Wherever there is light, there is human civilization. Tens of thousands of years ago, humans have known how to use natural fire to keep out the cold, barbecue and provide lighting. More than three thousand years ago, humans began to use simple lamps to carry fire and candles and write the history of civilization. From rough stone lamps to bronze lamps, ceramic lamps to electric lamps, the historical changes of lamps have left a profound mark on the times, and are also the epitome of social economy and culture. The lamp is a small pottery bowl evolved from a bean, with a pitted surface. The bottom of the bowl is supported by a handle. The simple shape and rough craftsmanship make it a worthless pottery in the eyes of ordinary people. The artistic value is remarkable. But in the eyes of Qing Liejun, the owner of "Wanjia Lantern House", this is a treasure. "This is a 'bean' from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It is the predecessor of the lamp." Qing Liejun explained while playing with it. In the Stone Age, humans knew how to use fire for heating, cooking, controlling animals, and lighting. According to unearthed oracle bone inscriptions, humans used rosin torches for lighting as early as the Yin and Shang Dynasties. During the Zhou Dynasty, the extensive use of bronzes and pottery created conditions for the emergence of lamps. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, lamps for lighting began to appear, and beans were the tools used for lighting at that time. They were made in the shape of beans, which were the food utensils at that time. At that time, people used soybean fat as fuel. They put the soybean fat in a small pottery bowl, put a wick on it, and lit it for lighting. It can be seen from the ancient Chinese character "lamp" that lamps evolved from beans. It is recorded in ancient books that lamps originate from beans, and tiled beans are called Deng. In many costume TV dramas nowadays, beans are the lighting tool that appears. "It should be a bean with a bronze ware, but I haven't seen it yet." Bronze ware was a status symbol at the time. Lao Qing's research believes that the use of bronzes as lighting tools at that time should be the right enjoyed by nobles, and rough pottery beans were probably used by ordinary people. The difference between a support pin and a lamp bean is a bowl-shaped lighting tool, and the lamp is also a bowl-shaped lighting tool, but there is a small pointed cone at the bottom of the bowl. This sharp cone is called a support pin. This small change becomes The dividing line between beans and lamps. During the Warring States Period, the earliest candles began to appear. But the candles at that time were different from the candles today. The shape was not very regular. How to support it to stand? Smart ancients made a pointed cone at the bottom of the bean and inserted irregular candles into the pointed cone, so that the candle could stand firmly. From bean to lamp, it is not a one-step process, but a gradual evolution. This disc is probably the prototype of the lamp during the Warring States Period, and the pointed cone shows that it was used for lighting at that time. The emergence of the support nail officially opened the history of lamps. Since then, the history of lamps has completed the transformation from beans to lamps. Most Warring States lamps were made of metal or clay, but this jade lamp is the only one, and it is a masterpiece. The jade lamp is made of Hetian green jade from Xinjiang, with local dark brown dip marks. The lamp consists of three parts: the plate, the handle and the base, which are carved from three pieces of jade and then glued together into one. The upper lamp plate is round with a shallow belly, and a five-petaled style protrudes from the center of the plate. The handle in the middle is cylindrical, decorated with a raised trefoil in relief, the waist is girded in the middle, and the lower waist is fully decorated with hooked cloud patterns. The lamp base is in the shape of a covered disk and is decorated with five-petal persimmon stem patterns and hook-and-loop cloud patterns. The soles of the feet are also decorated with hook-and-loop cloud patterns. Jade Gou Lamp with Moire Pattern Lamps during the Warring States Period were mainly made of bronze, and were mostly practical devices for nobles. Since ceramic lamps are no different from traditional pottery beans, they are often regarded as pottery beans and are not classified as lamps. This type of lamp was used by the lower class, while the exquisite jade lamp was a practical appliance for the upper class. Except for individual multi-branch lamps, they can be roughly divided into two categories: figurine lamps and lamps imitating daily utensils. Multi-branch lanterns (also known as tree-shaped lanterns) are relatively rare in real life. The most representative one is the fifteen-branch lantern, which is shaped like a lush tree and supports fifteen lamps. The lamps are scattered in an orderly manner and the branches are decorated with There are swimming dragons, singing birds, playing monkeys, etc., with different moods and full of fun. The figurine lamp is the most representative bronze lamp during the Warring States Period. The figurines in these lamps include both men and women, most of which are images of local people with humble status. Some ways of holding a lamp include standing with arms spread out and holding the lamp above the head; some are sitting in a squat position with both hands stretched forward to hold the lamp in front. The number of lamp plates held by a figurine ranges from one to three. Lamp panels come in two shapes: circular groove-shaped and disc-shaped. The former has three branches, while the latter mostly has one branch. Lamps imitating daily utensils are basically the evolution of some practical utensils in daily life. They are mainly imitations of common utensils such as beans, tripods and guis. Most of them are bean-shaped pottery lamps, but there are also some bronze lamps imitating the shapes of tripods and guis. Mismatched gold and silver human-shaped lamps. Lamps cast in the Qin Dynasty are also extremely gorgeous. The goose foot lamp is shaped like the leg of a large goose. The legs support a circular lamp panel with three lamp posts, which can light three candles at the same time. By the Han and Wei dynasties, there were more and more types of lamps, including copper lamps, iron lamps, pottery lamps, etc.
