NECKTIE ON PONY’S TAIL By Chander P Mahajan In a posh restaurant inXi’an, I was guided to the ladies lavatory.On exit,a necktie perched on the tail of an artistic iconic horse, amotif of Chinese mythology,drew my attention.I could sense the stop gap shutout of the gents toilet to help out whom the tie belonged.I was impressed by the helpfulness of the staff,though I have yet to guess the symbolic significance of the pony’s tail. ‘AtithiDevBhav’. They are the best hosts. China’s culture is considered the oldest, still extant, in the world.The name `China’ comes from the Sanskrit Cina. The Civilization is very peculiar, distinctive from others because it is likely one; among most ancient civilizations that have particularly maintained a cultural continuity and philosophical cohesion throughout its history, thanks in part to its geography location that is unique, situated at the end of the Asian continent facing the Pacific Ocean, which allowed them to keep their strong culture pretty much intact, but thanks also to their way of life, which was very intimate keeping their distances from the influences of the outside world across. People are great art lovers.I admire the innovative creativity in the ‘murals from junk’ and ‘paintings on stones’, especially in Zhujiajiaotown, near Shanghai. Chinese contemporary art was actually born in Beijing. In 1979, a small group of artists mounted an unofficial exhibition on the park railings directly opposite the National Art Museum of China. The show lasted just two days before being shut down, but the seed for China’s grass roots arts movement and spirit of collectivism was sown. A decade later, a few collectors were buying Chinese art. ‘Now Shanghai is competing with Beijing to become China’s cultural capital’, revealed Mr. Sundeep Bhutoria an Art collector himself;and representing WFUNA in the visiting team. Of all the Chinese artworks, the most demonstrative are Bronze Vessels, Folk Toys, Calligraphy, Poetry, Cloisonne, Painting, Silk, Lacquer, Porcelain, Terracotta Army, Seals, Opera and Shadow puppetry. These works not only reflect the culture of China but also the talent which people possessed.
Bronze Vessels were filled with a multitude of meanings. Chinese folk toys bring beauty and art into ordinary lives and capture the customs and beliefs of ancient China. Poetry too was an important part of art.During the Tang Dynasty poetry became so important that writing poetry was
part of the examinations to become a civil servant. The Ancient Chinese considered writing a highly stylish form of art.The calligraphy of China raise the level of their artistic decorations and was perfectly integrated into their pictorial representations,