A Glimpse of North Korea from Dandong, China

Last May, I took a day trip to Manchurian city Dandong, the large border Chinese city next to North Korea.

I entertained myself during the short train ride from my home city Shenyang, when the scenery got dull, by observing the speed of the train, which had reached 244 km/hr (152 mi/hr).





Dandong was the entry point of the Chinese "Volunteer" Army and military materials pouring into the battlefields of Korean War in 1950s. The bridge connecting Dandong and North Korea was bombed during the war and it remained damaged, as a relic of the war, stood next to a later bridge, which channeled legal or illegal imported and exported goods between China and North Korea. The image of destruction had made a strong impression on me, and I even made a painting of those parallel bridges, titled "Bombed Bridge, III".


Bombed Bridge, Oil on Canvas, 24"x36", 2007

It should be noticed that the damage to the old bridge was limited to the North Korea's side only, while the rest remained intact inside Chinese territory. At the right vantage point, one could see both bridges stood side by side over Yalu River.







I took a little river cruise along the river, so as to take a quick survey of the border region of North Korea, Sinuiju.















Looking back at Dandong, which though in the economic depressed rust belt Northeast China, comparing to the slow-paced North Korea, looked like a thriving metropolis:









It seemed so arbitrary that one could be born in a "wrong region", or at a "wrong time". Or both. And for the unlucky ones, hope simple didn't exist.


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My Featured Painting "Cascades"

Inspired by the lush fall colors in the valleys, and rushing cascades in the mountains of Yosemite, which I recently visited, I made a gouache painting, titled Cascade, trying to capture the spirits and impression of the marvel, instead of literal shapes and shades.

 

Cascade
Gouache on Paper 12”x8”
Completed in 2017

A simple and heart-warming souvenir.


Originally posted on matthewfelixsun.com

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Tomb Treasure Exhibition at San Francisco Asian Art Museum

San Francisco's Asian Art Museum, in collaboration with Nanjin Museum in China, just opened a breathtaking exhibition, "Tomb Treasures, New Discoveries from China’s Han Dynasty" (February 17 - May 28, 2017), with the majority of the artifacts from Dayushan Jiandu Royal Tomb (excavated in 2011) and Xuzhou Chu Royal Tomb (excavated in 1995).

According to the Museum,

One of the most powerful civilizations of the ancient world, China’s Han dynasty achieved profound cultural and artistic influence, technological advancements and military might. Two thousand years later, discoveries of royal tombs allow us to glimpse these extraordinary accomplishments firsthand.

One of the most impressive artifacts on display was a rare percussion instrument - a group of bronze bells of various sizes on a rack in formation, each bell has a different pitch, like a ancient keyboard. Music and ceremony played very important roles in ancient China and this Bell Group perhaps was almost as important a symbol as a scepter of the state.







For indisputable symbols of royal status and state power, the exhibition presented some ceremonial and war weaponry, along with armor and warrior status made of wood, recalling bronze horses by Deborah Butterfield, in the shape of driftwood.











There were other objects symbolizing the royal status and power of those tomb owners, such as some powerful and graceful bronze tigers with gold and silver inlays, and other noble beasts adorning different daily objects.







Another important aspect of court life was cooking, which, besides providing  indispensable daily subsistence, was as important as music in ritual ceremonies. The daily or ritual cooking utensils were abundant in these tomb discoveries, and they impressed with their imposing bulk and delicate details.







 





Courtly entertainment was represented by graceful dancer figurines and tiny jester statues, along with some stylized and humorous figure and animal statues.











Echos of graceful shapes and movements of those court dancers could be seen on some wonderfully shaped lamps, including the joint-armed, heart-shaped one, whose unique design rendered it smokeless.





More personal objects in the exhibition were metal mirror, jade accessories, and precious metal clasps, etc. Elegant and delicate.















Finally, there were impressive objects from homes for the living and for the dead.









A pair of terracotta figurines, whose wooden arms had rotten away, were startlingly creepy and memorable. Time had changed by Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and artificial, instead of human sacrifices were to be entombed. A marked progression of society and culture.



The most memorable objects of this exhibition were a huge marble tomb and a death shroud made of jade plates wired together with gold threads. Muted and low-key, yet most extravagant.







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