HELLO TIANANMEN!

Hat: bought in Shanghai | Coat: vintage Blackglama mink | Leggings: French Connection | Boots: Ash Italia | Bag: Chanel

DAY 2, and another eager welcome in our hotel lobby from the kind volunteers from CAFA. We started the day early and set off for Tiananmen Square, the focal point of so many of our academic readings, not to mention the point of reference for so many artworks in contemporary Chinese art! Journeying to such an iconic landmark, we felt the gravity of where we were headed, with the historic significance of the square drummed into us via Wu Hung’s eloquently written Remaking Beijing.

MA Special Option Re(Made) in China Class of 2013 outside the National Museum of China.

Impressive entrance into the National Museum of China.

Flanking the eastern side of Tiananmen sits the National Museum of China. We went inside and explored the Ancient China permanent exhibition. The exhibit follows a dynastic sequence unfolding Chinese history in eight sections from prehistoric times to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Focusing on the progress of Chinese civilization and the historical course of such a multi-ethnic country, Ancient China illustrates the achievements and the advancement of human civilization in China.

“Wangzi Wu” Bronze Ding (food container) | 770-403 BC, Chu State | Unearthed at Xiasi, Xichuan, Henan Province, 1978

The eighty-four-character inscription inside this ding documents that the benevolent ruler of Wangzi Wu worshipped his ancestors and prayed for his offspring. According to historical records, Wangzi Wu was a son of Chu Zhuang Wang (ruler of Chu State).

Bronze Cowrie Container with Tiger-shaped Handles and Seven Oxen | Western Han Dynasty (202 BC – 8 AD) | Unearthed at Shizhaishan, Jinning, Yunnan Province, 1955-60

The ox was an important symbol of status and wealth in the Dian society.

Paper Fragments Transcribed with Buddhist Sutra | Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Lian (401-439 AD)

Afterwards, we headed to the Forbidden City, not before a mini-lecture IN Tiananmen Square. Really vast and its bareness quite startling, what struck me the most about the square were the lampposts dotted around, adorned with a ridiculous amount of CCTV cameras… No dissident activities would go unrecorded at Tiananmen.

 Entering the Forbidden City

Posing with my faithful eunuch!