How can I contact this Chinese museum?

This museum in China I’m sure has info I need for my current weapon research project. I can’t find any electronic contact info. I’m not going to snail mail them. Any ideas? There is a contact button but it doesn’t have contact info connected. http://www.njmuseumadmin.com/en/Stadium/index/id/8

 

When I used google and searched for Historical Museum of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom , it showed information for the place on the right side, including a phone number. +86 25 8662 3024

 

Thx I’ll try that and see if they speak English, if not I’ll have a Chinese friend call. (Cited from: https://www.antiquers.com/threads/how-can-i-contact-this-chinese-museum.79385/)

 

Hmmm…”the number you have dialed is not in service.”

‘Will try some other way, maybe the Chinese embassy here can help.

 

This webpage provides an office number - 025 5220 1849 (I am not familiar with how international phone numbers work) -

https://listings.echinacities.com/n...avenly-Kingdom-Taiping-Tianguo-Lishi-Bowuguan

You might also try contacting Thomas H. Reilly, an American scholar who wrote a book on the Taiping Rebellion.
https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/thomas-reilly/

 

more good suggestions, thanks, I hadn’t run across the book yet. Think I just put the China country code, 86, in front of that number.

 

+1 for international.

Debora

 

The second QR code on that site is for their WeChat, which is a calling/messaging app popular in China and elsewhere.

 

I contacted Prof. Reilly who now has all the images of the markings etc. He has a Chinese acquaintance who is going to do her own translation. He hasn’t encountered the trident mark before, in connection with the Taiping Rebellion, so I’m thinking it was carved in at the discretion of the carver or owner. The Taiping used real trident weapons extensively as evidenced by displays on the Taiping museum in China.

 

No luck on that Chinese museum but by reaching out like an octopus, I’ve got about 5 experts helping, mostly academic types various friends knew. In a week I should have the inputs.

The one thing no one seems to know is what this “trident” or psi symbol meant in 1850’s China, or within the Taiping Rebel government/army.

 

Used image search to find a similar but not exact image:

 

Hard to tell, but I'm seeing another horizontal line which would make a box-like character with a horizontal line through it. Seems to me that I've seen a character like that.

 

If I had to guess, since the mark is just behind the coat-of-arms of the Taiping rebel organization, it is likely the cypher of a division of said group. I’m doubtful such local info would be published anywhere so I may never have the answer.

 

Ordered this book because skimming the generous number of pages in the preview gives the most detailed tactical info I’ve found regarding the Taiping Rebellion. Most ppl would find it interesting. Might even mention the special symbol I’m looking for. https://books.google.com/books?id=e...6BAgJEAg#v=onepage&q=Taiping division&f=false

 

Don’t read further if executions bother you.



But if u don’t mind, here’s a method that’s new to me, I’m wondering if it was done, shall we say, vertically or horizontally?

 

Deciphering the Chinese Mystery Cannon



Here we have the small cannon’s composite translation, roughly, but not always, in the order appearing on the cannon. Below text includes bits sent by five people with diverse backgrounds, including two professors. These generous contributors have mentioned the archaic language causing difficulty. Some can read the characters but their meaning is not clear. IF YOU CAN IMPROVE THE TRANSLATION PLEASE CONTACT ME.





-The cannon was produced in 1843 during the reign of Qing Emperor Daoguang (r. 1820—1850). (2d: 道光 二十三年)



-The cannon was manufactured and/or owned by Viceroy of Zhili, Nerginggae. (2e: 直隸總督 訥爾經額, r. 1841--1853) cf. The viceroy of Zhili administered today’s Hebei and Henan provinces, Tianjin, and some area of the Shandong Peninsula.



-The cannon contains zinc of some 88 grams (two liang <some 80 grams> and two qian <some 8 grams>) (4a: 鉛子二兩二錢). {I don’t understand this given that gunmetal bronze is normally 90% copper and 10% tin, perhaps zinc was an additional metal}



-Serial number “30”



-Chief Production Officers - “Qing Ma, Kui Yu, Jilin zhou”



-Work supervisor name “Ma Hing”



-Number of pieces in this production lot: “32”



-Bottom section: “Weight of gunpowder to use =1.7 old Chinese ounces, Weight of lead ball: 2.2 old Chinese ounces”.



-The words meaning literally “Eat pure medicine”



Note on the large, crudely-carved symbols near muzzle: Front symbol may be a rendering of the Taiping coat-of-arms. Next Symbol resembling a trident may represent some unit or office within Taiping Army {speculation only}. These symbols indicate that the cannon was captured by Taiping forces from the original Qing owners..



Here are still photos of the cannon and characters on it: https://www.flickr.com/photos/189102681@N07/shares/1516q55G57



Here’s a video showing cannon and characters:



7/20/2023: Compiled by John L. Morris for Nancy, the cannon’s owner