New Mandala

14 responses so far ↓

• 1 Sawarin // Mar 28, 2007 at 6:01 am

  Ah, this is my cup of tea. It’s interesting that the stylisation of these murals shows neither Chinese nor Dai influences. They are no different to paintings of European modernism, really. I think the last is a lot more modern than Ruben. Manet and Gauguin are definitely there, I can detect their signature of ‘brave and exotic’ women.

  Were these murals painted by local artists Nich?

• 2 Nicholas Farrelly // Mar 28, 2007 at 7:35 am

  Thanks Sawarin,

  These are very helpful comments.

  I agree that the style of these murals is particularly interesting. You know a lot more about the influences than I, and I think that there are definitely interesting issues captured here. I wish I knew more about them.

  I don’t know whether local artists (i.e. Dehong Autonomous Prefecture residents) painted these. Walking around, I was under the impression that different artists (or at least some deliberately different styles) were on display. Unfortunately, I can’t confirm that gut feeling or provide more information. For some context, Silas Xu (who translated the Chinese) felt that the language of some of the captions was particularly turgid. That could mean lots of things but it does have some potentially relevant implications.

  I would be delighted to learn more.

  Best wishes to all,

  Nich

• 3 Amateur // Mar 28, 2007 at 7:48 am

  I find the painting insofar interesting as it seems to leave all the communist/socialist art behind which has been so characteristic for China.

• 4 aiontay // Mar 28, 2007 at 9:34 am

  So all the Jinghpo have is the manau posts and no murals? That might be a pretty good deal after all.

• 5 Nong Juu // Mar 28, 2007 at 4:46 pm

  Amateur - from a stylistic analysis, I do agree that that these murals are a departure from the socialist-realism that was the officially-approved style for much of Mao’s China. A wider spectrum and diversity of artistic styles for state-sponsored art projects has been the trend in China after Mao’s death in 1976.

  However, the (albeit small) selection of themes posted here by Nich do represent a continuity in public art for communist China. Images of a “radiant” Mao, and communalism in farming have been standards in state art for decades.The “celebration” of the country’s “national minorities” in official arts display has only really become the norm post-1976, with depictions typically portraying such minorities as an exotic Other. These murals, with the choice of representing the Dai through indigenous ceremonies and nude women (charateristically, Dai women have been renowned in China for their beauty as well as their penchant for bathing publicly in rivers), fall very much in line with other official examples of minority representation. Those interested can see Dru Gladney’s work on the subject (www.drugladney.com).

  Nich, you only posted a small selection of the murals here. How strongly did you notice elements of Dai exoticization as you walked through the exhibit? What do local residents seem to think about the cultural park?

• 6 Nicholas Farrelly // Mar 28, 2007 at 7:32 pm

  Thanks everyone for your comments.

  Nong Juu,

  Almost every mural made some effort (to my eye) to provide a hyper-exotic image of Dai life. Images of women bathing predominated on some walls; other areas depicted stylised dances, performances and ritual; while some others showed interactions between the Chinese State and the Dai.

  I merely passed through this cultural park on the way to my main destination, which was elsewhere along the border, and (because it was almost deserted) I didn’t get a chance to explore the origins of the artwork.

  As I said, I wish I knew more.

  Hopefully the next time a New Mandala reader is in far western Yunnan they can make a short trip to Jie Gao and ask some of these important questions. If anybody is ever heading out that way, I am very happy to provide advice, maps and anything else that may help your preparation.

  Best wishes to all,

  Nich

• 7 Sawarin // Mar 28, 2007 at 10:01 pm

  It’s interesting that the mural painteres decided to go ‘ West’ completely in their genres. There is a variety of influences but they all belonged to Western schools. Gone for good is the Russian costructivism; the genre that was influential to the art world between 1910-60s, and in many ways shaped Western modern art itself (Picasso’s cubism, eg.)

  To be ‘new’, China’s choice (in art) is quite slim. She has to abandon most of her twentieth century histories, but at the same time, can’t go back too far coz ‘faiths’ might return too hastily. I guess that’s why the authority (artists?) settled for a variety of Western genres (but no cubic or square is allowed). I hope to see more pictures to confirm this hypothesis. There’s another issue summed up in this question– is there such a thing as Chinese modern art? This has implications far beyond art, and China.

