Unrealized Hansheng
By Yang Jian
At ninety-plus years old, Huang Gongwang had hair like that of a child and a youthful appearance, as if the hand depicted in the portrait of Laozi were that of a child. This is what we call "Hansheng." Hansheng is the combination of childhood and old age, but now it is mere desire, not even childhood, let alone old age? For over a thousand years, hundreds of years, ancient paintings still reflect the true vitality, primal energy, purity, and coolness of the painter's life on their surfaces. It is the absence of desire that makes the paintings eternal, while our artwork today is filled with desire. They transcend, we descend; they are Hansheng, and we not only oppose but also abandon Hansheng.
In the ancient paintings of China, there is always the unchanging tranquility of the ages, immovable and unshakeable, standing forever with mountains and waters as their facade, completing transcendence. Established Hansheng is an art about our own life's enlightening wisdom, about the liberation of life, not a mere draft about desire. Hansheng represents the serenity of old age and the peace of the afterlife, whereas we have only the emotions of youth and endless staying-on. Hansheng comes to transcend this world and enter the light.
Why do the Chinese hold old age in such high regard? Because after desire fades, one becomes wise. Why do the Chinese love poverty so much? Because hardship leads to skillful art; without poverty, art supported only by desire is not Hansheng. Why do the Chinese love mountains and waters? It is because when desire dissipates, one returns to their true nature, and mountains and waters symbolize this nature, where true rest for a person lies. Why do the Chinese favor the realm of singularity? Because in duality, there are opposites like existence and non-existence, right and wrong, love and hatred, endless entanglement and opposition. Singularity is the absence of duality, and calm wisdom gradually approaches.
Is it to continue settling life in the flames, or to settle life anew in mountains and waters? Is it to return to singularity, or to continue in duality? This is an urgent question. After nearly a century of scientific and technological superstition, Hansheng is in an absolute crisis, a crisis of fundamental principle. People no longer seek solutions inwardly; everything turns outward, from the world of the heart to the world of things, this is the most fundamental transformation and deviation.
Though you may have everything, you are actually devoid of anything. Why? Because we have returned to zero on our own civilization, you are a person at zero, he is zero, I am zero; this is our basic reality. If we were still classical people and had completed the transformation of modernity, why are we not them, and the iteration has not been completed, meaning the transcendence of life has not been achieved.
Hansheng is feminine, having been mired in the mud since the twenty-first century, full of yang energy. Hansheng has become a mausoleum, who will guard it, update it, and practice it?
Alienated people and deformed people are people without Hansheng. This era is far more difficult than that of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou and Gong Xian, because we have destroyed the fundamental and extinguished Hansheng across all fields comprehensively, far more so than during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when Hansheng was still vibrant, and the mission of a person's life remained transcendence.
Who is the one being dragged along like a corpse? How were you before your parents were born, and who is asking? This "who," this original form, is Hansheng. We have not yet recognized it, so Hansheng has not yet come into being.
People remain people, but their souls have been replaced, and this is the tragedy of civilization being replaced. Few people know this, making it an even greater tragedy. Thus, Hansheng has not yet come into being.
Equality is very good, but it has been exploited by small-minded individuals, causing maximum harm and destruction to Hansheng. Thus, Hansheng has not yet come into being.
Hansheng is the restoration, opening, and acceptance of a singular life, not the closure of a dualistic life. This singular life is like a lifeline; without it, we are all devoid of life, mere walking bodies. Thus, Hansheng has not yet come into being.
Do not lose mindfulness, use the mind like a mirror. This was the daily practice of the ancients; who does it today? The practice of understanding objects and having no mind before phenomena has been lost or entirely forsaken, so Hansheng has not yet come into being.
The cosmic way and cosmic virtue make the works of classical artists eternal, even though contemporary artists do not pay homage to them, they still evolve infinitely. Thus, Hansheng has not yet come into being.
From Wang Wei to Su Manru in the Republic of China, painters were first poets; the integration of poetry, calligraphy, and painting ended with the collapse of Han civilization in the twentieth century. Reintegration is inevitable, and because poetry is decisive, this is the main reason why contemporary ink painting struggles to rise in today's China. Almost none of today's ink painters are poets, while ancient artists were almost universally poets. Thus, Hansheng has not yet come into being.
Sharpened, it is ground blunt; this is transformation. Ice turns into water, duality turns into singularity, consciousness turns into wisdom; this too is transformation. Without a person of great humility, how can there be art that transcends appearance? Without noble character, how can there be art of the gentleman? Without natural gentleness, how can there be art that nurtures the heart? Without a person who changes their temperament, how can there be art that transforms temperament? Behind the art, there is no one, no one with a clear mind to support it; how can there be art? Thus, Hansheng has not yet come into being.
