Recently I ran into an “Education Plan” for Xin’ai Primary School 6th Grade in Huai An (a city in Jiangsu Province of China), published in 1934. I was surprised and touched by the great ideas of those early Chinese educators. What I said “great ideas” were really just “small things” that reflected those educators’ focus on developing children in the most natural and humane way.
This primary school was founded by Wang Da, a student of the great Chinese educator Tao Xingzhi (189-1946). Tao had his own core for education: life is education, society is school, teach and learn combined.
The “Education Plan” was divided into four parts: Finance Support, Life, Environment, and Slogan (I don’t understand the last part). The second part “Life” is very fascinating, focusing on “Healthy Body,” “Science,” “Interest in Art,” “Production Skills,” and “Spirit of Freedom, Equality, Help each other.” (I translated all these directly.)
Just list some of the “requirements” below:
- Do physical exercise once everyday
- Clean (your) room once everyday
- Write a diary everyday
- Drink five big bowls of water and one big bowl of soya-bean milk everyday
- Have one motion everyday regularly (I’ve never tried to say this in English before O.O!)
- Read local and national newspaper everyday
Some other “requirements” based on year round includes:
- be able to recognize at least 10 kinds of most common plants and animals; observe the growth of one kinds and understand its relation to human
- be able to recognize at least 12 stars (that can be seen every night); understand some of the most important natural phenomena: wind, cloud, rain, fog, etc., and their relations to human
- be able to appreciate some famous songs and art as well as natural beauty
… …
In addition, there are some other very “practical” requirements. For example, learn to use at least 10 different kinds of most common medicine; be able to swim …
Some of these requirements may be regarded as very “traditional” since science had developed a lot. However, the education plan was very detailed and focused on children’s natural growth as 1) a human being within the natural environment and 2) a human being who will further develop intelligence.
I feel that the composer of this education plan really regards those children who will follow the plan as his/her children. The love and warmth in this plan are very touching and persuasive.
For those who want to know more about this “education plan,” here is the original Chinese title of it: 1934年度《淮安新安小学第六年计划大纲》
More information could be found on this Chinese blog: http://bulaoge.net/topic.blg?dmn=weixi&tid=2252117
One of the books that mentioned this education plan is 追寻失落的中国教育传统 (Looking for the lost Chinese traditional education) authored by 王丽 Wang Li.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ouyang Xingkai's Photographs
Recently our art museum included five photographs of Ouyang Xingkai into her new acquisition. Four of them are now on view in a special exhibition “World Documents” at Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (Check Out Here). The five photographs are part of Ouyang’s “Hongjiang” theme—a series of documentary photographs he took in the last seven years.
Ouyang Xingkai was born in the city of Xiangtan, Hunan Province in China. In October 2003, Ouyang visited Hongjiang, where he made friends with Shen Xianghua, an elder of the town who still kept his clear memories of everything happened in the past eighty years—both glory and decline of Hongjiang. During Ouyang’s visit, Shen showed him around and told him stories and legends of the town. All these reminded Ouyang of his own childhood experience and he began to take photos of the town and its people in the following years.
Hongjiang sits at the junction of the Yuanshui and Wushui Rivers in western Hunan Province. Because of its significant location, Hongjiang was a major distribution center that connected Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Hubei provinces. During Ming and Qing dynasty, Hongjiang became an important commercial town in southwestern China and reached its heyday at the beginning of the Republic of China. With its booming prosperity the town was well known as “little Nanjing”. However, water transportation started to decline as the road and railway transportation developed and expanded throughout the country. Hongjiang, as a result, gradually lost its significance and was forgotten by people. For more than a half century, numerous merchant families left their home and Hongjiang was preserved well as if time stopped here.
Ouyang first got interested in the special architecture Yin Zi Wu 窨子屋, or cellar houses. In the past, Yin Zi Wu used to be mansions of the rich merchants. These cellar houses have very tall exterior walls built with grey bricks for guarding against theft and fire safety. Attached with the walls is the interior wooden architecture structure. The roof inclined inwards and forms a rectangle atrium in the middle, letting in rains and sunshine. Lintels, window frames, columns are all carved with detailed patterns. From the architectural design we see the prosperous and luxurious living condition of the rich merchants in Hongjiang. But all these were gone.
