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Clocks and watches seem to be much less important nowadays than they were years ago. Today we have so many means to keep time, including mobile phones and beepers... Many people have given up using watches at all.
But there are still many others who stick to using traditional timepieces because, in addition to keeping the time, clocks and watches have more functions. They are ornamental, and can be works of art.
The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) in Beijing has in its collection some of the finest clocks and watches produced worldwide during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are not only timekeeping instruments but also examples of superb craftsmanship, testifying to the outstanding skill of clock and watchmakers in both China and abroad.
The Foreign Languages Press based in Beijing has published a photo album in English on the collection.
"Clocks and Watches of the Qing Dynasty - From the Collection in the Forbidden City," compiled by Liao Pin, provides people who might not have had the chance to visit the museum with a glimpse of these precious artefacts.
Readers can also become familiar with China's long history of producing its own timepieces.
Between the 10th and 14th centuries, China invented different kinds of astronomical devices that combined the functions of astronomical measurement with the mechanical recording of time. The earliest time-measuring devices first appeared in China more than 3,000 years ago.
(China Daily June 30, 2003)
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