Paper Person Chronicle: Notes on a Folk Art Survey in the Yellow River Basin

Author: Guo Qingfeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Ancient winds, primordial clouds, and the deep-yellow loess that dances freely in the wind; the shepherds' folk songs, accompanied by the roaring sound of the Yellow River, transform into a soul-stirring symphony, echoing and swirling in the high slopes and plateaus. The fragrance of the larkspur flowers blends with the taste of the loess, seeping into one's heart—bitter yet sweet. Red chili peppers on the window lattices and window frames, the red robes of the women reflecting the faces of the men, covered with white cotton turbans, looking simple and smiling. They have lived and thrived on this land for generations, living in peace, contentedly, weaving stories of joy and sorrow, singing songs of happiness and grief. Guo Qingfeng, a humble Shaanxi Plateau man, anartist, uses his brush, scissors, chisels, tears, blood, and soul to record, depict, and narrate the past and present of this ardent land, telling the love and passion, suffering and joy, of the men and women who live here—stories that are ordinary yet captivating. People live peacefully on the land, and the land makes people become lively; the land exists in people's hearts, and the land becomes magical because of people.
Shaanxi Plateau is a place of faith. A French friend, after watching the Yangge dance of Shaanxi Plateau, was deeply moved and said, "People here don’t have much money, but often they possess the strength of the divine. The smiles of the girls are as bright as the sun. In recent years, vast reserves of high-quality coal and natural gas have been discovered deep in the land of Shaanxi Plateau. Criminals have dug up countless treasures from the wild mountains and wilderness of Shaanxi. I see this as an for Shaanxi, but it has gradually revealed the reason behind the thick and sturdy spirit of the people here. We ourselves know the mountains and waters of our bodies, and the strange dialects and colloquialisms of our ethnic minorities from years ago—today, we can still hear the ancient literary tones in them.
This book is an artistic work by Guo Qingfeng on the theme of the western region. Through various art forms such as oil paintings, prints, paper-cutting, and artistic installations, the work showcases the artist's description of the northern world, his understanding of the people living on the Loess Plateau, and his reflections on life.