As contemporary Chinese art has aroused more and more international attention, following nearly 30 years of development and evolution, Chinese art has entered a new stage. Many artists, at varying points, have realized the importance of the Chinese art tradition, and have attempted to create contemporary art works that simultaneously resonate with traditional factors and capture the contemporary Chinese social state of mind. This comes down to the matter of cultural identity, an issue which is commonly discussed at international forums. Frankly speaking, it’s about answering the following questions: Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going? How do I distinguish myself from previous artists? How am I different from other cultures? As people continue addressing these questions in their thought and practice, art will perpetually innovative itself. 　　Zhu Wei is an artist who constantly explores these issues. He is a serious, wise and humorous thinker and a diligent practitioner. His optimism causes him to have an open approach to developing his work, but there are two questions that he continually seeks answers to. The first is the excessively political interpretation made by the overseas critics on his works. The other is the debate and classification made by the domestic audiences and critics over the classification of his works—whether they are to be considered traditional Chinese paintings or whether they deserve another type of taxonomy. I personally think that within the field of contemporary Chinese art, which is becoming increasingly internationalized, the two problems have great universal significance. Many artists are plagued by these same set of problems, and while these answers may prove to be elusive, the process by which individual artists express their doubts and questions is crucial for both artistic and social development. 　　Zhu Wei’s first concern—the excessively political interpretation of his work—can be understood within the context of cultural differences and misunderstandings. On the Chinese mainland, Chinese contemporary art was historically marginalized by mainstream ideology because it was regarded as heretical, but gained appreciation from Western audiences early on. The development of contemporary Chinese art owes a great deal to the early interest and support of Western democratic countries; however, Western art specialists often do not possess a comprehensive and experiential understanding of Chinese cultural and political history. Instead, Chinese history is understood in a generalist perspective, whereby Chinese communism and the Cultural Revolution are regarded in limited terms. Thus, artistic works that bear political or revolutionary symbols often elude critics but are easily understood by Chinese audiences. While the earliest Political Pop images can be read as satirical criticisms on China’s socialist revolution, the cynical criticisms and images of the early 1990’s and the commercialized subversive images all have profound social, political, and psychological roots. These works reflect the social reality of the last 20 years in socialist China. Therefore, the emergence of two Chinese contemporary currents acceptable by the west – Political Pop and Cynical Realism – in the mid 1990’s is understandable. It is therefore not surprising that the “New Generation” movement of young artists in the academies, who emerged at the same time as the Political Pop genre, have been neglected by the mainstream Western art audiences. 　　There are two significant issues that need to be clarified to art audiences outside of China. First, is that not all of the contemporary visual narration about the Chinese socialist era is exclusively about politics; second, is that the works that do call political attention to the Cultural Revolution often possess a wide range of varying political beliefs. Zhu Wei’s works are suitable examples to explore these issues. 　　Zhu Wei was born in Beijing in the 1960’s to a family with a military background, and his childhood memories are rife with the frenzy of revolution and socialism. At that time, primary education was also flooded with utopian slogans and ideals like: “Realizing Communism” and “Liberate Mankind.” Images of the red scarf, red flag, red star, red book (Mao’s quotations), sickle and axe, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and others, appeared as widely as commercial advertisements do today. Although many people currently critique this tumultuous age from a retrospective standpoint, Zhu Wei remembers these events as he experienced them as a child—his memories are not tainted with the negativity of heated combat and tyrannical rule, but capture the innocence of vivid childhood memories of this age. In many ways, Zhu Wei’s works suggest that being a child during the revolution was significantly freer than growing up under the pressures of present-day China. In order to respect Zhu Wei’s true experiences, one must recognize that the artist does not possess strong hatred for that age, but considers the era an imperfect, but precious life experience. Therefore, his works often depict the Cultural Revolution with a mild and neutral point of view, and always presents them with a sense of humor. Unlike other artists who invoke the attitude of “Great Criticism” to critique the Cultural Revolution, Zhu Wei remains honest to his impressions and memories as seen through the eyes of an innocent child. 　　In his “The Heavenly Maiden” and “Utopia” series, Zhu Wei uses his own artistic language to relate his impressions of China’s revolutionary era—the mixed feelings of purity and piety, innocence and helplessness appear in his subjects’ faces. His “Festival” series deliberates on feelings of seriousness, contemplation, and anxiety, while his “Story of Beijing” caricatures the scenes of military parades occurring during the Cultural Revolution. The consistent use of a child’s innocent viewpoint to depict the stories and experiences of the Cultural Revolution is what differentiates Zhu Wei’s works from conceptual and sloganistic “Political Pop,” and it is this innocence which lends his work an honest and warm “humanist” perspective on this time. This kind of non-“abstract humanism” bred during the Cultural Revolution, is understood by those who personally lived through those times, but for historical bystanders, who understand the era through rational and universal concepts of humanity, it is often difficult to appreciate the delicate “humanity” delivered by Zhu Wei’s works. This emphasis on personal life experience remains drastically different from the messages delivered in “Political Pop”works. 　　