Nowadays, Hongjiang became a quiet “undeveloped” town after it was deprived of its significance in transportation. Most of the residents now living in these Yin Zi Wu are elders who still keep their traditional simple life regardless of the dramatic industrial development outside of the town.
No. 166-4, Jianshe street, Tuokou town, Hongjiang. Peng Zaoxiu, 80 years old (left) and Li Guomei, 70 years old (right).
Zhu Guoshou, 91 years old, has been living in No. 17 Aozibao for 30 years. When Ouyang visited the museum, he especially talked about this photo and explained some items in the picture. The back rows of cabinets were made by the old man. During the Cultural Revolution, China made commercial exchanges with Romania and imported these Romanian style cabinets. Zhu couldn’t afford these popular furniture and he imitated the style to make his own cabinets. There is a poster on the left cabinet where two young women can be seen. One of them is Joan Chen (I don’t remember which one). Joan Chen was one of the Chinese actresses who first came to the U.S. and explore their Hollywood career. Then it’s the old television, on which, I think everyone can recognize, is the Titanic movie clip.
Ceng Chunchang, 76 years old, now lives in No. 10 Youlou alley with his 73 years old wife Xiang Lanxiang, a retired worker of Hongjiang Food Company.
Shen Jinqiu, born in 1921, now lives in No. 26, Xiangyangping, Hongjiang.
As this particular photograph shows us, Shen Jinqiu, a Chinese medical practitioner with over 70 years of working experience, is taking the pulse of a little girl. Under the girl’s wrist, a book serves as a pulse feeling cushion. On the shelves on the back wall are roles of jars that contain various herbs. Everything in this photograph reflects a typical traditional “taste” of the elders in Hongjiang—using colorful New Year pictures as wall decoration, hanging frames with photos of family members inserted, sticking newspapers on walls. The gentle light comes in through the window and gives the interior setting a quiet calm moment.
During his visit, Ouyang talked about how he got familiar with every family of the town, how he joined the families during Spring Festival (as significant as Christmas in western countries), how he witnessed the young daughter of a local family got married, etc. He took pictures for the local people and gave the pictures to them as presents. Ouyang also talked to every person (especially the elders) about their life and background. He was using his camera to record the old traditions, local cultures and life styles that are gradually lost as the elders pass away.
Ouyang Xingkai was born in the city of Xiangtan, Hunan Province in China. In October 2003, Ouyang visited Hongjiang, where he made friends with Shen Xianghua, an elder of the town who still kept his clear memories of everything happened in the past eighty years—both glory and decline of Hongjiang. During Ouyang’s visit, Shen showed him around and told him stories and legends of the town. All these reminded Ouyang of his own childhood experience and he began to take photos of the town and its people in the following years.
Hongjiang sits at the junction of the Yuanshui and Wushui Rivers in western Hunan Province. Because of its significant location, Hongjiang was a major distribution center that connected Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Hubei provinces. During Ming and Qing dynasty, Hongjiang became an important commercial town in southwestern China and reached its heyday at the beginning of the Republic of China. With its booming prosperity the town was well known as “little Nanjing”. However, water transportation started to decline as the road and railway transportation developed and expanded throughout the country. Hongjiang, as a result, gradually lost its significance and was forgotten by people. For more than a half century, numerous merchant families left their home and Hongjiang was preserved well as if time stopped here.
Ouyang first got interested in the special architecture Yin Zi Wu 窨子屋, or cellar houses. In the past, Yin Zi Wu used to be mansions of the rich merchants. These cellar houses have very tall exterior walls built with grey bricks for guarding against theft and fire safety. Attached with the walls is the interior wooden architecture structure. The roof inclined inwards and forms a rectangle atrium in the middle, letting in rains and sunshine. Lintels, window frames, columns are all carved with detailed patterns. From the architectural design we see the prosperous and luxurious living condition of the rich merchants in Hongjiang. But all these were gone.
Nowadays, Hongjiang became a quiet “undeveloped” town after it was deprived of its significance in transportation. Most of the residents now living in these Yin Zi Wu are elders who still keep their traditional simple life regardless of the dramatic industrial development outside of the town.
No. 166-4, Jianshe street, Tuokou town, Hongjiang. Peng Zaoxiu, 80 years old (left) and Li Guomei, 70 years old (right).
