Pounding Grain The autumn woods surround thatched cottages as the evening breeze blows; The mortar and pestle original: chujiu, the traditional tools for hulling grain; the chu is the pestle and jiu is the mortar stand together near the low fence. From the neighboring houses, the sounds of pounding seem to answer one another, In every home, the torches are lit deep into the night. The first decade of the mid-autumn month in the year of Gengwu September 1750. Respectfully written by Imperial Decree. Your servant, Jiang Pu. Jiang Pu (1708–1761) was a high-ranking court official and painter during the Qianlong reign, known for his calligraphy and for overseeing imperial art projects.

Tilling Illustration 18: Pounding Grain

The autumn woods surround thatched cottages as the evening breeze blows; the mortar and pestle stand together near the low fence. From the neighboring houses, the sounds of pounding seem to answer one another, in every home, the torches are lit deep into the night.

Across the wild paths, the frost-wind arrives early; at the wicker gates, the late sun lingers. The sound of pounding grain connects with the echoes from the neighbors; the rhythm of the pestle pestle (chu): a heavy tool used to strike grain in a mortar to remove the husks harmonizes with quiet, soulful songs. Grains like pearls pour into the basket; like glittering snow, they fill the sieve. Out of love for the harvest and pity for the hardship of its growth, one cannot help but reach out and rub the grains in one's palms again and again.

Through the treetops, the golden autumn wind blows in gusts; pine-wood torches burn brightly behind the sparse fence. From where does this sound of pounding come in the deep of the night? It must be the hour when the village songs are sung in harmony.

This scene describes the use of a dui, a large foot-powered tilt-hammer or lever-pestle, which allowed farmers to use their body weight to hull large quantities of rice more efficiently than a hand-held pestle. The "village songs" and "answering sounds" emphasize the communal nature of this late-night labor.