798 Art District: China Dream on Display

By Benjamin J. Hayford

After climbing the Juyonguan section of the Great Wall, we headed to the 798 Art District. Walking through the refurbished factories-turned-studios, seeing the work of talented Chinese artists reminded me of my youth. Attending the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, a small (read 600 students in six grades) public school in Southwest Washington State, was a pivotal experience in my life. Although my focus was theatre and literary arts, I have many friends who focused on vocal and instrumental music, dance, film, and – of course – visual arts.

I felt a certain closeness to the artists and art in 798 today. I love witnessing how people express themselves and their dreams through art. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press briefing yesterday morning, the press secretary encouraged the journalists to understand the Chinese people’s dreams and report the news objectively.

China dream or 中国梦 is on the tip of everyone’s tongue and the forefront of many minds, but what does it mean? I am convinced one important manifestation of the China dream is and must be through art, because art is one of the most unfiltered mediums through which people’s dreams are articulated, explored and illustrated.

I was particularly enthralled by the sculptures of artist Liu Ruowang (刘若望). When we entered the Yang Gallery in 798, a bronze soldier brought alive in still motion caught my attention.  To me, Liu’s bronze sculpture blended the strength of the ancient Middle Kingdom with the bold energy of a determined and disciplined modern Chinese person. Traditionally, the Chinese clay soldiers unearthed in Xi’an have unwaveringly stood guard. What about today? Now, Liu depicts a clay soldier adaptive to an ever-changing world. It is not enough for the Chinese to stand still and protect the old ways. The youth of China, from artists to diplomats, will have to learn and move in the twenty-first century.

I would love to see more of Liu Ruowang’s work and similar work by other prominent Chinese artists on display in the United States, especially in venues such as the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which, along with the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, is housed at Texas A&M University and the Asia Society – Texas Center. Increased exposure abroad will only advance the China dream’s reputation and influence.

Liu Ruowang’s website http://www.liuruowang.com/