My short vacation was about to end. So I flew back to Beijing only to fly over the Pacific Ocean.
Having visited so many art museums in US and Europe, I realized that I had not visited a single art museum in China. (Typical, huh?) Although I had only one afternoon to spare, I managed to pay a visit to the National Art Museum of China.
The museum looked like a Ming-Qing era garrison, like the famous Jiayuguan I had visited eight years ago.
As usual, I started my visit from the top level downward. There was an exhibition of kites.
I liked these two traditional designs.
The exhibition on the second floor was about the so-called "New Year Pictures", something you would put on your door for the New Year. Like the kites, they were made by "artisans" instead of "artists".
The real deal was this Dunhuang exhibition. In case you don't know, Dunhuang is a place in the Gebi dessert where thousands of Buddhism sculptures were caved into the stones. It was a continuous effort lasted for several hundred years, by dozens of dynasties. Only faith could sustain this kind of projects spanning for so long. (Think Milan Cathedral.)
Unfortunately they didn't allow photography even though what was on exhibition were only handmade copies of the real caves. But I had been there eight years ago and saw how those frescos and sculptures deteriorated so badly. Being far from the cities and towns, Dunhuang was one of the few places survived hundreds year of war and destruction in China. Many modern Chinese artists had studied Dunhuang closely for inspirations. I stayed for a long time until they closed the museum.
Walking out, I found the famous Xiling Yinshe was just next door. Based in Hangzhou, it is a leading press/club for Chinese art of seal.
I noticed some watermark on the floor in front of Xinling Yinshe. Upon closer look, I was sure it was the mark of some aspiring calligraphers practicing on the ground with water. I had heard stories about people doing this but never in reality, until now.
Then I walked south to the Wangfujing Street, the best known shopping district of Beijing. But Wangfujing has much more to offer. For example, it was also a street with great bookstores and theatres.
The so-called "City Administration Law Enforcement" was a special kind of police only to be seen in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai. They had smaller authority and less trained than the real cops.
These were parking slots for bicycles, which were still a popular means of transportation.
I had fond memories of the Capital Threatre, where my friends and I watched two great performances of Chinese plays (with student discounts!).
The Commercial Press was one of my favorite publishing houses which specialized in translations of interesting books from all over the world. For example, Bertrand Russell's "A History of Western Philosophy", meticulously translated by Zhaowu He and Joseph Needham.
The St. Joseph's Cathedral, known as the East Church (东堂), was nicely lighted at night.
Finally, the Wangfujing Street, where I used to hang out, mostly window shopping, in the weekend, when I was a poor college student. I have been here so many times that I can locate pretty much every shop/mall on this street.
You couldn't miss the ubiquitous Olympics fever in the air. Dozens, if not hundreds, of stores were opened exclusively for the Beijing Olympics souvenirs. People literally throw their money in. I was repeatedly asked by my American friends why Chinese people were so excited about the Olympics. And my answer was "the excitement of economic opportunities and a strong sense of national pride". Pictured here is Huanhuan, one of the five mascots, representing fire, or officially the "Olympic Flame", whatever that is.
I returned to my friend's house at dawn, ending my two-week vacation. It was three days before the Chinese New Year and everyone was ready to celebrate a happy Rat Year.
Having visited so many art museums in US and Europe, I realized that I had not visited a single art museum in China. (Typical, huh?) Although I had only one afternoon to spare, I managed to pay a visit to the National Art Museum of China.
The museum looked like a Ming-Qing era garrison, like the famous Jiayuguan I had visited eight years ago.
As usual, I started my visit from the top level downward. There was an exhibition of kites.
I liked these two traditional designs.
The exhibition on the second floor was about the so-called "New Year Pictures", something you would put on your door for the New Year. Like the kites, they were made by "artisans" instead of "artists".
The real deal was this Dunhuang exhibition. In case you don't know, Dunhuang is a place in the Gebi dessert where thousands of Buddhism sculptures were caved into the stones. It was a continuous effort lasted for several hundred years, by dozens of dynasties. Only faith could sustain this kind of projects spanning for so long. (Think Milan Cathedral.)
Unfortunately they didn't allow photography even though what was on exhibition were only handmade copies of the real caves. But I had been there eight years ago and saw how those frescos and sculptures deteriorated so badly. Being far from the cities and towns, Dunhuang was one of the few places survived hundreds year of war and destruction in China. Many modern Chinese artists had studied Dunhuang closely for inspirations. I stayed for a long time until they closed the museum.
Walking out, I found the famous Xiling Yinshe was just next door. Based in Hangzhou, it is a leading press/club for Chinese art of seal.
I noticed some watermark on the floor in front of Xinling Yinshe. Upon closer look, I was sure it was the mark of some aspiring calligraphers practicing on the ground with water. I had heard stories about people doing this but never in reality, until now.
Then I walked south to the Wangfujing Street, the best known shopping district of Beijing. But Wangfujing has much more to offer. For example, it was also a street with great bookstores and theatres.
The so-called "City Administration Law Enforcement" was a special kind of police only to be seen in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai. They had smaller authority and less trained than the real cops.
These were parking slots for bicycles, which were still a popular means of transportation.
I had fond memories of the Capital Threatre, where my friends and I watched two great performances of Chinese plays (with student discounts!).
The Commercial Press was one of my favorite publishing houses which specialized in translations of interesting books from all over the world. For example, Bertrand Russell's "A History of Western Philosophy", meticulously translated by Zhaowu He and Joseph Needham.
The St. Joseph's Cathedral, known as the East Church (东堂), was nicely lighted at night.
Finally, the Wangfujing Street, where I used to hang out, mostly window shopping, in the weekend, when I was a poor college student. I have been here so many times that I can locate pretty much every shop/mall on this street.
You couldn't miss the ubiquitous Olympics fever in the air. Dozens, if not hundreds, of stores were opened exclusively for the Beijing Olympics souvenirs. People literally throw their money in. I was repeatedly asked by my American friends why Chinese people were so excited about the Olympics. And my answer was "the excitement of economic opportunities and a strong sense of national pride". Pictured here is Huanhuan, one of the five mascots, representing fire, or officially the "Olympic Flame", whatever that is.
I returned to my friend's house at dawn, ending my two-week vacation. It was three days before the Chinese New Year and everyone was ready to celebrate a happy Rat Year.
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