Oil-saving Lamps

A Chinese saying goes, "he's not an oil-saving lamp." "Oil-saving lamp" is an idiom widely used in literature, TV and films in China. In one sense it suggests canniness, but most of the time it's used derogatorily to say someone is treacherous and calculating. Nobody is sure how the idiom originated, but oil-saving lamps definitely originated from Qiong Kiln in the Tang Dynasty.

Oil-saving Lamp, unearthed in Liaoning Province

In the Ci Yuan (Source of Words), it is recorded that the word "oil-saving lamp" first appeared in the notes of Lu You, a famous Song Dynasty poet (960-1279). Lu lived in Sichuan for a period of time, where he wrote around 22 poems about Qiong Lai County, the home of Qiong Kiln. In his notes, Lu gave a detailed depiction of the oil-saving lamp, which helped its spread through the country.

The oil-saving lamp was designed with a double-layered plate to hold the oil. In the hollow part, cold water was put to cool the oil and reduce evaporation. An oil-saving lamps unearthed in Liaoning Province is in the shape of a fish divided into two parts, one for oil and the other for water.

In the Ming Dynasty, a new kind of oil-saving lamp began to appear. Designed in the shape of a pot, it has a smaller top plate to prevent evaporation while a bigger belly to hold the oil. Until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the pot-shaped oil lamp was quite popular at Jing De Zhen, a place famous for china productions. Some of the lamps were even designed with lids to keep the lamp clean, as well as to reduce evaporation.

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