fluktor -|||- study - office - newsletter April 23, 2005

xinhua
Construction gives way to relics
www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-18 10:04:10

BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhuanet) -- China declared on Sunday its top
10 most valuable archeological findings in 2004, five of which were
unearthed while constructing buildings, roads and development zones, and
rescued from under the wheels of roaring bulldozers.

The 10 findings, selected from 22 candidates recommended by
archaeological teams from 13 provinces, municipalities and autonomous
regions, include a tomb complex of the Yue State datingback to the late
Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.).

Archaeologists found in the complex, hidden in 15 small
mounds,seven ancient tombs of nobles, just before the construction of an
ambitious economic development zone started at Hongshan Township, Wuxi
City of east China's Jiangsu Province, where the ruins were located.

"More than 2,000 relics were untombed, among which 500 were musical
instruments of the Yue State period, making the tombs the largest
storehouse of ancient instruments ever discovered," said Zhang Min,
director of the archaeological and cultural relics research institute
under the Nanjing Museum in the capital of Jiangsu, which is in charge
of this site's excavation.

"Without our rescue efforts, the tombs might have been crushed to
pieces by bulldozers or submerged by high-rise buildings and mansions
forever," Zhang said.

China's law for the protection of cultural relics stipulates that
an infrastructure construction project should be launched together with
archaeological exploration and excavation. If relicsare spotted, the
project must be suspended or changes to the original construction plan
must be made to give way to the protection of historical sites.

"Districts may develop new faces utterly different from what the
construction projects designed due to the discovery of ancient ruins,"
said Xu Pingfang, president of the Chinese Society of Archaeology.

Related departments in Jiangsu have organized experts to map out a
specific protection plan for the Hongshan tombs, which will convert the
former development zone into a window displaying the Yue kingdom's
history and culture.

"It is a typical example of China's many archaeological findings,"
said Li Peisong, an official with the State Administration of Cultural
Heritage. The administration approved excavation of more than 600
historical sites last year, 80 percentof which were carried to rescue
relics from infrastructure construction projects.

Listed as one of last year's top 10 archaeological findings, the
mausoleums of two emperors of the Southern Han Kingdom during the period
of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-979) were also detected when a
new college complex was under construction at the site.

Fortunately, the two emperors can continue their underground sleep,
which has lasted for more than 1,000 years, as planners have decided to
add to the 12-billion-yuan (1.45-billion-US dollar) construction project
a new scheme to protect the two imperial tombs, an attractive landscape
now in Xiaoguwei Island of Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong
Province, set off by othermodern installations in the site.

A highway in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province,
linking the West Lake and the city's downtown areas, has been rebuilt to
avoid destroying an imperial street of the Southern Song Dynasty
(1127-1279), which was also absorbed in the latest list of the top 10
findings.

Archaeological findings can not only change construction plans,but
also help protect relics. Some of the historical sites have been labeled
cultural heritage to prevent them from damages and threats by local or
central government departments. Some help promote tourism and spread
historical knowledge after being opened to the public.

"On many occasions, archaeological excavation and the following
research work have provided a reference for the evaluation of unearthed
cultural relics and enactment of their protection plans," said Cao
Bingwu, deputy editor-in-chief of the China Cultural Relics News.

Bad news, however, also breaks out frequently, as a large number of
historical sites and cultural relics have been buried or destroyed by
profit-driven construction projects, Xu Pingfang said.

This January, construction workers demolished a large section of
the Great Wall in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, using the old bricks to
pave a road. In March, more than 20 ancient tombs were trampled in
Tongchuan, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, during the building of
a new residential development.

"That's why we should continue to select the top 10 archaeological
findings in future years. It can not only help maintain the historical
sites joining the activity, but also enhance the protection of cultural
relics in the whole country by spreading the successful experience of
the listed ones," Xu said.

China has issued its top 10 archaeological findings for a
consecutive 15 years since 1990.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/18/content_2844035.htm

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People's Daily Online, April 11, 2005
Ancient musical instruments unearthed in E. China

After nearly two years'excavation, archeologists have found a huge
underground storeroom for musical instruments at a tomb of state of Yue
in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province. More than 500 pieces of celadon
musical instruments including three extremely rare Fous are unearthed.
The quantity and quality of the musical instruments can be compared with
the chime bells unearthed from the Zenghouyi tomb of the Warring State
Period.

