ENGLISH 4 LISTENINGSTORIES

THE JADE BIFROM : A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 100 OBJECTS, BBC, RADIO FOUR, 8.10.2010

Jade BiEmperor Qianlong

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For Enlightenment Europe, China ………. (1. be) a model state, wisely ………. (2. govern) by learned

emperors. The philosopher and writer Voltaire ………. (3. write) in 1764:

"One need not be obsessed with the merits of the Chinese to recognise that their empire is the best that

the world has ever seen."

Rulers everywhere ………. (4. want) a piece of China at their court. In Berlin, Frederick the Great ………. (5.

design) and ………. (6. build) a Chinese pavilion in his palace at Sanssouci. In the grounds of Kew, you can

still see the ten-storey Chinese pagoda ………. (7. erect) by George III.

In the nearly 60 years of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, from 1736 to 1795, China's population ………. (8.

double), its economy ………. (9. boom) and the Empire ………. (10. grow) to its greatest size for five

centuries, more or less to its modern extent - it ………. (11. cover) over four and a half million square miles

(11,600,000 sq km). The Emperor ………. (12. be) a member of the Qing Dynasty, which ………. (13. displace)

the Ming about a hundred years before, and which ………. (14. will rule) China until the beginning of the

twentieth century. The Qianlong Emperor, owner of the jade bi that is the object of this programme, ……….

(15. be) a shrewd intellectual and a tough leader, happy to proclaim the superiority of his territorial

conquests over those of his predecessors, and to assert for his own Qing Dynasty the backing of the

heavenly powers. In other words, he ………. (16. claim) the Mandate of Heaven:

"The military strength of the majestic Great Qing is at its height. How can the Han, Tang, Song or Ming

dynasties, which ………. (17. exhaust) the wealth of China without getting an additional inch of ground for it,

compare to us? No fortification has failed to submit, no people have failed to surrender. In this, truly we

look up gratefully to the blessings of the blue sky above to proclaim our great achievement."

This emperor ………. (18. be) a successful military leader, an adroit propagandist and a man of culture - a

renowned calligrapher and poet, a passionate collector of paintings, ceramics and antiquities. The

astonishing Chinese collections in the Palace museums today hold many of his precious objects.

Our bi is one that thoroughly ………. (19. engage) the Qianlong Emperor's attention, and it is not hard to

understand why. It is a thin disc of jade, pale beige in colour and just a little bigger than a CD, but with a

hole in the middle, with a raised edge around it. We know from similar objects found in tombs that this bi

………. (20. probably make) around 1200 BC. We don't know what it ………. (21. be) for, but we can see

clearly enough that it is very beautifully crafted.

SCRIPT : http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/transcripts/episode90/AUDIOTAPE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ahow#playepisode1

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ENGLISH 4 LISTENINGSTORIES

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For Enlightenment Europe, China 1. was a model state, wisely 2. governed by learned emperors. The

philosopher and writer Voltaire 3. wrote in 1764:

"One need not be obsessed with the merits of the Chinese to recognise that their empire is the best that

the world has ever seen."

Rulers everywhere 4. wanted a piece of China at their court. In Berlin, Frederick the Great 5. designed and

6. built a Chinese pavilion in his palace at Sanssouci. In the grounds of Kew, you can still see the ten-storey

Chinese pagoda 7. erected by George III.

In the nearly 60 years of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, from 1736 to 1795, China's population 8. doubled,

its economy 9. boomed and the Empire 10. grew to its greatest size for five centuries, more or less to its

modern extent - it 11. covered over four and a half million square miles (11,600,000 sq km). The Emperor

12. was a member of the Qing Dynasty, which 13. had displaced the Ming about a hundred years before,

and which 14. would rule China until the beginning of the twentieth century. The Qianlong Emperor, owner

of the jade bi that is the object of this programme, 15. was a shrewd intellectual and a tough leader, happy

to proclaim the superiority of his territorial conquests over those of his predecessors, and to assert for his

own Qing Dynasty the backing of the heavenly powers. In other words, he 16. claimed the Mandate of

Heaven:

"The military strength of the majestic Great Qing is at its height. How can the Han, Tang, Song or Ming

dynasties, which 17. exhausted the wealth of China without getting an additional inch of ground for it,

compare to us? No fortification has failed to submit, no people have failed to surrender. In this, truly we

look up gratefully to the blessings of the blue sky above to proclaim our great achievement."

This emperor 18. was a successful military leader, an adroit propagandist and a man of culture - a

renowned calligrapher and poet, a passionate collector of paintings, ceramics and antiquities. The

astonishing Chinese collections in the Palace museums today hold many of his precious objects.

Our bi is one that thoroughly 19. engaged the Qianlong Emperor's attention, and it is not hard to

understand why. It is a thin disc of jade, pale beige in colour and just a little bigger than a CD, but with a

hole in the middle, with a raised edge around it. We know from similar objects found in tombs that this bi

20. was probably made around 1200 BC. We don't know what it 21. was for, but we can see clearly enough

that it is very beautifully crafted.

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