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Folk Art and Modern Culture in Republican China

Folk Art and Modern Culture in Republican China

Paperback

Crafts GeneralAnthropologyChinese History

ISBN10: 1498526306
ISBN13: 9781498526302
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: May 23 2019
Pages: 292
Weight: 0.94
Height: 0.67 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English

Folk art is now widely recognized as an integral part of the modern Chinese cultural heritage, but in the early twentieth century, awareness of folk art as a distinct category in the visual arts was new. Internationally, intellectuals in different countries used folk arts to affirm national identity and cultural continuity in the midst of the changes of the modern era. In China, artists, critics and educators likewise saw folk art as a potentially valuable resource: perhaps it could be a fresh source of cultural inspiration and energy, representing the authentic voice of the people in contrast to what could be seen as the limited and elitist classical tradition. At the same time, many Chinese intellectuals also saw folk art as a problem: they believed that folk art, as it was, promoted superstitious and backward ideas that were incompatible with modernization and progress. In either case, folk art was too important to be left in the hands of the folk: educated artists and researchers felt a responsibility intervene, to reform folk art and create new popular art forms that would better serve the needs of the modern nation.

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Chinese History