Dreams of Joy - Lisa See [66]
These conundrums aside, I’m swept up in a whirlwind of sightseeing and parties. I eat steamed dumplings, red dates, and candied crab apples on sticks from street vendors during the day and indulge in course after course at extravagant banquets at night, but nothing tastes as sweet to me as the food did in Green Dragon. And certainly no one is as dear to me as Tao.
ON THE DAY of the national art competition—sponsored by the Artists’ Association and the China Art Gallery, both of which are government controlled—Z.G. and I attend the opening party. Artists from around China and from all backgrounds have submitted entries for the best New Year’s painting. We enter the gallery just as the head judge makes his opening remarks. As I listen, I see that Chairman Mao is here, as are several other important political figures. A few smile our way, but as usual the Chairman gives us only a curt nod.
“Today we’re looking for the best painting to celebrate the coming new year,” the judge addresses the crowd. “If your work is selected, the masses will hang it on the walls of their homes, factories, and collectives. You’ll be serving the people in the best way by inspiring them to help build the road from socialism to communism. To the judges, I remind you that old habits and feudal taste have no place in the New China. Fantasy, superstition, and other reactionary elements won’t be tolerated. But remember, the masses don’t want to see history on their walls at the New Year either!” With that confusing message, he invites everyone to enjoy the exhibition.
Z.G. stops at every painting. He asks what I think of it, and then he tells me if I’m right or wrong. He clearly sees things I don’t and understands their deeper meanings in ways I can’t fathom. We pause at a picture titled The Great Victory of the People’s War of Liberation. I tell Z.G. that it should encourage people to reminisce about their joy and celebration at that time.
“Yes,” Z.G. agrees, “but is it a proper New Year’s picture? The Ministry of Culture tells artists to show politics and history in our work, but as the judge just said, the masses don’t want to see those things in their New Year’s posters. They long for the old styles, which will call to mind their hopes for good luck, prosperity, and new sons, as well as their moral and religious principles.”
“But the judge also said—”
“That we should avoid traditional subjects.” He leans in and whispers in my ear. “That instruction must come from Chairman Mao. It’s up to us to decipher what he wants while keeping him from losing face. If he loses face, many people suffer.”
I draw back, shocked that Z.G. would say such a thing in public. I’m glad that the crowd is noisy and that no one could have heard him.
He drifts away, and I continue through the exhibition. I see how Mao’s desires and Z.G.’s suggestion of their meaning have been captured by different artists. Some have chosen to send a political message through images from the past: door gods in military dress or goddesses in peasant clothes. Others have ignored politics and history entirely, focusing instead on good-luck symbols.
I come to Tao’s painting, which Z.G. submitted. The style looks childlike next to that of the professional artists. It