The sculpture "Houyi Shooting Day" sparks controversy: how did it become China's Houyi? The story of Houyi Shooting Sun in ancient Chinese mythology is undoubtedly a legend that every Chinese is familiar with. This heroic character has become one of the core spirits of the Chinese nation with its spirit of fighting against heaven and earth and asking for the people's life. However, recently netizens broke the news that a controversial sculpture of "Houyi Shooting Day" appeared in front of the Tsinghua University Art Museum. The peculiarity of this sculpture is that the sculpture of Houyi is naked, his sex organs are exposed, his hair is curly African black, and the bow pulled is also an English-style longbow. This sparked widespread discussion and controversy, and people began to question how the sculpture represented the image of Houyi in China. So, who is the real Houyi? How did it become China's Houyi? First, let's take a look at the legend of Houyi Shooting Day.
In ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, which caused all plants on the earth to wither and animals and humans to survive. At this critical moment, Hou Yi stepped forward and shot down nine suns with his bow and arrow, leaving only one sun to save humanity. This story was widely spread and became a symbol of Chinese unyielding and fighting against heaven and earth. However, compared with the heroic image depicted in this story, the image of Houyi in that sculpture raises questions. Since ancient times, China's ancestors have paid attention to the magnificence of dress and the solemnity of etiquette. Under the conditions, they will definitely wear gorgeous costumes and will never be naked. Therefore, the image of the nude Houyi in that sculpture is inconsistent with the traditional cultural concept of Chinese. Characters in ancient Chinese mythology have never exposed their lower bodies, because in Chinese conception, exposing their lower bodies is the greatest humiliation for others.
For example, after Jing Ke's failed assassination of King Qin, Jing Ke made a final insult to Qin Shi Huang in a "jiao" posture, which was to spread his legs so that his lower body was facing each other. Similarly, in the Song Dynasty, after being abducted by the Jin Dynasty, Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong were forced to perform a very humiliating "sheep-pulling ceremony", that is, stripping their clothes, putting on sheepskin and being led by rope to kneel. All kinds of examples show that Chinese attaches great importance to the protection and respect of the lower body. In addition, the image of Houyi in that sculpture is also very different from the traditional Chinese aesthetic concept. Ancient Chinese culture emphasized subtlety, restraint and solemnity, and did not advocate the depiction of nudity. Conversely, in Chinese artwork, the figures are usually lifelike figures dressed in ornate costumes, which embodies Chinese pursuit of beauty and aesthetics. Therefore, the image of the nude Houyi in that sculpture is also aesthetically contrary to traditional Chinese cultural concepts.
So why is such a "special" sculpture in front of an art museum at China's top university, such as Tsinghua University? This has triggered people's thinking about traditional Chinese culture and aesthetic concepts. As China's top university, Tsinghua University has always promoted traditional culture and cultivated national elites, so it is indeed imprudent to erect such a sculpture in front of its art museum. It is worth thinking about whether works contrary to traditional Chinese culture should be displayed in such places, and whether more attention should be paid to aesthetic and cultural inheritance. For the image of China's Houyi, we should cherish and protect it more, inherit the spirit of Houyi, and respect China's traditional culture and aesthetic concepts. To sum up, the nude image of Houyi in that sculpture is inconsistent with traditional Chinese cultural concepts in form, which has caused people to question and think about the image of Houyi in China.
As a traditional hero of China, Houyi's image should be heroic, solemn and gorgeous, rather than nude and contrary to traditional concepts. In the future artistic creation and cultural inheritance, we should pay more attention to the respect and inheritance of traditional Chinese culture and aesthetic concepts, so that the image of Houyi will become the pride and symbol of China. Finally, we should think about how to protect and inherit Chinese traditional culture in contemporary society, and how to pay attention to aesthetic and cultural traditions in artistic creation, so that the image of Houyi can continue to shine in China's cultural treasures. How do you think the relationship between traditional culture and aesthetic concepts should be handled in artistic creation? Do you support displaying such a sculpture in front of the Tsinghua University Art Museum?
Welcome to leave a message to discuss! Using nude sculpture to deconstruct Chinese mythological figures is a typical ancient Greek body art, but China emphasizes that "the body is skinned, subject to parents", hair is also an important symbol that cannot be easily cut, and Houyi's bow is also very different from the bow and arrow in the development of Chinese history. Is this kind of sculpture, which nudes Chinese mythological figures and does not conform to Chinese culture and history, worthy of our recognition and acceptance? In Chinese culture, mythological characters are a very important cultural symbol. However, some recent sculptures of Chinese mythological figures have been criticized for being too nude, stripping them of their clothes and leaving only nudity. This sculpture is similar to the ancient Greek body art style, but does not meet the aesthetic standards of Chinese culture. If we accept this nude sculpture, will other figures in Chinese mythology, even sculptures of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, also be changed to nude shapes?
At the same time, hair in Chinese history is also an important symbol, representing human identity and dignity. In ancient times, people paid attention to the care and decoration of hair, and even referred to the adulthood of girls as the "year of wazuki". For men, hair is a symbol of life and cannot be cut short. Therefore, cutting Houyi's hair short into curls is not in line with Chinese culture. In addition, Houyi's bow is also very different from the bow and arrow in the process of China's historical development. China was one of the first countries in the world to invent the bow and arrow, and the bow and arrow have always been a very important weapon in Chinese culture and history. However, the bow in Houyi's hand is a straight-drawn bow shape that is much higher than that of a person, and the bows and arrows in Chinese history are almost all composite recurve bows, and the shape is completely different from the straight-drawn bow. This straight-drawn bow shape, which is much higher than a person, is more in line with the characteristics of the English longbow than the characteristics of the Chinese bow and arrow.