Later, gauze or paper was used as a cage and candles were lit inside, which was called a lantern. "Southern History·Records of Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty" has a record of "hanging kudzu lanterns on the wall. Use a fine grate to make the bones and paste them with oil paper. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, lantern making was popular. During the Lantern Festival, there were many ingenious displays, competing for beauty. Therefore There are poems such as "Thousands of trees are blooming in the east wind at night" and "Fire trees and silver flowers never leave the sky". As early as 1,500 years ago in the Liang Dynasty, the revolving lantern was mentioned in "Jingchu Chronicles": "Lamps are transported by fire". The paper-cut wheel is used as a wheel, and the carriages and horses move around endlessly. The Changxin palace lantern represents the unification of the Han Dynasty, and ceramic technology reached a milestone in all aspects of politics, economy, and culture. The Han Dynasty progressed rapidly, and the glaze hanging technique appeared. The exhibits in the "Wanjia Lantern Hall" include many pottery lamps from the Han Dynasty, including simple bean-shaped lamps, women's lamps with tall hats, pottery lamps depicting Huns, and outdoor lamps. Tower-shaped lamps with yellow and green glazes. The colorful pottery lamps are a bit dazzling. The ideological and culture of the Han Dynasty was very rich, and the appearance of figure-shaped lamps shows that the craftsmen at that time paid great attention to depicting the details of life. The model lamp records that after the war between the Han Dynasty and the northern ethnic minorities, the Huns captured by the Han Dynasty were treated as domestic slaves of officials. The women's lamp is shaped like a woman wearing a high hat, which reflects the women in society at that time. The status of the glazed tower lamp shows that pottery began to evolve into porcelain, and the craftsmanship gradually matured. The timeline of the year shows that 1911, ductile tungsten lamp shock-proof filament can be used for automobile and railway lighting, 1925. Opal glass lamp S provides a softer, more even light, suitable for homes and offices 1930 Photographic flash replaces flash powder previously used by professional photographers 1934 Mercury lamp First high-pressure gas discharge lamp – better performance and economy 1938 Fluorescent lamp First true low-pressure discharge lamp that can provide white light 1939 Sealed headlamp Excellent beam control, does not dim with use 1945 Circline fluorescent lamp emits the most fluorescence in small spaces 1949 Soft white bulb improvement The light is diffused and has no glare. 1959 Halogen lamp is small in size and emits white light. 1961 Lucalox? High-pressure sodium lamp is the most effective common light source. 1962 The light-emitting diode (LED) is invented by GE.
Inside a solid crystal of semiconductor material, electrical energy is converted into light 1974 Watt-Miser? Fluorescent lamp First reduced-power fluorescent lamp 1975 Precision MR16 small low-voltage light source with precise optical control 1986 Biax? Fluorescent lamp Energy-efficient 40-watt Fluorescent lamp, suitable for residential use. 1989 Halogen-IR lamp The first halogen bulb with reflective coating and high efficiency. 1990 2D? Unique small contour lamp, expanding the application areas of fluorescent lamps 1994 Genura Fluorescent lamp first A true small "induction" (electrodeless) fluorescent lamp 1996 ConstantColor? CMH? New hybrid HID technology, efficient and advanced performance. 1997 Starcoat Improved fluorescent lamp coating for advanced lumen maintenance 1997 Ecolux? Reduced mercury content lamps that pass TCLP testing without degrading lamp performance. 1998 Starcoat XL? and Ecolux 2000 Halogen IR Silv-IR offers more low voltage lamp options, increasing the number of lamps per track. 2000 24 Volt Halogen Series offers more low voltage lamp options, increasing the number of lamps per track 2000 2000 StayBright? Watt-Miser? Multi-Vapor? New energy-saving metal halide lamps that provide improved lumen maintenance compared to standard lamps 2000 T5 Fluorescent Lamps The smaller fluorescent lamp diameter provides an energy-saving solution in a variety of applications 2001 T8 Watt-Miser? Maximum energy savings without compromising light output or longevity performance 2001 Diamond Precise? MR16 Low voltage beam, medium screw-in base for ease and convenience 2001 SportStar Multi-Vapor New and improved metal halide lamp , highest lumen output when operating in any burning position 2001 57QBX & 70QBX Biax? 57W and 70W sockets, low power metal halide light output 2001 T8 SXL Premium long life T8 lamp (36,000 hours) for reduced maintenance costs 2001 2001 Spiral? CFL lamps reduce the overall size compared to standard incandescent lamps 2001 Reveal? SPXX offers vibrating color with 350-watt ConstantColor? CMH? SPXX energy-saving design in a larger family of ceramic metal halide lamps, providing vibrating color 2002 F32T8 high-lumen fluorescent T8 lamps with higher light output 2002 CFL reflector lamps with glass reflectors Energy-saving fluorescent lamps for downlighting and other applications 2003 UltraMax Efficient, more adaptable, with optimal lamp performance 2003 28-watt T8 fluorescent lamps The smallest power T8 fluorescent lamps are often used in conjunction with UltraMax ballasts for optimal energy savings Effect. 2003 Retail HIR halogen lamp PAR 38 thin film HIR and silver reflector technology are 46% more efficient than standard halogen lamps.