Hansheng prioritizes non-self as its ultimate principle.
Hansheng prioritizes transcendence as its primary task.
Hansheng is the new appearance after no form.
Hansheng is the new personality after no desire.
Hansheng is the new language after no thoughts.
Hansheng is unobstructed, from heart to heart.
Hansheng arrives directly without explanation.
Hansheng transforms from ignorance to light, from infinite cycles to the end of cycles.
Hansheng achieves redemption through nature.
Hansheng discovers the path where there was none.
Hansheng is the literary and martial guardians on the tomb passageway.
Hansheng is like a mother, an eternal expectation.
The primary task of Hansheng is transcendence, whether through mountains and waters, silence, or chaos, just like an old monk in meditation. A generation loses its tranquility and thus cannot attain wisdom. Why do we all seek material desires? Because we have lost tranquility. Once tranquility is regained, we first gain autonomy, can rise above the dust, and make our own decisions. Without tranquility, we are forever controlled by desires and external conditions, with no hope of transcendence.
How can Hansheng be recreated and reborn? After a century of turmoil, we cannot even write characters or read poems anymore. We are the nation farthest from the brush, Chinese characters, and poetry, thus farthest from Hansheng. Originally a civilization of sages and worthies, we are now the farthest from that civilization, closest to the secular world, isolated and suspended in mid-air. This should be the most real state of existence. Hu Shi said at the beginning of the twentieth century that we need to organize national heritage and recreate civilization. Recreating civilization remains today's mission.
The crisis of Hansheng has shaken from the late Qing Dynasty to today, with its decline beginning with the questioning of the existence of the soul. Hansheng is a mission, arduous and fundamental. Hansheng is altruistic; the call to Hansheng brings a return to tradition. There is the most precious fish that swims upstream. Hansheng is tender, immutable, humble, a call, a prayer, and our innermost cry. Hansheng must return, to break the unraveling of the past three millennia.
May 19, 2024
List of Participating Artists [Sorted by Age]
Zhu Jianzhong
Born in Nantong, Jiangsu in 1954, Zhu graduated from the Chinese Painting Department of the Fine Arts Faculty at Nanjing University of the Arts in 1982. He is currently a signed artist with Tokyo Gallery BTAP. His long - standing painting focuses are ink painting and green - and - blue landscape painting. His works are profound, subtle, upright and solemn, presenting his understanding of painting traditions in his own artistic language. His works have been short - listed for the 11th National Art Exhibition, won the Gold Award at the "Hundred Masters of Jinling Chinese Painting Exhibition" and the Gold Award at the "China's Four Seasons Art Exhibition". His works are collected by the National Art Museum of China and the Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum.
Han Dong
Born in Dafeng, Jiangsu in 1958, Han graduated from the Department of Arts and Crafts at Nanjing University of the Arts in 1986. He currently lives and works in Yangzhou. Han Dong emerged as a rising star in the field of contemporary art at an early age. In 1986, his lacquer painting "Green Fruits" was selected for the "First National Lacquer Painting Exhibition of China" and won an honorable mention. In 1990, his work "Listening to the Qin" was selected for the "Hong Kong Chinese Art Exhibition". In 1992, his oil painting "Indoor Figures" was selected for the "First Guangzhou Art Biennale of the 1990s" and won the third prize. In 1995, his oil painting "Indoor with Sandalwood" was selected for the "Third China Oil Painting Annual Exhibition" at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. Special features on Han Dong's art have been published in professional journals such as Jiangsu Pictorial, Art Literature, Art World, Oriental Art, and National Art.
Zhang Hao
Born in Tianjin in 1962, Zhang graduated from the studio of Professor Shu Chuanxi in the Chinese Painting Department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art) in 1985 and stayed on to teach. He is currently a professor at the School of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Art at the China Academy of Art and the director of the Institute of Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting. He lives and works in Hangzhou. Over the past five decades of artistic practice, he has witnessed and participated in the important evolutions from the "85' New Art Wave" in China, as well as Chinese ink modernism, experimental ink painting, and expressionist ink painting. After 2001, he transcended modernist forms and created a visual form of contemporary Chinese ink painting. He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in China, as well as in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other places. His works are collected by important institutions such as the British Museum, the National Art Museum of China, and the Guangdong Museum of Art, and are permanently collected and displayed at the main venue of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China.