Discovery of so many celadon musical instruments in one tomb is very
rarely seen. The huge storeroom of musical instruments embodies colorful
music life in ancient time, and the finding fills the void of historical
material for ancient music culture in southeast China, said Prof. Wu
Guodong, expert of Chinese folk music and president of the Nanjing Art
Academy.

Among the celadon instruments are three-foot Fou, Dingning, Niuduo,
Yongzhong, Qing, etc. The Fou, Duo and are musical instruments of the
state of Yue discovered in China for the first time.

In a long period of time people have no idea what Fou looks like. The
unearthed instrument gives answer to this question.

The celadon Ju, a column-shaped base on which musical instruments are
hung is discovered in China for the first time too.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200504/11/eng20050411_180482.html

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pd, April 18, 2005
China issues new top 10 archaeological findings

China declared on Sunday its top 10 most valuable archeological findings
in 2004, five of which were unearthed while constructing buildings,
roads and development zones, and rescued from under the wheels of
roaring bulldozers.

The 10 findings, selected from 22 candidates recommended by
archaeological teams from 13 provinces, municipalities and autonomous
regions, include a tomb complex of the Yue State dating back to the late
Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.).

Archaeologists found in the complex, hidden in 15 small mounds, seven
ancient tombs of nobles, just before the construction of an ambitious
economic development zone started at Hongshan Township, Wuxi City of
east China's Jiangsu Province, where the ruins were located.

"Without our rescue efforts, the tombs might have been crushed to pieces
by bulldozers or submerged by high-rise buildings and mansions forever,"
Zhang said.

China's law for the protection of cultural relics stipulates that an
infrastructure construction project should be launched together with
archaeological exploration and excavation. If relics are spotted, the
project must be suspended or changes to the original construction plan
must be made to give way to the protection of historical sites.

"It is a typical example of China's many archaeological findings," said
Li Peisong, an official with the State Administration of Cultural
Heritage. The administration approved excavation of more than 600
historical sites last year, 80 percent of which were carried to rescue
relics from infrastructure construction projects.

Archaeological findings can not only change construction plans, but also
help protect relics. Some of the historical sites have been labeled
cultural heritage to prevent them from damages and threats by local or
central government departments. Some help promote tourism and spread
historical knowledge after being opened to the public.

"On many occasions, archaeological excavation and the following research
work have provided a reference for the evaluation of unearthed cultural
relics and enactment of their protection plans," said Cao Bingwu, deputy
editor-in-chief of the China Cultural Relics News.

Bad news, however, also breaks out frequently, as a large number of
historical sites and cultural relics have been buried or destroyed by
profit-driven construction projects, Xu Pingfang said.

This January, construction workers demolished a large section of the
Great Wall in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, using the old bricks to
pave a road. In March, more than 20 ancient tombs were trampled in
Tongchuan, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, during the building of
a new residential development.

China has issued its top 10 archaeological findings for a consecutive 15
years since 1990.

http://english.people.com.cn/200504/18/eng20050418_181575.html

**************************

xinhua
Sotheby HK puts 72 art works on auction
www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-18 23:07:45

HONG KONG, April 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Seventy-two lots of contemporary
art works will be offered at Sotheby's Spring 2005 Auction on May 1,
announced Sotheby Hong Kong on Monday.

The ark works include photography, oil paintings, sculptures and
decorative installations by contemporary artists. A special selection of
Korean contemporary art, with rising popularity in the art market, will
also be included.

Paintings by Zhao Wuji, one of the pioneers of Chinese contemporary
art, are highly sought after by collectors worldwide,especially works
from the 1950s to 1960s.

Six works by Zhao are offered in this auction, including a sketch
and oil works from his peak period, showcasing a strong representation.
Among those is "11.1.1959," an oil painting in 1959 estimated at 5
million HK dollars (about 640,000 US dollars).

