This is part 2 of the post The Mysterious Taiji Symbols at Expo 2010.
The Ukraine Expo 2010 official website has the following descriptions to those mysterious Taiji symbols at their pavilion:
The pavilion of Ukraine is designed in the three-field style, as scientists consider that the ancient Chinese civilization Yangshao is indigenous to the culture of the three-fold tribes due to similarity of human features, ornaments of dishes, elements of clothes, gods which the population idolized. It enables to acquaint visitors with the similarity of ancient cultures of nations which populate the modern China and Ukraine.
Ornaments on the walls of the pavilion of Ukraine is not a copy from the Chinese symbolism, but the original pictures of people from the three-fold system which were adorned by the ornament and flutes of red, black, and white colors, including “running” or endless spirals with the images of snakes (the idea of the flow of time and changes of seasons), dogs (which were guards of crops and herds, protected from evil spirits, and drove away evils), solar symbols (crosses in the circle) which symbolized the sun on the run.
The main idea of the National pavilion of Ukraine is the similarity of Tripilja culture and the culture of ancient China. The analog of the ancient Chinese symbol yin-yang came into existence in Tripilja 2,000 years earlier than in the history of China. This information has drawn a wide response in the cultural circles of China. That’s why another our project in the National pavilion of Ukraine at EXPO-2010 is the creative work of Ukrainian ceramists and potters (the main archeological finds of Tripelja are the ceramics).
I have done some searching on the internet, here are some interesting findings:
- Swedish archaeologist, Johan Gunnar Andersson (1874 – 1960), has come to a conclusion that the pottery of China came from the west, after comparing the Yangshao, Anau and Tripilja culture.
- Rene Grousset (1885 – 1952), a French historian, has also explored the possibilities of China pottery having Siberia and Ukraine origin.
Although the above theories have been challenged and debated over the years, it seems to me that there was an connection between those ancient cultures. In this information flooded era, crushing and blending of global cultures are inevitable, does it really matter the Taiji symbol is from the west or east? Furthermore, sharing of civilization, wisdom and culture had been the trend of all mankind since ancient time.