Chinese Sculpture, Impressions by Dina Merhav

My first visit to China was in 1992 with a geographical tour as a tourist. I fell in love with
China, its astonishing, varied landscape and its wonderful people. This was my first encounter with its rich old culture and tradition and especially its sculpture. These were my early encounter with sculpture (I started to sculpt in the mid eighties).

After visiting Beijing and its attractions we reached the great wall which is one the world's
Wonders. For me the wall is a work of art, and can be considered as an enormous sculpture that changes totally the landscape of the whole surrounding. The visit there is an extraordinary experience; one can feel the ancient spirit and tradition with each step, walking along the wall.

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The Yungang Budhistic Caves carved in the south rocks of the Wuduzhushan mountain, 16 km. west from Datung where the next stop. Most of the caves were carved between 460-494 CE. The caves are containing about 50.000 sculptures. These Sculptures are some of the best ancient examples of stone carved sculptures. They are fantastic in quantities, different scales and most of all in their way of expression. The biggest Buddha, 17 m. height, is the
Maitreya Buddha, meaning, one who will arrive in the future, is surrounded with hundreds of small Buddha sculptures which show the great carving abilities of the ancient artists

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I did not want to leave this miraculous place, I was fascinated.

The next surprise was Xian and the Emperor's grave with the terra cotta soldiers. This site
Cannot be described in words. Ying Zheng who was called Shi Huang, the first Chinese  Emperor, was the first one who united all the districts into one country with one method of writing and finance system.

He built for himself an extravagant mausoleum that is not yet totally uncovered, and what we can see now is only part of it. The hall with the 6000 terra cotta soldiers is a unique experience. One stands there speechless. The enormous mass of terra cotta sculptures is almost unbelievable. Each soldier has a different face and expression. You feel that you are surrounded by many human figures that are here to protect their Emperor. These soldiers are a huge artistic achievement. I don't think that there are similar artistic climaxes in the world.

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After this trip I was determined to come back and get to know this miraculous country better.
It happened in 2003 when I was invited to participate in the 9th international sculpture symposium at Yuzi Paradise near Guilin. I managed to construct two huge sculptures during the symposium, with the efficient help of Chinese assistants. The Bird of Paradise, 2003, painted iron, 880x550x560 cm. installed in the Yuenyuanyuan sculpture Park in Shanghai and Fishing, 2003, iron, 1050x 500x350 cm. placed in the main entrance of the Yuzi Paradise International Sculpture Park.

Yuzi Paradise Park
Ju Ming, China

The Yuzi Paradise Sculpture Park was established by Mr. Tsao who had the vision and the financial means to execute his ambitious dream. Besides preserving nature, the main aim of the project was to connect the unique landscape with visual art, in order to create a total experience. This experience includes exhibiting art, especially modern sculpture, art education and art research - to create a new culture which combines the landscape with sculptures from all over the world. Every artist brings his unique heritage and his own spirit. Another intention of the founder was to create a cultural melting pot, bringing closer East and West.

The Yuzi Paradise Sculpture Park is a wonderful achievement in constructing an inspiring site. While walking through the magnificent landscape of green valleys, different sizes of lakes, surrounded with the astonishing shaped mountains we discover thousands of different sculptures – a pluralistic selection from all over the world. The sculptures bring to the landscape the exceptional spirit of each country that they represent.

The purpose was to integrate, unite and bring together different cultures, different human
states of minds and approaches to life. The message of the works of art is that all human beings
Are similar in their humanity and united by common features even if they belong to different cultures, views and religious believes. Mr. Thao's point was to unite and harmonize people through works of art. My believe is similar; I believe that if we would put more emphasis on
Art education and art practicing we could minimize the aggression and even prevent wars.
Walking through this enchanted Sculpture Park is an inspiring adventure. You breath an atmosphere of harmony, beauty and peacefulness. Each sculpture is telling the story of its creator, his culture and experience of life.

My third trip to China occurred in 2006, after sending some proposals to Beijing for the Olympic
Sculpture Park, and another proposal for the Zhengzhou City Sculpture. For the Beijing Olympic
Sculpture Park the committee received about 2000 proposals, but only about 170 works were chosen, and exhibited in a big show in Beijing.

I was also invited by the Zhengzhou City Sculpture to participate in their exhibition of models.

The group of artists including myself, were invited to visit some attractions in the surroundings. We journeyed to the Yellow River, and on the way we saw a huge and most impressive sculpture, 40 meters height, of the figures of two Chinese emperors.  Everything in China is huge, the dimensions almost beyond comprehension.

The next day we toured the Longmen Caves, which means in Chinese Dragon's Gate. This is a multi-dimensional complex of scores of caves hewn into the mountain rock, in each appeared sculptures of Buddha in different sizes, from several centimeters to 17 meters height. Sculpturing began when the emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital from Datong to Luoyang, and continued for almost four centuries.
The Longmen Caves comprise 1300 caves adorned with 100,000 statues. Many experts consider them the artistic triumph of Buddhist stone carving. It is the most impressive collection of Chinese art from these dynasties, and, dating from 316 to 907 CE, represents the zenith of stone carving in China. It is definitely a spiritual experience – to visit a place where countless hours of work were expended by men in carving and designing.

