deciphered by Rachel Ma
24 Dec 2024
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Fig 1-2: famille verte porcelain dish, Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Fig 3: famille rose porcelain cup, Qianlong period (1736–95), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Fig 4: famille rose porcelain cup, Qianlong period (1736–95), Qing dynasty, courtesy of China Ceramic Museum, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China
Fig 5: famille rose porcelain dish, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), courtesy of the Shanghai Museum, China