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CHINA YEARS 5,000 INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMATION THE ARTS IN SELECTED BY SHERMAN LEE Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Library and Archives http://www.archive.org/details/china5000yearsin00lees / t i *ft / m ;: m 0%mm£M: : ^rptp&i* W$$. M~--y : ., imJ*^: CHINA ^ YEARS 5,000 INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE ARTS SELECTED BY SHERMAN LEE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM *5f frontcover: CHINA: 5,000 YEARS Rearing dragon CuratedbySherman Lee Tangdynasty(618-907) cat.no.59 SolomonR.GuggenheimMuseum February6—June3,1998 backcover: Shang Xi GuggenheimMuseumBilbao TheXuandeEmperoron an Outing Summer 1998 Mingdynasty (136S-1644) cat.no.190 (detail) China:5,000Yearshasbeenorganizedbythe frontispiece: GuggenheimMuseumincollaborationwiththe Qi Gong MinistryofCultureofthe People'sRepublic ofChina Exhibition of5,000Years ofChineseArt and Culture andthe NationalAdministrationforCultural 1997 HeritageofthePeople'sRepublicofChina, ChinaInternationalExhibitionAgencyand previoustwopages: ArtExhibitionsChina. Mythical beast Eastern Zhou,SpringandAutumnperiod (770-476bce) Majorsponsorsofthisexhibitionare cat.no.46 © NOKIA Lufthansa © 1998TheSolomonR.GuggenheimFoundation,NewYork,and ArcExhibitionsChina,Beijing.Allrightsreserved. 6foKdj^P-rrf<fmfir/•v. tMc(^Gm&ffl/Hwp GuggenheimMuseumPublications 1071FifthAvenue Significantadditionalsupporthasbeenprovidedby NewYork,NewYork 10128 TheStarrFoundation TheW.L.S.SpencerFoundation Hardcovereditionsdistributedby and HarryN.Abrams,Inc. MoriBuildingCompanyLimited 100FifthAvenue NewYork,NewYork10011 Thisexhibitionhasalsobeenmadepossibleinpart byamajorgrantfromtheNationalEndowmentfor ISBN0-S109-6908-4(hardcover) theHumanities,expandingAmericasunderstandingof ISBN0-89207-202-4(softcover) whowewere,whoweare,andwhowewillbe. DesignhyTsangSeymourDesign,Inc.,NewYork ThiscatalogueissupportedbyagrantfromTheLi-Ching PrintedinItalybyManogros CulturalandEducationalFoundation. CHINA YEARS 5,000 HOWARD ROG ERS GENERAL EDITOR Naomi Richard consulting editor Sylvia Moss editor INTRODUCTIONS GRAVE GOODS 20 Zhang Wenbin 103 Wu Hung 23 Thomas Krens Realities ofLife after Death: 30 Sherman Lee Constructinga Posthumous World in Funerary Art CULTURAL HISTORY CERAMICS 36 Patricia Ebrey Some Elements in the Intellectual and 114 Wang Qingzheng Religious Context ofChinese Art The Development of Chinese 49 Yu Weichao Ceramics: A BriefSurvey Five Thousand Years ofChinese 122 Regina Krahl Culture Ceramics in China: Making Treasures from Earth JADE SCULPTURE 55 Elizabeth Childs-Johnson Jade as Material and Epoch 132 Su Bai Origins and Trends in the Depiction of BRONZE Human Figures in China ofthe Fifth 69 Ma Chengyuan andSixth Centuries — Ritual Bronzes Epitome ofAncient 144 Helmut Brinker Chinese Civilization Transfiguring Divinities: Buddhist 75 Jenny So Sculpture in China Innovation in Ancient Chinese CALLIGRAPHY Metalwork 159 Peter Sturman LACQUER Calligraphy 89 Michael Knight 171 Liu Jiu'an — So Fine a Luster: Calligraphy and Painting The Essence Chinese Lacquerwares ofa Civilization TEXTILES PAINTING 98 Zhao Feng 174 James Cahill Art ofSilk and Art on Silk in China Chinese Painting: Innovation After "Progress" Ends CATALOGUE 193 SPONSOR'S STATEMENT Ofall cultures that have existed for thousands ofyears, China's is one ofthe oldest. Since the travels of Marco Polo,it has intrigued theWestern imagination and has had an immense influence on European art and culture.This fascination with China has thrived right up until the present day,and ajourney to"the Middle Kingdom"remains an extraordinarily rich and captivating experience. Since the earliest contacts between China and theWest, transportation technology has made considerable contributions to cultural interchange, first through maritime trade and later, on a more extensive scale, through air traffic as well. Lufthansa,which has participated in the realization ofthis exhibition, undertook its first test flights to China during the 1920s,and in 1927 and 1928,the famousAsian expert Sven Hedin explored the Gobi desert and its climate with Lufthansa's assistance. These initial adventures developed into commerical flights,when,in 1930,Lufthansa and the Chinese