For many years I longed to see the Giant Buddha in Leshan, although I heard about it different opinions, I felt that I must see it. The opportunity arrived in 2007. I was again invited to Beijing for the enlargement of my Sculpture Totem, for the Olympic Sculpture Park. I arranged a trip to Leshan to see the Giant Buddha.
The world-famous Leshan Giant Buddha is carved into the western river cliff face of Lingyun Mountain overlooking the confluence of the Min, Qingyi and Dadu rivers. This classic statue is of great religious significance and was created in the belief that it would influence the turbulent waters of the rivers and protect shipping. It stands as a great tribute to the skills of the stone carvers who created it and is part of a long tradition of religious stone-carving works. In December, 1996, the location of the Buddha was included by UNESCO on the list of the World Heritage sites. Begun in the year 713 AD in the Tang Dynasty, and finished in the year 803, the statue took more than 90 years to carve. During these years thousands of workers had expended their efforts and wisdom on the project.

The development of China's modern sculpture is a very outstanding phenomenon. The transition from traditional, mostly religious sculpture occurred since the establishment of People's Republic of China. In the beginning it was gradually but the last 10-15 years, the opening of China to the western culture, the fast grows of economy and mostly the true need to expose the great creative abilities of Chinese artists, caused the rapid achievements of sculpture and especially environmental sculpture. Another reason for the development of so many sculpture parks and public sculptures is the understanding of the cities managements and other authorities the immense influence of works of art on the beautification of the city or the environment. Through these actions the people's spirit and behavior are raised. As I wrote before, I believe that art has a great influence on minimizing aggression.
I was invited to China for my fifth visit to give an essay to the second China Changchun International Sculpture Conference. This was an inspiring and enriching experience. "It is sculpture that set up a bridge between Changchun and the world." Said  Mr. Cui Jie  Mayor of Chanchun. This was the opportunity for me to visit the fantastic Sculpture World Park opened In Changchun in 2003.  The Park combined the Chinese traditional and the Western Gardening With modern planning perception, to reach harmony and unity of nature and human culture. Covering an area of 92 hectares the park contains about 400 works of abundant conceptions, Different styles and diversified materials. On the representation of theme, they are magnificent, deep, miraculous, enlightening and provoking people's thoughts.  The sculptures demonstrate Impact and hybrid of East and West, ancient and modern.  The works are produced by granite, marble, stone, stainless steel. Iron, wood, cast cooper and combination of different materials, which fully demonstrate the sculptors' flexible creativity.
You can walk in this Park for several hours and even days and not see the whole Park. It is so enormous, different sculptures are placed in magic corners hidden by green vegetation and suddenly they appear before your eyes and you are stunned. Walking through the Park is a wonderful experience It is like walking in an enchanted miraculous land, peaceful and harmonious as well as stimulating.

Liu Yi Shenyang, Cina

This was also a good opportunity to build friendship between people that their countries are not in good terms or even enemies. I saw a man dressed in an Arabic dress and addressed him. He said that he is a sculptor from Saudi Arabia. We took some photos next to his work and discussed the issue that if peace would be made by sculptors and not politicians we would already have peace and good relations between our countries and peoples.
Another fantastic Sculpture Park is the Olympic one in Beijing, where one of my sculptures was installed,

Dina Merhav, Israel
Totem, Iron, 2008, 750x510x500 cm.

The idea to build an International Sculpture Park combined with the Olympic site shows to the world the importance the Chinese people and their authorities give to culture and especially to public art. This Park was planned for several years and was a result of the worldwide competition, mentioned above. In October 2007 the international artists, selected for the exiting enlargement of their works, where gathered in Beijing.  We where taken every day to the huge Mao Yidongs factory to assist the Chinese workers working on our sculptures.
This exhibition is aimed at promoting exchange and cooperation among sculptors across the world, integrating urban sculpture into everyday life, and encouraging innovation in this sector.

Ilker Yardimci, Turkey

I am relating only to sculptures in China that I personally saw. I am aware that there are many more sculptures and sculpture's parks that I did not see. Even in Beijing there are so many sculptures that I saw only in book illustrations.
To conclude, I would like to confer my tribute, great respect and admiration to the enormous achievements of the Chinese authorities and the people in charge of constructing so many impressive environmental works and sculptures. Their emphasis on culture and especially on art, is a solid proof of a people that have a high respect to culture and tradition. Even if modern Chinese sculpture is influenced by western art, I am sure that in the near future the Chinese art and especially sculpture will reach great influence and status in the world.
Not long ago I saw a fascinating exhibition of Chinese art in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.  You could feel the old tradition even behind the most modern, up to date works. It was an original enlightening exhibition that showed the rising creative power of China.
I hope that my ongoing encounter and cooperation with China is only in its initial state. I would like to travel to China over and over, to construct more environmental sculptures, and most of all I am looking forward to give new life, and transform old iron junk to sculpture. I know that there are several old abandoned factories with huge quantities of iron junk that are just waiting to be transformed into works of art.

Dina Merhav,  October 2008