Goodbye to Tradition 3

Author: Lü Shengzhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Preface These articles were mostly written over a decade ago and were published sporadically in various magazines. Some were also included in the 1996 collection Soul-Seeking Journey. One day, I picked up these writings and felt as if I had been transported back to the rural areas where I had conducted field research a decade earlier. In my memory, the sky was purer than it is now, the earth cleaner, people more simple, and I myself was indeed younger. With a pair of naive and ignorant eyes, what could I possibly discern from such a pure, clean, and simple background? It must have been shallow and lacking depth. Since that field research, I have continuously lived in rural areas and never imagined saying goodbye. For a time, I dreamed that tradition would accompany me. Over a decade has passed, and as I reviewed my field research notes and photos and reread these writings, I suddenly realized: every time I went to the countryside, it was a "farewell," and every time I left, it was also a "farewell." What truly accompanied me was the hasty footsteps of modern people rushing towards "prosperity." Ah, I regret that every glance I cast was not vivid enough, and every word I listened to was not attentive enough. From these old writings, I attempt to extract more of the scenes from that time. Today, traditional folk and rural culture have become fashionable, and many young people yearn to learn more about it. However, the rural areas of China today have moved from the traditional land where I conducted my research to a "modernized" landscape over a decade, leaving behind the former earthen walls that were either abandoned or transformed into bustling tourist attractions. Therefore, I prefer to reveal my own shallowness so that today's people can experience more of the traditional landscapes of rural China.
Initially, I referred to the inheritors of folk art as "mothers of art," seeing them as my own mothers—mothers who nurture their children's growth, and my art had gradually matured under the nourishment of folk art. My mother, Jiang Yongzhen, was a skilled woman from the countryside, but during her lifetime, I did not actively seek nourishment from her in the realm of folk art. Thus, the greater part of my artistic sustenance came from other "mothers of art." I once lived closely with these mothers, but most of them have now passed away. They are: Wang Lanpan, Zhang Linzhao, Cao Dianxiang, Qi Xiumei, Duan Yueying, and Ku Shulan. I will always remember their names, and in my heart, I will set up a eternal altar for them. In truth, these mothers of art do not belong to me alone; they are the last inheritors of traditional folk culture, representing the traditional rural China that has passed down its millennia-old cultural heritage to the modern world. Modern, you must be moved, right? Don't you quickly say to them: "Mother, you can rest assured." Then gently take this heritage.
The museumification of folk traditional culture is a broad concept—it is not a single building, nor a "folk village." It is a spacious place that modern society has allocated to traditional culture. I have always believed that this is a whisper from the mothers of traditional art, a torch handed over by my mentors. Today, the voice of the whisper grows louder, yet the flame of the torch burns weaker. My solitary spirit bears immense pressure, yet I cannot let it be extinguished in my hands.
"Face Tigers" is a topic that was rarely studied in the past. Because few people have touched upon it, students can approach it with fewer preconceptions and concepts, focusing on capturing primary sources and their own discoveries.
II. The topic broadly covers folk customs, craft techniques, and historical and cultural backgrounds, presenting a certain level of difficulty and essentially encompassing the main issues one might encounter during general folk art field research.
III. Within a hundred miles, Langzhuang is a village dedicated to making face tigers, making the investigation relatively concentrated and conducive to in-depth and comprehensive work within a limited area. However, there are still elderly artisans engaged in this work, but it is now struggling and urgently needs someone to investigate and organize it.