Wei Ligang
Born in Datong, Shanxi in 1964, Wei currently lives in Beijing. He founded the International Calligraphy - Image Society and is the current vice - president of the Chinese Society of Modern Calligraphy Art. Wei's artistic creation began during his time at the Department of Mathematics at Nankai University in Tianjin, where he studied under Li Henian and Wang Xuezhong. He has initiated, planned and organized many significant exhibitions, forums, and publications related to the Chinese modern calligraphy art movement. In 2005, he won the annual artist award from the Rockefeller Foundation's ACC (Asia Art Council) and went to New York for exchange and creation. Subsequently, he embarked on global academic research and residencies, and his works are well - known both at home and abroad. As an artist, curator, and educator, he is committed to the visual theoretical research of modern and contemporary calligraphy and the cultural exchange between the East and the West. His works are collected by institutions such as the British Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Art Museum of China, the National Museum of China, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Cernuschi Museum of Asian Art.
Yang Jian
Born in 1967, Yang currently lives in Ma'anshan, Anhui. He started writing poetry in the 1980s and continues to do so. He is one of the representative poets of Chinese new poetry. He has won the Liu Li'an Poetry Award, the Rougang Poetry Award, the Li Shutong International Poetry Award, and the Poet of the Year Award at the Chinese Literature Media Awards. He has published poetry collections such as Dusk, Ancient Bridge, Ashamed, Crying at the Temple, Selected Poems of Yang Jian, and Yangtze River Water; as well as English - language poetry collections Long River (Tinfish Press, 2018) and Green Mountain (The University of Hawaii Press, 2020). In the field of painting, Yang has mastered the art of Chinese ink painting and developed his own unique style. His works are collected by many private art museums and institutions, including the Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen, the Shiyuan Art Museum at the White Horse Temple, the Yushan Contemporary Art Museum, Nanjing Pioneer Bookstore, and the Taihe Art Space in Beijing.
Jin Weihong
Born in Jiangsu, China in 1967, Jin graduated from the Chinese Painting Department of the Fine Arts Faculty at Nanjing University of the Arts in 1989. She obtained a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Nanjing University of the Arts in 2006. She started participating in art activities in 1985 and has been working in the field of Chinese contemporary art since she joined Jiangsu Pictorial in 1991. She has held many solo exhibitions at home and abroad and participated in group art exhibitions both in China and overseas. Her works are collected by art institutions and collectors at home and abroad. Her works are profound and rich in connotation, covering a wide range of topics. She has made unique explorations in extending traditional Chinese ink - painting language to the contemporary context.
Yiliao (Real name: Zhu Ming)
Born in Gaolan, Gansu in 1969, Yiliao currently lives in Songshan. He practiced Buddhism and Zen in his childhood, and his artistic career started from the path of Zen, moving from calligraphy to painting. In the late 20th century, he made a name for himself in the art world with his avant - garde calligraphy. In the past decade, his paintings have matured and developed a highly expressive personal style. His works have been exhibited at important institutions such as the National Art Museum of China, Today Art Museum, Powerlong Museum, Beijing太庙 (The Temple of Ancestors in Beijing), and Shenzhen Art Museum, as well as in countries overseas such as the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. His works are also collected by important art institutions and private collectors at home and abroad, including the National Art Museum of China, Today Art Museum, Henan Museum, Henan Provincial Art Museum, Zhizhi Art Museum, and Lingnan Art Museum.
Chen Yu
Born in Leizhou, Guangdong in 1975, Chen graduated from the graduate class of the Oil Painting Department at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2008, obtaining a master's degree. He is a freelance painter and won the 7th (2017 - 2018) Houtian Biennial Cultural and Art Award. He currently lives and works in Songzhuang, Beijing. After more than 30 years of artistic exploration, Chen has demonstrated his ability to master various material languages and a unique way of expressing his spirit, gradually constructing his own methodology for integrating Eastern and Western aesthetic ideas into visual images. His works are collected by many art museums and institutions, including the National Art Museum of China (Beijing), Songzhuang Art Museum (Beijing), Beijing Contemporary Art Museum (Beijing), Guangdong Museum of Art (Guangzhou), Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts Museum (Guangzhou), Yantai Art Museum (Yantai), Weihai Art Museum (Weihai), and Dalian Art Museum (Dalian).
Liao Jianhua
Born in Hunan in 1981, Liao currently lives and works in Beijing. Since 2003, he has been engaged in artistic creation. Liao's art focuses not on the result but on the process. His works are created through his long - term, painstaking labor. The accumulation of intense time, tenacious and continuous willpower, and a peaceful state of mind run through all his artistic creations. This kind of self - disciplined creative experience shows how to concentrate one's efforts in such a complex and ever - changing world, completing a dialogue between time and life and revealing the information and possibilities of individual existence. His works attempt to express the co - existence relationship between order and disorder, infinity and finiteness, restriction and freedom, process and result, calmness and uneasiness. His works cover painting, performance art, and video art.
