The evening began with technical malfunctions which resulted in us having to use our own laptops, but the experience was just as invigorating. Kwan asked us to prepare before hand what we had gathered from the virtual tour we were able to take at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where they have a current exhibit on “Take me to China.” Through this exhibit, we were able to to see all different forms of artwork on display and the different things that the overall culture valued in regards to traditional and religious aspects.
The thing that I brought up was the Jade Tea Pot on display. I connected the jade material to what I had been learning in my art history class that I am currently taking. In ancient times, and even still to this day, the material Jade is seen as not just a greenish gray stone (sometimes yellow, transparent or purple) but is a symbol of wealth, and that it was rare to see someone who wasn’t rich, have real jade. This in return sparked conversation on how there are many different types of jade and how some jade is less precious, malleable and overall aesthetically pleasing. Before this discussion, I had no idea there were multiple types and colors since all we had studied in my art history class was the greenish colored stones. The most precious type of Jade is the Burmish Jade found in Burma. This jade is much more precious than the kind of Jade found in Northern China. Kwan mentioned that nowadays, there are several pieces of fake Burmish jade floating around in trade, and to watch out if we were looking to purchase any.
Something else we discussed was Opera singing in China. Before this discussion I had no idea that opera was even apart of Chinese culture. Not only is it a part of their culture, it differs by the region in which you’re in. The northern part of China tends to have a much higher focus on overall vocal expression, meaning it is much louder! Northern Chinese opera is very rigorous and these singers train for years in order to achieve the level they must reach in order to sing professionally. In regards to Eastern Chinese opera, this was much more softer and quieter in sound. However, there was face painting that was associated with this region that has grown to be popular over time.
Overall I learned a lot about China and the overall presentation was so interesting!