Zhu Guoshou, 91 years old, has been living in No. 17 Aozibao for 30 years. When Ouyang visited the museum, he especially talked about this photo and explained some items in the picture. The back rows of cabinets were made by the old man. During the Cultural Revolution, China made commercial exchanges with Romania and imported these Romanian style cabinets. Zhu couldn’t afford these popular furniture and he imitated the style to make his own cabinets. There is a poster on the left cabinet where two young women can be seen. One of them is Joan Chen (I don’t remember which one). Joan Chen was one of the Chinese actresses who first came to the U.S. and explore their Hollywood career. Then it’s the old television, on which, I think everyone can recognize, is the Titanic movie clip.
Ceng Chunchang, 76 years old, now lives in No. 10 Youlou alley with his 73 years old wife Xiang Lanxiang, a retired worker of Hongjiang Food Company.
Shen Jinqiu, born in 1921, now lives in No. 26, Xiangyangping, Hongjiang.
As this particular photograph shows us, Shen Jinqiu, a Chinese medical practitioner with over 70 years of working experience, is taking the pulse of a little girl. Under the girl’s wrist, a book serves as a pulse feeling cushion. On the shelves on the back wall are roles of jars that contain various herbs. Everything in this photograph reflects a typical traditional “taste” of the elders in Hongjiang—using colorful New Year pictures as wall decoration, hanging frames with photos of family members inserted, sticking newspapers on walls. The gentle light comes in through the window and gives the interior setting a quiet calm moment.
During his visit, Ouyang talked about how he got familiar with every family of the town, how he joined the families during Spring Festival (as significant as Christmas in western countries), how he witnessed the young daughter of a local family got married, etc. He took pictures for the local people and gave the pictures to them as presents. Ouyang also talked to every person (especially the elders) about their life and background. He was using his camera to record the old traditions, local cultures and life styles that are gradually lost as the elders pass away.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
School Starts and I lOVE it.
School started long time ago. Now the fourth week begins and everything goes well except the weather—rained for weeks, my umbrella broken, favorite shoes got wet and failed to dry up in my basement single room.
I love my courses:
1. American Art History seminar “the Gilded Age”
2. “Strategies, Dark Secrets, and Dangers in the Writing of History”—a history class emphasis on critical thinking
3. “Individual and Organization” taught by a business school professor—interesting and inspiring exercises in class
4. “History of Performances” of the theatre department, focuses on various more conceptual forms of performances
AND, a GOLF class—love it! Don’t know why but I just feel very relaxed when hitting the ball. Last Thursday we learned “chip”. Golf is a great sport. Different from the boring jogging and other too exciting sports, Golf requires people to use brain, control your muscle, while stay relaxed.
Four full-credit courses and a PE is enough for me. I don’t feel like burying myself in piles of homework and papers. But I have very high requirement for the “inspirational level” of the classes—for in-class discussions, reading and writing assignments, and sometimes “field assignments.” I expect my classes to extend my “teleneuron”—getting intellectual and physical excitement that will open my mind and expose me new perspectives. I know that college may be the last opportunity to do this.
I am also continuing my internship at the college art museum. The past three months were filled with various events and curatorial projects: participated in a contemporary Chinese photographer’s visiting “interview session” and translated for the photographer and the art professors; wrote object summaries for some art works that will be viewed by different classes; research on Japanese art works (mostly prints and paintings) and Japanese artists names (those messy first name and last name order…)
This is my third college year and I am considering studying abroad next semester. Destination may be University of Edinburgh, not sure yet, but already get excited. Anyway, good luck everyone and enjoy the New England fall (…whatever fall around the world).
I love my courses:
1. American Art History seminar “the Gilded Age”
2. “Strategies, Dark Secrets, and Dangers in the Writing of History”—a history class emphasis on critical thinking
3. “Individual and Organization” taught by a business school professor—interesting and inspiring exercises in class
4. “History of Performances” of the theatre department, focuses on various more conceptual forms of performances
AND, a GOLF class—love it! Don’t know why but I just feel very relaxed when hitting the ball. Last Thursday we learned “chip”. Golf is a great sport. Different from the boring jogging and other too exciting sports, Golf requires people to use brain, control your muscle, while stay relaxed.
Four full-credit courses and a PE is enough for me. I don’t feel like burying myself in piles of homework and papers. But I have very high requirement for the “inspirational level” of the classes—for in-class discussions, reading and writing assignments, and sometimes “field assignments.” I expect my classes to extend my “teleneuron”—getting intellectual and physical excitement that will open my mind and expose me new perspectives. I know that college may be the last opportunity to do this.
