Book Description The first book to analyze and survey the extraordinary arts of this vast region by material. Throughout history, the beauty and value of the arts of Asia have been derived largely from the exquisite quality of the natural materials from which they are crafted. Materials have spiritual significance in the Asian cultures that use them, and the art is often born from that significance. For instance, jade, because of its hardness and durability, has long been associated with immortality in China, while bamboo, which bends and sways in the strongest winds, symbolizes flexibility in East Asian cultures. Many of the materials that are most often used in Asia were actually discovered, invented, or first worked there, and theypervade every aspect of life?practical, religious, and artistic. Often materials are not what they seem to a Western eye. "Rice" paper is made from mulberry wood pulp; jade is not carved?it is too hard?but abraded....