Hong Kong

In the morning, I went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. It was a fabulous museum! On the way, this Hindi man noticed me and instantly stopped his conversation with his friend to come talk to me. He told me that he could see me (as he pointed to his third eye and to mine), that he knew me. I didn’t know how to take this, part of me was taken aback and part of me said I could trust him. He said that I was going to have great luck in the upcoming months, but that I’m too in my head and I need to learn to listen to my heart more often. He wanted to see my right hand to tell me more, but I was in my head and I declined. Looking back, I’m curiously to know what he might have said if I had presented my hand. I don’t think he wanted money, he wasn’t a beggar. He just wanted to show me something, but I was nervous.

Anyway, I kept walking. The museum was founded in 1962 and over the past 45 years it has accumulated many wonderful exhibits. They gave a wide range of perspectives on Chinese history and art. The Xubaizhai Collection featured masterpieces of Chinese painting and calligraphy of the Jun, Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties.The largest was a scroll titled “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” that measures 24.8cm by 528.7 cm (huge and yet it’s only ¾ of its original length!). It shows  spring scene of two porters herding donkeys loaded with charcoal along a tranquil stream by a village. Boats of all shapes and sizes unload goods down the Bian River, while wine taverns and tea houses go about their own business on the banks. The focal point of the painting is an arch bridge packed with the hustle and bustle of the crowds gathering for the festival.

The Qingming Festival is a time for visiting ancestors’ graves to show their remembrance. During the Song Dynasty, it was also an idyllic celebration of spring representing the prosperity of the Northern Song. Little is known about the painter, Zhang Zeduan, because he is omitted from the Catalogue of Paintings of the Xuanhe Emperor. Su Dongpu (who I mentioned in a previous blog) is also omitted from the Catalogue of Calligraphy of the Xuanhe Emperor. This is likely because Cai Jing, another painter of the time who is prominent in both catalogues, detested Su Dongpu and Zhang Zeduan (one scholar speculates that this is due to their righteousness). Regardless of his omission, he was a very skilled painter and this is a magnificent scroll.

My favorite in the exhibit was a painting by Luo Pin titled Ghost Amusements. It’s from 1797 and is an unworldly painting of ghostly figures, some similar to everyday people, some ghoulish, green and angular. They wander amidst swirling clouds set against a dark, creepy background. A skeleton on the far left of the scroll hold an arrow; he points it in the direction of an hourglass. This symbolizes that time passes for everything and human beings should cherish the little time we have on this earth.

There was also a fabulous exhibit on ceramics, the most enduring of all art types in China. The exhibit goes from the raw potteries of early China to the exquisite porcelains of later dynasties. The ceramics were used for everyday use, but they also provide insight into the burial culture, extravagance of the Imperial courts, and the importance of literature and art. The ceramics of the Ming Dynasty especially caught my eye. They exhibit inscriptions in Arabic, Tibetan and Chinese showing the wide range of the Dynasty and the cultures it embraced. These ceramics also had multi-layered and multi-colored glazes that created lovely contrasts. A common motif was that of the 5 auspicious plants and the five poisons. The plants are the sweetfly, mugwort, pomegranate, garlic and gossiner. All were believed to ward of poisons, have detoxicating properties and were used as medicines. The five poisons were scorpion, centipede, snake, toad and lizard.

Pomegranates were used as a symbol of fertility, especially when it is opening and exposing its many seeds. Magpies also represent good fortune because the Chinese word for magpie rhymes with the word for “happy occasions.” Citrus is used to represent high government titles, so a combination of pomegranates and citrus represents wishes for many sons in high government positions, the main aim of Chinese families. Bats are also used as an image of good-luck and well-being because the Chinese word for “bat” rhymes with the word for “luck”. The word for “cloud” rhymes with the word for “fortune”. When clouds appear in 5 colors they represent the 5 components of luck: longevity, wealth, health, virtue and a natural death.

Longevity comes first among the five lucks, so living a long life is very respected in Chinese culture. For this reason, it is not considered shameful to ask a person of their age and the older you are the more you are respected and the luckier you are considered. Confucious said, “A person with a kind heart lives a long life.” Pine trees are a symbol of longevity because they are able to withstand severe cold and live a long time. Also, since pine leaves grow in pairs, they symbolize a long and happy marriage. The crane, with its long slim neck and long legs, is said to enjoy long lives and have the same noble character as the Taoist immortals. Peaches are regarded as the food of long life because legend has it that peach trees grown by the Mother Goddess took 3000 years to blossom and another 3000 years to bear fruit. The carp, goldfish and the number 8 are also symbols of wealth. The museum had a press to imprint these auspicious figures onto paper, so I pressed them into my journal both for the image and the good luck J

There was also an exhibit on colonial times in Canton (Guangzhou). While this area was never officially colonized, many Westerners traveled here for commerce, military, diplomatic, and tourism purposes. This exhibit was a little ridiculous; it was set up as a guide for those visiting at that time and its rather culturally insensitive. But, that’s how people were in those days (and often are today as well, but luckily it’s no longer socially acceptable, I hope) For instance, they had an translation diagram of English to “Chinese Pidgon English” where things such as “What is this made of?” and “I want this” are “translated” into “What thing makee?” and “Me wantchee thisee.” It was only meant as an insight into how Westerners thought and behaved in those days, not as a serious guide. The instructions read, “Canton, or Guangzhou as it’s known today, was once known as “London of the East.” While your reasons to visit this city may be as merchant, or tourist, diplomatic or even military, there are some impressive things that any traveler absolutely should not miss. If you fance a fun and safe journey back in time visiting Canton of old, this exhibition will be your travel guide, with practical destination information.

This guide is designated exclusively for use from 1685-1839, i.e. from the opening of Canton as a trade port until the outbreak of the First Opium War. After the 1842 signing of the Treaty of Nanking, restrictions imposed on foreign visitors changed significantly, making it inappropriate to use this travel guide beyond the above-said period.”

There was another exhibit on jewelry, gold and headdresses of ancient China, but I had to rush through this one because I wanted to go to the History Museum as well. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the history museum, I discovered that it was closed on Tuesdays. Just my luck. So instead I started walking back to the ship and ate a lot of delicious street food on the way (fried octopus, fried eggplant, this tasty waffle-type thing and a bunch of other stuff). After stuffing my face, I headed back to the ship to start preparing for Vietnam!