  Nong Juu, you can find the ‘exotic within’ in almost every country on this planet. The Thais have a similar treatment to indigenous populations locating in the upper North. Also, I remember how the Thai authority (of Prem administration) kept preaching us to help the ’starving nongs’ of Isan when I was young. Everytime I switched on a TV, the only image I saw perpetually is children eating soil. For China, I think the ‘exotic within’ have turned into pure commodities. The 50 plus groups of ‘minorities’ are no longer there to be looked at, the Chinese state is really making an enterprise out of them.

  I’ve heard that the indepedent art scene of the Dai community is
  quite lively, anybody have some info on this?

• 8 Jon Fernquest // Mar 28, 2007 at 10:19 pm

  “Almost every mural made some effort (to my eye) to provide a hyper-exotic image of Dai life. Images of women bathing predominated on some walls; other areas depicted stylised dances, performances and ritual; while some others showed interactions between the Chinese State and the Dai.”

  You can see that in Tai Lu music CDs too.

  The young rock-like singers and the folk ballads are wonderful made for Tais themselves, but the PRC tourist videos feature Tai Lu women dancing in bikini tops (?) and then there is (or was) Maing La in Wa controlled Burma that people reported was a sort of surreal Pattaya or Las Vegas of sex for PRC tourists.

  Thanks for the photos of De Hong. It’s nice to see what it looks like for real nowadays, having only travelled through the area via old history books. There are some really nice detailed topographical maps of western Yunnan online. If I can find them, I’ll post the link.

• 9 Jon Fernquest // Mar 28, 2007 at 10:33 pm

  Highly detailed topographical maps for Burma and Yunnan border area:

  China and Yunnan
  http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/china/

  Burma
  http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/burma/

• 10 roger p // Mar 28, 2007 at 11:55 pm

  I think that drawing a clear line between what is nowadays the cultural items that the Tai Lu/ Lue produce “for themselves” and the state promoted, tourist-oriented, etc. ones is too easy: VCDs produced in Sipsong Panna “by Tais and for Tais” very often include sexy female dancers from the infamous “Tai Garden” in Muang Ham (Ganlanba) among other Han-created paraphernalia.

  Actually the creators of those VCDs seem to be ultimately following contemporary Thai or Shan models -but you can also find that some of the “messages” they send are very close to what the PRC state expects the Tais to do, that is, sing, dance, flirt, attend public school, etc. Anyway, and although doing politics is risky in Sipsong Panna, some songs do try to emphasize a kind of traditional political identity diverse to the one the state is trying to impose

  I find the discussion on art pointless: why should these murals be seen as examples of “Western” artistic influences and those produced after the 1950s not? Besides, are you sure it is not possible to find traditional Chinese art traces on these murals?

• 11 Sawarin // Mar 29, 2007 at 3:49 am

  I’m not going to bore myself answering roger p’s group of irrelevant questions as I’ve not discussed ‘art’.

  I have no interest in naive Western-centricity or simple Orientalist discourse.

• 12 roger p // Mar 29, 2007 at 11:17 am

  sorry, I just tried to put into question some of the very arguable assumptions made up there: the murals´ didactic aspect, for instance, seems to me very much on the tradition of Tai religious painting -vague though this relation may be. In relation to this, I believe that it is also important not only to think of this kind of works as directed to outsiders, but also to consider what it tells the local community itself, for whom their “exoticism” might be irrelevant -or not

• 13 roger p // Mar 29, 2007 at 1:38 pm

  I take the comment on the murals’ “didactic aspect” back, I forgot we were talking about stylistic choices.

  What about Mao’s encounter with Dao Jingban? Anyone aware if this took place in Beijing? I doubt Chairman Mao came so far to meet the local leaders… As for Sipsong Panna, Zhou Enlai was in Jinghong around that date too, and there are some pictures of him wearing the traditional male headgear which have been much exploited by official propaganda.

• 14 New Mandala » More murals from the Jie Gao cultural park // Mar 30, 2007 at 12:49 am

  [...] those New Mandala readers who have expressed an interest in the murals at the Dai-Jingpo cultural park in Jie Gao, just outside Ruili, Yunnan, I have now� posted more examples of the artwork.� Viewed in [...]

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