Oil works painted from the 1970s to 1980s by Chinese painter
WuGuanzhong will also be offered in the sale. "Banyan Tree in
Xishuangbanna," estimated at 900,000 to 1,200,000 HK dollars (about
115,000 to US dollars), and "Zhoushan Harbor", estimated at 800,000 to
1,200,000 HK dollars (about 102,500 to 154,000 US dollars), will also be
shown at the auction.

As Korean contemporary art is receiving an increasing attentionin
the international art market, works by Korean artists such as "Untitled"
and "A La Mode series" will also be put up at the auction.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/18/content_2847191.htm

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Workshop aims to promote Asian arts research
Date: 2005/04/15 14:31:13
SOURCE: Taiwan News
URL: http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/Society/2005/04/15/1113530459.htm

To promote local research in Southeast Asian arts and to connect with
the latest research, the National Palace Museum invited prominent
scholars from across the globe to a three-day workshop held earlier this
week.

"The workshop helped members of the public to gain a better
understanding of Asian culture, especially Southeast Asian art which is
abundant, colorful and culturally refined," said Shih Shou-chien, NPM
director.

The international workshop invited twelve foreign scholars and four
local scholars to deliver papers in their respective specializations.

The workshop was organized by the NPM and the Ecole Francaise
d'Extreme-Orient (French School of the Far East.)

The NPM said it would continue to hold international workshops on
Southeast Asian arts in the future; the next seminar, in 2006, will be
held in Thailand.

A larger international conference is planned for 2007, the NPM says.

The National Palace Museum, renowned for its collection of Chinese art,
and the NPM's Southern Branch will focus further attention on Asian art.

Organizers of the workshop aimed to promote the study of Southeast Asian
arts in Taiwan and encourage research for the future NPM Southern Branch.

Louis Gabaude from the EFEO, the main organizer of the workshop, met
Shih in 2003 and learned of the NPM's Southern Branch project, and
proposed cooperation with the NPM on future research on Southeast Asian art.

Shih considers it important to close the gap between European and
Taiwanese researchers who share the same research interests.

Gillian Green, a specialist in Cambodian textiles, said she was glad
that many scholars in the workshop had contributed stimulating theses.

The workshop, Green said, also gave her the opportunity to meet fellow
researchers Donald Stadner and Charles Higham for the first time.

Marie-France Dupoizat, a specialist in Indonesian ceramic arts, said she
was pleased to meet local scholar Hsieh Ming-liang to exchange ideas,
and was surprised to learn that ceramic relics found in Indonesia were
the same type of ceramic artifacts discovered in the Penghu Islands.

Foreign scholars attending the workshop included Charles Higham from the
University of Otago, New Zealand; Ho Chuimei from the Chinatown Museum
Foundation, Chicago, United States; Asako Morimoto from the Fukuoka City
Board of Education, Japan; Marie-France Dupoizat from le monde
insulindien, EHESS-CNRS, France; Bruno Bruguier, Christophe Pottier,
Louis Gabaude, and Michel Lorrillard from the EFEO, France; Donal
Stadtner from the University of Texas, United States; Patricia Cheesman
from Chiang Mai University, Thailand; Leedom Lefferts from Drew
University; and Gillian Green from the University of Sydney, Australia.

Local scholars included Huang Lan-shiang from Academia Sinica; Hsieh
Ming-liang from the National Taiwan University; Yen Chih-hung from the
Yuanpei Institute of Science and Technology; and Chang Hsiang-wen from
the NPM.

http://english.www.gov.tw/index.jsp?id=11&recid=105432&viewdate=0

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xinhua
China to reclaim looted, stolen relics
www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-13 10:01:01

BEIJING, April 13 -- Cultural relic experts and NGOs have set the
wheels in motion to begin reclaiming China's national treasures from abroad.

The China Cultural Relics Recovery Programme, funded by the China
Foundation for the Development of Folklore Culture, announced a
large-scale programme on Monday to claim back Chinese cultural relics
scattered around the world.

According to Zhang Yongnian, head of the programme, the group will
focus on items that were stolen, excavated or looted and trafficked
abroad between 1840 and 1949, before the founding of New China.

Statistics from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization suggest about 1.67 million Chinese cultural relics
are held by more than 200 foreign museums in 47 countries.