I am also continuing my internship at the college art museum. The past three months were filled with various events and curatorial projects: participated in a contemporary Chinese photographer’s visiting “interview session” and translated for the photographer and the art professors; wrote object summaries for some art works that will be viewed by different classes; research on Japanese art works (mostly prints and paintings) and Japanese artists names (those messy first name and last name order…)
This is my third college year and I am considering studying abroad next semester. Destination may be University of Edinburgh, not sure yet, but already get excited. Anyway, good luck everyone and enjoy the New England fall (…whatever fall around the world).
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The busy summer almost gone!
August is almost gone, one more days left. It has been a very busy month for me—commuting between Boston and West Massachusetts every week. I have two internships: Monday at South Hadley MHC Art Museum, Tuesday to Friday at Boston MFA. Now one more week left and then school starts—can’t wait to see my friends, classmates and professors again!!!
MFA Boston is really a huge art museum with numerous tunnels and storage rooms underground—of course, since they have a huge collection. I’ve seen parts of the Chinese jade, ceramics and lacquer collection and I’ve already lost my way underground. My major job is researching on the Chinese highlight objects and some other cataloguing work. I love the job because I got familiar with MFA’s great Asian collections and got chance to go through their books and periodicals (the department library is filled with books of various languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc.). But the best part is the discount I get with my staff card (!) in their wonderful shop and café~! Hahaha…
Compare to MFA Boston, MHC Art Museum is a small art museum with a few staff members. Each person has individual work to do but also helps with everything else. Here I got to know almost every part of the art museum: the object file, the back storage room, the mat cutter, the secret storage cabinet hiding in the gallery, etc. And, there is this fabulous Ice Cream Thursday to gather us together and “taste” ice cream and go through the Mad Libs that makes everyone laughs.
When I look back at my experience during the summer, I realize how much I get from my internship experience and how much I grow. Now summer almost ends and school starts in a week, and I look forward to future opportunities and challenges~!
MFA Boston is really a huge art museum with numerous tunnels and storage rooms underground—of course, since they have a huge collection. I’ve seen parts of the Chinese jade, ceramics and lacquer collection and I’ve already lost my way underground. My major job is researching on the Chinese highlight objects and some other cataloguing work. I love the job because I got familiar with MFA’s great Asian collections and got chance to go through their books and periodicals (the department library is filled with books of various languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc.). But the best part is the discount I get with my staff card (!) in their wonderful shop and café~! Hahaha…
Compare to MFA Boston, MHC Art Museum is a small art museum with a few staff members. Each person has individual work to do but also helps with everything else. Here I got to know almost every part of the art museum: the object file, the back storage room, the mat cutter, the secret storage cabinet hiding in the gallery, etc. And, there is this fabulous Ice Cream Thursday to gather us together and “taste” ice cream and go through the Mad Libs that makes everyone laughs.
When I look back at my experience during the summer, I realize how much I get from my internship experience and how much I grow. Now summer almost ends and school starts in a week, and I look forward to future opportunities and challenges~!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Learn one more new thing today~
I learned another new thing today—examine art objects (on paper) and write condition report~! Dala~!
I know this is really a tiny thing among the huge museum running business. But I know I am learning bit by bit and will know lots of stuff after this 12-week summer internship. Examining art objects is easy, as long as you pay attention to details and have good eyes. But writing condition report, which is just a piece of double-side-printed form, requires succinct and exact description. The museum even has several handbooks on art handling, which of course introduces how to examine an art object and how to write the observation down. Lots of terms: stain, crease, crack, abrasion, etc. as well as all kinds of abbreviation—upp. l., ill., etc.—and therefore lots to learn and memorize for a non-native-English-speaker.
I am so happy learning new things~!
Below is a lovely "stocking deer," a picture I forgot where I got it from. Love it so much!
I know this is really a tiny thing among the huge museum running business. But I know I am learning bit by bit and will know lots of stuff after this 12-week summer internship. Examining art objects is easy, as long as you pay attention to details and have good eyes. But writing condition report, which is just a piece of double-side-printed form, requires succinct and exact description. The museum even has several handbooks on art handling, which of course introduces how to examine an art object and how to write the observation down. Lots of terms: stain, crease, crack, abrasion, etc. as well as all kinds of abbreviation—upp. l., ill., etc.—and therefore lots to learn and memorize for a non-native-English-speaker.
