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Most recently, two distinctions—echoing the cross-disciplinary critique of the teleological and “quantitative” approach of human arts and sciences at the expanse of the “qualitative”—have been foregrounded by Amzallag (Philosophy and Technology 34, 785–809, 2021) and Crease (2011), respectively, between the modern understanding of “technology” (as technopraxis) and the “forgotten dimension/phase of technology” (called technopoiesis) and between the ontic and ontological measurement. Pace gently the denotation of technopoiesis as a juvenile phase of technological development and the “ontological measurements” as logical and practical impossibility in the modern, mathematized metroscape, the paper reexamines the relevancy of the distinctions (ontic/ontological and po[i]etic/practical, both recalling Heidegger’s “hermeneutical” critique of Husserl’s phenomenology) in non-Platonic/Aristotelian contexts and, in the process, seeks to refine the vital notion of technopoiesis by looking at the intersection of these fuzzy domains. In particular, the ancient Chinese measurements and their understudied onto-poietic dimension in the shifting econ-political contexts may offer an alternative approach to the otherwise elusive presence of technopoiesis and its ontological roots. Arguing that the techno-onto-poiesis does not necessarily belong to the foregone Arcadian past, the paper proposes refined “signals” for recognizing the technopoietic as well as new “forms” of its presence—“interactive emergence” (the cross-stimulating agonistic interactions between techniques of different “stages”) and “poietic clusters” (poietic ideas and/or implements that survive as “cluster” into the future), calling for future investigation of technical inventiveness (even in modern times) that reveal the process of how technopoietic elements enter the lives of technology through least expected embodiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracts from amur cork tree barks contain some of the most important traditional natural dyes used, especially for functional production in ancient Chinese papers, due to religious reasons and their aesthetic aspects and antibacterial properties. Some ancient paper artefacts, dyed with this colourant and scattered around the world, are currently preserved to different extents. This study aims to characterize the thermal degradation process of amur cork tree bark extracts dyed papers to improve the knowledge and effectiveness of restoration practices. The properties of extracts dyed papers treated under dry-heat accelerating ageing conditions were investigated via optical observation and scanning electron microscopy as well as with pH, tensile strength and folding endurance analyses. The results showed that the main components from extracted dyes played important roles in affecting the properties of dyed paper. The changes in surface colour, pH, morphology and mechanical properties after the artificial dry-heat ageing tests revealed the most suitable concentration of extract dyes for maintaining the long-term thermal stability of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural yellow plant dyes and traditional medicines were used widely on historical papers in ancient China for religious reasons and conservation considerations. This study aims to evaluate some traditional yellow botanical sources of dyes that contain different chemical colorant compositions in order to understand their effects on the properties of traditional handmade paper. The physical and chemical changes in paper specimens treated with plant dyes were studied by examining properties such as the color, pH, thermogravimetric (TG) characteristics, tensile strength, folding endurance and microstructure by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that different colorants had different toning effects and that the main components, including carboxyl and ketone groups, could affect the paper stability at high temperatures. The results also revealed that the mechanical properties of paper specimens were improved after treatment with plant dyes. The significant improvements in the tensile strength and folding endurance and the slightly higher decomposition temperature of Amur cork tree-dyed paper could be ascribed to the strong interaction between the colorants' main components and the fibers. The scientific evaluation of the property changes is therefore valuable information for weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the various yellow toning materials for paper conservation treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical Chinese literary system owns no independent status because of its affiliation to catalogue books under the dual pressure from politics and Confucianism. Thus, political and ideological connotations come before the aesthetic value in its creation and interpretation. And Ji, one of the four categories in the Imperial Catalogue, had long been the synonym for classical literary system. Such situation remained stable until the importation of the cataloguing type in modern Western library science that changed the essence of the system into a knowledge structure from a political order. What's more, it also helped to promote the specialization and discipline of literature, an essential link in the modernization of Chinese thinking and education. Despite the various advantages in this process, this paper argues that we should not neglect the more serious disadvantages in simplifying the essence of classical Chinese literary system into the plane aesthetic value, blind of its multi-dimensional functions indicated by the setting and ranking of categories and also the works' location in cataloguing, both of which matter much more for the interpretation of classical Chinese literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]