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Contradictory China
By Jane Wiseman
While
many places
could be described this way, I found China to be extremely
contradictory. One of the pictures I took in China
while walking through Tiananmen Square
really
represented the vernacular and transnational. I think it is a good
representation of both the vernacular and transnational because of, not
only
the things in the pictures but events that have happened there. On the
left
side of the picture there is a long line of native Chinese people
waiting
(quite a while in the heat) to go through the mausoleum that houses
Mao’s body
(although many experts believe that the body in there is a replica to
preserve
Mao’s real body). In the background of the photo you can see the gate
into the
Imperial City, and consequently the Forbidden City, which still has a
picture
of Mao displayed at its gates. In China, Mao is still revered
as a
national hero. However, most of the world has a much different view of Tiananmen Square and Mao’s presence there.
Non-Chinese
know of the massacre that occurred in Tiananmen and do not view Mao
with
reverence, while many of the people living in China still do not know
of the
events that took place, and still revere him. The difference in meaning
of Tiananmen Square for the rest of
the world versus what
local Chinese think of it lends to a transnational dimension to the
space as a
whole.
Another
picture I took in China
was in Xi’an.
It was taken from the Shaanxi
History Museum
that houses ancient artifacts from Chinese history, many dating back
thousands
of years. Its architecture is a traditional Chinese style with the
pointed
rooftops and a courtyard. However, as you enter into the courtyard you
can’t
help but notice the very modern high-rise in the background looming
over the
history museum. It seems that you can’t escape changing times, even
while
looking into the past. However, while walking through the museum I
couldn’t
help but think of Edward Denison’s article “Restoring
History in China,”
in
which he talks about how China’s government was “acutely aware of its
perceived
poor record of safeguarding the country’s inheritance”. I wondered if
this
magnificent museum had been built as a way to preserve China’s
heritage in an effort by
the government to show good faith in maintaining its history.
I was also
fortunate enough to see a cultural performance while in Xi’an. I went to
a dinner show put on by the
Tang Dynasty Performance Troupe. I took a picture at the start of the
show and
in the picture the artists are playing instruments that are no longer
in use
(except for historical display and performance). The entire goal of the
spectacular show was to inform the viewers of music and dancing from a
dynasty
long past. The Tang Dynasty is part of China’s history and was
once a
great power giving the show a vernacular label. Yet, it is being
represented in
a transnational dinner-show designed to entertain as well as inform, it
is
composed solely of historical things from China’s past. It is a
transnational
show having traveled to other countries (including the U.S.)
and yet
the entire base of the show is vernacular. I again thought about Denison’s
article and
wondered if it was a step by the government to preserve its history. If
so, it
was fantastic way to bring history to the present.
Overall, I found China
rather
contradictory. The contradictions are seen in the juxtapositions of the
modern
and historic and to the differences in opinions regarding a certain
area. China
seems to
thrive on the yin and yang, having many places and instances that
revolve
around completely opposite view points and situations.
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