In summary, we should reflect on whether these nude sculptures meet the aesthetic standards of Chinese culture and history. We should respect Chinese culture and history and protect our traditional cultural symbols. At the same time, we should also try to integrate traditional culture and modern elements in contemporary art creation to create works of art with more Chinese characteristics. In your opinion, how should traditional culture and modern elements be integrated in the creation of contemporary art? English Longbow: A Representative of Western Culture or a Chinese Myth? A group of sculptures called "Houyi Shooting Day" caused heated discussions among netizens in front of the Tsinghua University Art Museum. Some people think that this group of sculptures is smearing Chinese culture, because the shape of the sculptures and the image of "Houyi" are completely different from the image of "Houyi" in traditional Chinese culture. However, this view seems too subjective and one-sided.
This group of sculptures is a collection of Western art from the collection of the Tsinghua University Art Museum, and its shape has nothing to do with the image of "Houyi" in traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, we should look at this group of sculptures objectively, respecting its creator and cultural background. The English longbow is a cold weapon of Welsh origin, which later spread to England and is famous for its fast rate of fire, long range, strong penetration, and simple equipment. In the European battlefields of the Middle Ages, the English longbow once played an important role and became synonymous with the fighting power of the West, especially Britain. The English longbow has nothing to do with the Chinese myth "Houyi Shooting Day", which are two completely different cultural and historical backgrounds. Therefore, associating the English longbow with the "Houyi Shooting Day" will only confuse the public and mislead the public. Some netizens believe that this group of sculptures is imitating the mythical story of China's "Houyi Shooting Day", but this view is obviously untenable.
The forms, figures, and bows of this group of sculptures are all purely Western-style, and have nothing to do with the "Houyi Shooting Day" in traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, associating this group of sculptures with Chinese culture only obscures its Western cultural background and obliterates its cultural uniqueness. Sculpture is an art, and its creation and appreciation require people to have certain aesthetic and cultural literacy. In the face of this group of sculptures, we should respect its cultural background and learn to appreciate it with an open, inclusive and objective mind, rather than relying on subjective assumptions and stereotypes to evaluate it. While learning and appreciating Western culture, we should actively inherit and promote Chinese traditional culture. Only in this way can we play a greater role in the exchange of world cultures. As contemporary college students, we should have a broader vision and a more open mind. We should learn to appreciate the art of different cultures and learn to appreciate differences and commonalities in cultural exchanges.
Only in this way can we better understand and inherit Chinese culture and make greater contributions to the diversity and prosperity of world cultures. In short, we should look at this group of "Houyi Shooting Day" sculptures with an open, inclusive and objective mind. We should not only respect the uniqueness of Western culture, but also inherit and promote Chinese traditional culture. We should learn to appreciate the art of different cultures in cultural exchanges, and learn to appreciate the commonalities of cultures while respecting differences. Finally, we should ask ourselves: Do we maintain an open, inclusive and objective attitude towards the exchange between different cultures? In May 1942, at a literary and art symposium held in Yan'an, the great man made an important speech. He pointed out that some comrades' pursuit of love beyond class, abstract freedom, abstract truth and abstract human nature shows that they are deeply influenced by the bourgeoisie.
In order to get rid of this influence, he called on comrades to thoroughly liquidate and humbly study Marxism-Leninism. In the face of this speech, it is necessary for some professors to study the "Speech at the Yan'an Literary and Art Forum". In the speech of the great man, he questioned the idea of pursuing super-class love, abstract love, etc. This has led to thinking about these abstract concepts. Love is an emotion, is it possible to transcend class? Can freedom, truth, and humanity also transcend specific social contexts? These questions challenge people's thinking about reality and ideals. However, the great man made it clear that the pursuit of love and abstract concepts beyond class was inconsistent with the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism. Therefore, he stressed the importance of liquidating bourgeois influence and humbly studying Marxism-Leninism. At that time, China was in a difficult period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and people faced great difficulties and hardships.
The speech of the great man conveyed an idea: We must adhere to class struggle, take class struggle as the keynote, and adhere to the people-centered creative and literary and artistic direction. He pointed out that artists and intellectuals should pay attention to the interests of the people, care about their weal and woe, serve the people with their works, and contribute to the cause of liberation. This idea had important guiding significance for Chinese society at that time and also had a far-reaching influence. But today, can we still draw inspiration from the speeches of great men? There is no doubt that the ideas of great men still have important practical significance. Although times have changed dramatically, we still need to liquidate the influence of the bourgeoisie, remain sensitive to the class struggle and pay attention to the interests of the people. The humble study of Marxism-Leninism is also crucial for us to better understand social reality and promote social progress. In contemporary society, we are facing many problems and challenges.
Economic globalization, scientific and technological progress, social transformation and other factors have brought us unprecedented opportunities and challenges. How to keep a clear mind, remain sensitive to the class struggle, and pay attention to the interests of the people in these changes has become an important issue before us. Only by soberly understanding the influence of the bourgeoisie and resolutely liquidating it can we better grasp the pulse of the development of the times and seek the well-being of the people. Therefore, we should study the speeches of great men and humbly study Marxism-Leninism. This is not only a respect for history, but also a response to contemporary society. We need to think about how to combine the ideas of great people with reality in the context of the current era and make greater contributions to promoting social progress and achieving common prosperity. Only by constantly strengthening theoretical armament and deepening practice can we constantly meet the needs of the development of the times and promote social progress.
Finally, I would like to raise a question, that is: how do you think in contemporary society we can liquidate the influence of the bourgeoisie and humbly learn Marxism-Leninism? Please leave your comments to share your thoughts with us.