Essentially Chinese

The Origin of Essentially Chinese

In the year of 1974, Roland Barthes had asked, “How about China?” (Alor, La Chine?) Nowadays, this question has exhibited larger pertinence under the background of there-rise of China. The new world pattern has brought historical opportunities to China and China has also attracted unprecedented concern from the whole world. We hope that the world could understand a real China which has not been exhibited with onesided symbolism.

However, the national image of China has been limited for so many years to stereotypical politic ecosystem or simple excavation of fixed historical specimens, such as Beijing Opera, Kung-Fu, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, etc. These things have played a great role in publicizing China and opened a window for the whole world to get a glimpse of the former. However, there is also a pristine vivid image of China full of exhibitions of everyday humanity lying beyond the mystic political image of China to westerners. Historical specimens cannot decipher the authentic ongoing China and epic packages of those images are merely a reflection of aesthetics of the minority and cannot represent true aesthetic values manifested by things common in the land of China with a huge population of more than 1,300 million.

The true image of China cannot be deducted from ancient classics of China but is alive in tangible everyday life where the truest contemporary aesthetics can be identified. It’s during the process of blending and interaction with all kinds of fresh, advanced, contemporary and exotic aesthetic cultures that the image of China changes with times. Only the connotations and spirits lying there are authentic Chinese-style aesthetics, an aesthetic culture open to, accommodating and containing other aesthetic cultures. This very true Chinese-style aesthetics is just the utmost true national image of China.

The Essential Chinese series:
Chinese Stuff
Chinese House
Chinese People Coming soon!
Chinese Icon
Chinese Life
Chinese Restaurant
Chinese Office

Comment

"These items are so common in the daily life of Chinese people that they are usually given little attention. But when people observe them from a different cultural perspective, the common "Chinese stuff" suddenly becomes fascinating... this book offers a fun micro-perspective that could lead to surprising discoveries." - China Daily

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2008-09/18/content_7038857.htm