Zhu Wei’s latest series, “Vernal Equinox” and “Spring Herald,” reveal the artist’s efforts to stress tradition over political critique. His work “Madam Gou’s Spring Outing” reflects this turn towards tradition, as he invokes the symbolic subject of spring, a recurring theme in traditional Chinese works. In the “Vernal Equinox,” Zhu Wei paints a group of blossoming peony flowers juxtaposed alongside six figures that have just emerged from the winter, still dressed in heavy winter coats. The figures look like dolls, posed in similar costumes, postures, and expressions. By painting the peach flowers with the traditional Gongbi technique, Zhu Wei taps into traditional spring metaphors—collectively, they compose the artist’s retrospection and memories of springtime during his childhood. In “Spring Herald,” Zhu Wei’s portrait depicts the experience of seasonal change, and the anticipation of an imminent spring. The figure’s face and clothing are painted red, while the background is a pool of light green water surging through the chilly winter. In front of the figure’s chest, Zhu Wei has deliberately placed a blossoming peony flower. Using repetitions of flowers, spring water, simply ordained figures, the “Vernal Equinox” and “Spring Herald” series provide us with images of the spring theme, their visual sense of humor and their symbolic significance help the audience relish this experience time after time. On these works, Zhu Wei also uses an unusually large number of traditional red seals. These seals, once transplanted onto his works, carry both traditional style and contemporary meaning, reflecting the artist’s endearment for and recycling of the tradition. 　　Although many of Zhu Wei’s works concern China’s socialism and the Cultural Revolution, these are told through his memory of that era. They are impressions that have been deeply planted in his mind, and impressions that represent the memories of people of his generation. Often times, Western perceptions of contemporary Chinese art are informed by Western perspectives that regard the Cultural Revolution as inhumane and barbaric, and socialist China as autocratic and ruthless. However, there are still artists like Zhu Wei who follow their own feelings and extract artistic inspiration from their experiences of living through socialist China. Both representations of this era are true, but the latter is more individual and vivid; it is the depiction of life experience that can consistently relate to the people of that generation. 　　In addition to Zhu Wei’s aforementioned concern about common Western misinterpretation of his works, the artist also places high priority on the way in which his work is regarded in China. This concern deals mainly with the classification of his work, and the recognition of his work’s language. Because contemporary art is generally thought to include oil painting, photography, installation and computer art, among others, traditional Chinese art mediums are often overlooked within the contemporary art realm. As a result, many artistic experiments and innovative attempts to use traditional ink and wash or calligraphy have been marginalized by contemporary art. Both orthodox Chinese painting and mainstream contemporary art don’t seriously accept experimental ink and wash painting. Zhu Wei employs Gongbi technique, which is considered even more traditional than freehand ink painting, and moreover, the Gongbi technique, compared with the freehand ink painting, is more marginalized in the realm of traditional Chinese painting and ink painting. Therefore, while it appears that the differences between traditional Chinese painting techniques, like Gongbi and freehand painting, and contemporary art mediums are immeasurable, Zhu Wei has managed to incorporate the traditional Gongbi technique into his contemporary artwork. His example illustrates the flexibility of contemporary art in accepting different forms of Chinese traditional art. 　　Over 20 years ago, Li Xiaoshan was brave enough to make a poignant criticism upon the self-enmeshed and conformist state of traditional Chinese painting, and while this criticism had become an important denunciation of Chinese modern art, it did not offer any constructive opinions to artists. Young Chinese artists responded to this critique by beginning their individual explorations, creating different genres, styles, theories and methods such as: modern ink and wash, experimental ink and wash, conceptual ink and wash, city ink and wash, modern calligraphy, and new literati artist works. The effects of these explorations were remarkable, causing several influential artists to emerge, including: Tian Liming, Liu Qinghe, Liu Zijian, and Wang Tiande. While there were also several young artists who investigated the possibility of incorporating tradition in contemporary artistic practice, Zhu Wei is the one of the earliest artists to investigate and gain recognition from his practice. 　　In my opinion, Gongbi ink paintings are more readily acceptable by Chinese contemporary art than are freehand ink paintings for three reasons. First off, freehand brushwork no longer retains any conventional standards regarding format, skill and aesthetic standards. The reputation and identity of freehand brushwork has also been corroded by the widespread commercialization of this style of painting, leading to the production of a large number of poor quality works. Lastly, the emphasis that freehand brushwork places on chance, improvisation, emotion, and frivolousness are seemingly incompatible with contemporary arts’ appreciation of rational spirit. Gongbi painting holds its advantages in all of the three aspects, especially the last point. This technique offers artists the opportunity to incorporate rational aesthetic qualities regarding color and technique, thereby exemplifying the unique features of their work. 　　