Some estimates put the number of relics collected by private
individuals at 10 times that figure.

"The spiritual wealth can be shared (by the whole world), but not
the ownership, just like the property rights on software," said Xie
Chensheng, a senior cultural heritage preservation expert.

"Ownership of the scattered cultural treasures should lie with the
Chinese people," he said.

But Director-General of the programme Wang Weiming was keen to
stress there would be no indiscriminate witch-hunt. He said: "We don't
mean to retrieve all the Chinese relics stored in foreign museums."

He added that the programme is a civil movement fueled by Chinese
NGOs based on public opinion, historical realities and an international
convention to protect cultural relics at their original sites.

Curbing the export of cultural relics has become a consensus
recognized by many governments, relics experts said.

"Our next step is to compile the list of relics that need to be
returned," Wang said.

"The first cultural relic that we want to get back will be a
recognized artistic treasure," he said, without elaborating on what the
target would actually be.
(Source: China Daily)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/13/content_2822140.htm

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artdaily.com, April 13, 2005
Defining Yongle: Imperial Art at The Metropolitan

[image] Arhat, possible Vanavasa, China, Ming dynasty, Yongle period
(1403–1424). Hanging scroll mounted as framed panel; ink and color on
cloth; 31 1/8 x 22 1/4 in. (79.2 x 56.5 cm). Robert Rosenkranz Collection.

NEW YORK.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents Defining Yongle:
Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China, on view through July 10,
2005 at the Herbert and Florence Irving Galleries for Chinese Decorative
Arts. Featuring some 50 extraordinary works of art, Defining Yongle:
Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China will explore a crucial
moment in the development of imperial Chinese art, and its relationship
to later traditions. On view will be sculptures, paintings, lacquers,
metalwork, ceramics, textiles, and ivories created in the imperial
workshops during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1424).
Important recent acquisitions – such as a gilt-bronze sculpture,
Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and a rare lacquer sutra box with
incised gold decoration (qiangjin) – will be presented along with 12
works (embroidered silks and works in cloisonné, ivory, and lacquer)
acquired since 1990. Fifteen loans, many from New York collections, will
supplement 33 objects drawn from the Metropolitan Museum’s permanent
collection.

The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue are made possible by The
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation.

The Yongle Emperor has been revered – and at times reviled – as one of
the most powerful and effective rulers of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
His reign was punctuated by vigorous military campaigns that pushed the
Mongols back into Mongolia and that expanded his empire south into
Vietnam, as well as by six historically unprecedented maritime
expeditions, one of which reached the east coast of Africa. The emperor
moved the capital from the south to the north and established the
Forbidden City in Beijing (the northern capital), incorporating the
complex built earlier by Khubilai Khan (1215-1294). He created a new
military noble class and shaped the intellectual outlook of the
intelligentsia by commissioning influential compendia of classic texts.

Paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and other media produced
during his reign illustrate an imperial aesthetic that influenced
Chinese taste until the end of the 18th century. Diplomatic and economic
relations between China and Islamic centers such as that of the Mamluk
Empire (1260–1526), based in Egypt and Syria, are reflected in the
introductions of new shapes and motifs in porcelain as well as in new
techniques. The emperor’s interest in Tibetan Buddhism can be seen
through the style and imagery of sculptures, ritual implements, and
textiles produced at the court for use in religious ceremonies, and as
gifts to visiting clerics. These gifts, as well as Chinese paintings and
ceramics, played an important role in the development of Tibetan art
during the second half of the 15th century.

Defining Yongle: Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China will be
accompanied by a catalogue.

A variety of education programs will be presented in conjunction with
the exhibition, including gallery talks and family programs, as well as
a Sunday at the Met program consisting of a lecture and a film on May 15.

The exhibition will be co-organized by Denise Patry Leidy, Associate
Curator, and James C. Y. Watt, Brooke Russell Astor Chairman, both in
the Department of Asian Art. Graphic design is by Barbara Weiss, Graphic
Designer, and lighting by Clint Ross Coller and Richard Lichte, Lighting
Designers, all of the Museum’s Design Department.

http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=13308

__________________

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold
(Art-Eastasia list)

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

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