Ministry ofTransport signed an agreement for the operation ofa European-Asian air-mail company, Eurasia.The company flew its Shanghai-Nanjing-Beijing-Manshuli route once a week, and,although this scheme soon had to be given up, its pioneering flights represented a further step in China's relationship with Europe and the rest ofthe world. Today,air connections to China are both comfortable and plentiful.As in the early days ofaviation, however, Lufthansa's commitment in China is greater than the transportation ofpassengers and cargo. Together withAir China, Lufthansa operates a maintenance center for Chinese aviation, cooperates in the training of aviation personnel,and runs air-catering kitchens. China:5,oooYears is an expression ofthe ties between theWest and China as it reemerges as an economic and political superpower.We are pleased to offer our support for this exhibition as a Global Partner ofthe Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation,with the conviction that works ofart build the longest-lasting bridges to mutual understanding. FrederickW. Reid President and ChiefOperating Officer Lufthansa GermanAirlines Lufthansa SPONSOR'S STATEMENT As we begin our association with the Guggenheim Museum, Nokia is especially pleased to play a role in bringing this rich story offive thousand years ofChinese art and culture to people oftheWestern world. In our contemporary global society,where the written and spoken word may disjoin,art unifies. It projects the essence ofa people, their values, and their inspiration. For Nokia, art embodies the principles ofopenness, creativity,and lastingvalue to which we as an institu- tion are committed. For that reason,we are proud not only to sponsor China:5,000Years but also to support the Finnish Museum for ModernArts in Helsinki and the ChineseYear ofFineArts 199S in Beijing.The thinking that underlies these sponsorships is reflected in our products,which are designed for aesthetic appeal as well as technological achievement. Because ofthis, our association with the Guggenheim is a natural step in the continuing evolution ot Nokia's corporate culture.We share a common vision ofconnecting people and enriching lives through technology,art, and design. From its original location in NewYork to the new museum in Bilbao, the Guggenheim is synonymous with the development and preservation ofart,and thus with furthering knowledge and social achievement. China:5,000Years is the culmination ofthe efforts ofa distinguished international team ofexperts.As the largest exhibition ofsuch art ever to be seen outside China, it presents an extremely broad and unprece- dented view ofChinese cultural development in which we all can find inspiration.We hope that you enjoy the exhibition and the great wealth it offers. Jorma Ollila President and ChiefExecutive Officer NOKIA SPONSOR'S STATEMENT On behalfofthe thousands ofFord Motor Company employees around the world, I am pleased to salute all ofthose involved in presenting China:5,000Years.Their unique collaboration offers the people ofthe United States and Spain this extraordinary exhibition,which demonstrates the full scope ofChinese artistic development over the last five thousandyears. Our thanks go to the Guggenheim Museum; Qian Qichen,Vice Premier and Foreign Minister ofthe People's Republic ofChina;Li Daoyu,Ambassador ofthe People's Republic ofChina to the United States; the Ministry ofCulture ofthe People's Republic ofChina; the NationalAdministration for Cultural Heritage ofthe People's Republic ofChina; China International ExhibitionAgency;andArt Exhibitions China for organizing this major cultural exchange between the United States and the People's Republic ofChina. We at Ford Motor Company believe deeply in shared understanding between nations, and especially in strengthening the relationship between the governments,businesses,and people ofthe United States and China.We are particularly pleased to serve as a partner in bringing the rich cultural heritage ofChina to the people ofthe United States and Spain,and look forward to introducing the people ofChina to American art when the exchange exhibition America:300Years is presented in Beijing and Shanghai in late 1998 and 1999. AlexTrotman Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer <X^jtJg/i>Aizm/M