Zhu Wei has spared no effort in incorporating the essence of many forms of traditional art practice into his works, not just through his use of Gongbi painting, but also through his adept knowledge of traditional Chinese painting theories, Chinese bronzeware, ancient grotto murals, seal cutting and paper craft. One can observe the profound traditional influences on Zhu Wei’s work, such as composition that is as precise as seal cutting; figure sculpting that is as simple and sober as bronze ware; and outlines as mellow and terse as porcelain. Thus, in viewing Zhu Wei’s works, the audience can sense his mastery of traditional artistic craft, and his ability to incorporate those essential elements into his works. Because Chinese traditional culture has such a rich and extensive history, many wonder which elements of traditional culture should be retained in contemporary works. In response to this question, Zhu Wei’s art offers many answers: he notes that his favorite masters in art history are Gu Hongzhong from the Five Dynasties, Li Song and Fan Kuan from the Northern Song Dynasty and Qiu Ying from the Ming Dynasty—all individuals who have had significant impact on the development of Chinese Gongbi painting. When comparing Zhu Wei with those who mention “Shi Tao” or “Ba Da” in referencing tradition, Zhu Wei clearly has his own preferences for the Gongbi style. 　　As communication between China and the world increases, the world’s understanding of Chinese culture is getting deeper. As this awakens audiences to Chinese artistic concepts, Zhu Wei’s works have gained a lot more interest and appreciation amongst artistic audiences worldwide. I have once previously stated that: Chinese contemporary art is an epistemic field that is constantly renovating and transforming, and as a result is mutually affected by Chinese historical culture, current events, and the global democratic social cultural trend of thought. Therefore, if you only understand China but not the world, you can’t really understand the value of Chinese contemporary art, and vice versa. Due to the fact that Chinese contemporary art is accepted in the world and speculated in the domestic market, people are easily misled by surface level information. So to appreciate valuable and outstanding contemporary artwork is not an easy task, it requires a great deal of patience and study. Zhu Wei’s artistic creations illustrate the range of issues that are being investigated in the field of contemporary Chinese art, and one can acquire significant insight into the field of contemporary Chinese art simply by analyzing his work. 　　As one of Zhu Wei’s contemporaries, I feel that Chinese people who were born in the sixties can be considered lucky. Because we were born when the Cultural Revolution was already underway, our lives weren’t significantly impacted by this era, yet, we retain profound memories of the socialist time period. We came of age in the 1980’s, experiencing the upsurge of the reform and opening up, and finally, at the end of that decade, encountered the unprecedented Tiananmen Square incident. Today, people around the age of 40 have passed through many different stages of societal change and have experienced a spectrum of emotions, ranging from joy to sorrow. In this constantly developing and drastically changing social environment, we have gradually become the core force of the society. As a sensitive artist, Zhu Wei is deeply committed to his social mission, under what he considers to be a historical opportunity; he endeavors to record his contemporaries’ attitudes towards history and culture, life and the world, and to leave a distinctive mark in history. 　　The value of Zhu Wei’s work lies primarily in his in-depth and refined study of Chinese traditional art, and his ability to incorporate essential traditional artistic elements into his contemporary works. Secondly, he is able to expand traditional artistic language to include contemporary artistic concepts, organically integrating traditional and contemporary artistic languages. At the same time, his works express a certain “humanism”: individual feelings towards a specific historical era. During his artistic career, which has lasted more than 20 years, Zhu Wei has devoted relentless efforts to his practice, and has achieved most compelling results. As time passes, the foremost contemporary Chinese artists will emerge, and Zhu Wei’s works will undeniably be recognized as symbolic emblems of their time. 　　Zhang Zhaohui 　　January 2007 　　Zhang Zhaohui is a noted arts scholar and curator from China. He grew up in Beijing and received his Bachelor of Art Degree from the esteemed Nankai University in Tianjing in 1988, before going on to earn a Master of Art Degree in modern art history from China Art Academy seven years later. In 1998 he graduated from Bard College in New York with another Master of Art Degree in Curatorial Studies. He has received numerous grants and fellowships, including a fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council and Luce Foundation in 1997, and a visiting scholarship at Asialink. During the years between 1988 and 1992 he served on the curatorial staff at the National Museum of Art in Beijing, whereas he was the director of the Curatorial Section at He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen from 1999 until 2000. He became the founding director of Beijing Xray Art Center in 2002, a highly prestigious organization which is widely considered an important contributor to contemporary art in China before the appearance of 798 art compound. He is now director of Joey Art Consulting, an art institution in 798 art complex.