I am so happy learning new things~!
Below is a lovely "stocking deer," a picture I forgot where I got it from. Love it so much!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The best part of museum work~
I really like my work at the art museum. It’s a small art museum so I get to know almost every aspect of the museum, from the guard, reception desk, to the curatorial documents and the back-stage storage. I just learnt how to make exhibition labels yesterday, using press and cutters—really big and sharp cutters, don’t know its official name. I love the moment when the knife cut through the card board, leaving the beautiful slop on the edge of the label. Haha~!
But the most exciting part of the museum work is about art work research. Research at the beginning may be not that interesting, but getting some basic information and knowledge about the art work is important for gathering key works for further research. Then search for related books by looking at some articles’ bibliography—and get the books from the library. I know there are tons of books on my loan right now, but since I am doing several artists and art works at the same time (and I am doing my own research also~), no wonder.
I was doing some research on a Chinese export punch bowl made during the 18th century, Qianlong Period (1736-95). It was one of our Chinese art collections but nothing was done for the art work. So I chose it, thinking I could use my language skills and Chinese background. However when I pulled out the art work itself, I realized that the image on the Chinese ceramic bowl was something about the Greek Mythology, which I know only a few names: Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Paris, Achilles, Hector, etc. just because I watched Brad Pitt’s movie Troy before.
Since I know nothing about the story, all I can do is to remember the image itself and go through all those books, trying to find out some images that look like the one I have. FORTUNATLY, I found it this morning, after flipping through 4 books. It was an image of the Judgment of Paris, with one man sitting under a tree and three other nudes standing besides. The nudes are not proportionally drawn, and Athena was drawn like a man with muscles on her back; and the “gold apple” that Paris handed to Aphrodite was actually a yellow mango.
But the moment of figuring out was extraordinary. Just like solving a puzzle or figure out a crime as a detective. It’s full of excitement and satisfaction. That’s the best part of museum work.
But the most exciting part of the museum work is about art work research. Research at the beginning may be not that interesting, but getting some basic information and knowledge about the art work is important for gathering key works for further research. Then search for related books by looking at some articles’ bibliography—and get the books from the library. I know there are tons of books on my loan right now, but since I am doing several artists and art works at the same time (and I am doing my own research also~), no wonder.
I was doing some research on a Chinese export punch bowl made during the 18th century, Qianlong Period (1736-95). It was one of our Chinese art collections but nothing was done for the art work. So I chose it, thinking I could use my language skills and Chinese background. However when I pulled out the art work itself, I realized that the image on the Chinese ceramic bowl was something about the Greek Mythology, which I know only a few names: Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Paris, Achilles, Hector, etc. just because I watched Brad Pitt’s movie Troy before.
Since I know nothing about the story, all I can do is to remember the image itself and go through all those books, trying to find out some images that look like the one I have. FORTUNATLY, I found it this morning, after flipping through 4 books. It was an image of the Judgment of Paris, with one man sitting under a tree and three other nudes standing besides. The nudes are not proportionally drawn, and Athena was drawn like a man with muscles on her back; and the “gold apple” that Paris handed to Aphrodite was actually a yellow mango.
But the moment of figuring out was extraordinary. Just like solving a puzzle or figure out a crime as a detective. It’s full of excitement and satisfaction. That’s the best part of museum work.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Museum work
Museum work is not as interesting as I think.
I am now working in a small art museum as a summer intern, doing works such as object research, files cataloguing, and a variety of things. Though my title is “curatorial internship,” I did not take part in the actual thinking process.
There was an all-staff meeting on the first day I started my work. Everyone in the art museum gathered together in the storage, learning how to handle art works in the storage. The collection manager showed us everything, from washing hands at the entrance to holding art works in the right way. After the meeting, I know I won’t be a “collection manager” in the future—I have no patience dealing with these numerous details in handling the actual art works. Looking at them is enough for me.
I know that many jobs are about doing very trivial works, but I want challenge, I want to see new things, I want to use my brain, I want to create something. But before all these, I still have lots to learn. I need to know more about the art world, how an art museum runs, how an actual exhibition comes to life from a “bling.”
I love beautiful and interesting things. That’s why I love art, and that’s why I choose art history as my major and want to work in the art world in the future (and now). I am not very clear about my future, but at least I know what I like.
Female Dancer
Metropolitan Museum of Art
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