20 LIFE | Culture Tuesday, July 31, 2018 CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION GOLDEN GATEWAY BRIDGE As Chinese artist, Shu Yong, prepares to replicate his famous installation in Kazakhstan, he hopes the concept will open a dialogue between different cultures, Cheng Yuezhu reports.
ith thousands of silk flowers b l o s s o m i n g and golden bricks glittering, Chinese conW temporary artist Shu Yong’s representative golden bridge will soon land in Kazakhstan, as he takes the artwork there in celebration of the Belt and Road Initiative. Invited by the municipal government of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Shu is going to construct a second piece of his Golden Bridge on Silk Road, and a square of the same name centered around the artwork. When receiving Shu on July 6, Kazakhstan’s President Nur sultan Nazarbayev expressed I feel that art, as a his appreciation and support for this project, saying that he universal language will choose an ideal spot in central Astana for its construc ... could serve as tion. The first Golden Bridge on an effective means Silk Road is a largescale art in breaking installation built in 2015, based on the broad narrative of the cultural barriers.” Belt and Road Initiative. Standing 28 meters long, 4 Shu Yong, Chinese meters wide and 6 meters contemporary artist high, the work embodies the artist’s yearning of bridging the communication gap across different cultures. their representative bridges, “In my opinion, the Belt and with the core value of the art Road Initiative itself is a bridge work unaffected, indicating that links China with the rest tolerance and openness,” Shu of the world,” Shu says. “This says. installation symbolizes our As the fifth anniversary of hope for joint cooperation the Belt and Road Initiative within the framework of the approaches, Shu feels that Initiative, the creation of a Kazakhstan, where the initia global community with a com tive was first put forward by mon destiny and shared inter President Xi Jinping in 2013, is ests.” an appropriate location to The bridge is constructed establish the artwork. with approximately 20,000 Asset Issekeshev, mayor of artificial amber bricks, embed Astana, says the square will ded within are the floral showcase the unique charm of emblems from countries and Kazakhstan to the whole regions involved in the initia world and represent the active tive. Clockwise from top: The original Golden Bridge on Silk Road created by Chinese contemporary artist Shu Yong stands in front of the China National Convention Center in participation of Kazakhstan in “Amber is a material that Beijing; a golden brick with the signature of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev; and a closeup of the golden bricks on the bridge. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY the initiative. could capture a precious Within the complex to be moment, its color bearing aus built on the square is a Golden picious symbolism in both the most important characteris the nations and the peoples.” through the artwork. Only by meaningful if we can substan na, an accurate representation Bridge on Silk Road Cultural East and the West,” Shu says of tics, with the intention of The artwork is designed to returning to the broader pub tialize the idea of ‘a community of both the ancient and the Center, an interactive plat his material selection. directly involving the viewers be displayed outdoors, as Shu lic society, can the value of with a shared future for modern — it was then an form serving Shu’s ultimate “The semitransparent gold in a dialogue. strives to bring creativity to the these works be truly realized.” humanity’ into a new cultural example of advanced technolo purpose of cultural exchange. en bricks present a scene of ‘let Ever since the piece was first masses. Ever since the first Belt With a vision to extend the symbol,” Shu says. gy during the Sui Dynasty (581 “I feel that art, as a universal a hundred flowers bloom’, a publicly exhibited at the Milan and Road Forum for Interna artwork into a series along the Compared to existing cul 618), and is now an icon of language and a higherlevel Chinese expression for cultur Expo 2015, Shu has been invit tional Cooperation in 2017, the Silk Road Economic Belt and tural symbols, which are usual China’s cultural and historical pursuit of human beings, al diversity. I would like it to be ing leaders of the countries original piece has been on 21st Century Maritime Silk ly a fixed shape, in Shu’s vision, heritage. could serve as an effective immediately apprehensible involved in the Belt and Road exhibit in front of the China Road, Shu aspires to make his his would be a flexible one. According to Shu, the gold means in breaking cultural that this is a peaceful, auspi Initiative, as well as represent National Convention Center in golden bridge “a cultural sym Being made of golden bricks en bridge dedicated to Kazakh barriers. I do hope the project cious and valuable bridge, able atives from all walks of life, to Beijing, where the forum was bol of the new era”. means that the bridge can be stan is designed to take the can help me to realize this to bring us all together.” sign on the golden bricks. hosted. “Cultural symbols are the assembled into different struc form of a famous Kazakh goal,” Shu says. Shu defines the piece as an “I want the bridge to be a col “I would like it to be seen by most straightforward and tures. bridge. “interactive sculpture land lective creation by the entire more people, so that the mean memorable way to present the The original piece takes the “The golden bridges could Contact the writer at scape artwork”, the element of world. With the signatures, the ing and value of the initiative values and development of a shape of Zhaozhou Bridge, the be constructed in different chengyuezhu@ interaction being one of the artwork links the individuals, could be quickly grasped country. I believe it can be oldest standing bridge in Chi nations, and take the form of chinadaily.com.cn Fans thrilled to see Faye Wong make a mark with reality TV show
By CHEN NAN feverish high pitch and wil [email protected] lowy whisper, as well as the cropped haircut, blew into the Faye Wong is among the Chinese pop music industry few Chinese pop stars who like a fresh breeze. And the manage to keep a low profile recording immediately distin but still grab the headlines. guished her from other female And the 48yearold music singers. icon achieved this yet again The song was also used in with a new Chinese reality TV Hong Kong director Wong show, PantaCity, with her per KarWai’s film Chungking formance of one of her old Express in 1994. hits, Dream, which is based on She withdrew from the lime the Irish band of The Cranber light after her second marriage ries’ song with the same title. in 2005. But she returned to The 12episode show, which the stage with a tour from premiered on July 20 on Hun October 2010 to June 2012, an Satellite TV, pairs pop including performances in Bei stars, actors and film direct From left: Hong Kong musician Kubert Leung, music director and coinitiator of a new Chinese reality TV show, PantaCity; pop star Faye Wong (middle) on the same show; jing, Shanghai and Hong ors together to film 8minute and singers, actors and film directors during the show. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Kong. music videos in a 3,000 Wong’s last public perform squaremeter space behind ance was at her concert Faye’s the stage. show received over 160 mil also known as Leah Dou, on a TV show with a difference. from start to finish, to com 1997, also has close links with Moments Live 2016 at Shang “Everything is done in one lion views online. the show. “For the audience and the plete a music video.” Wong, having written songs hai’s MercedesBenz Arena in take with no edits,” says the Writing on the show’s Sina As for the sceptics, they say performers, it’s new when a As for how he got Wong to and produced albums for her, December that year. TV show’s music director and Weibo account, Yu Tao, a the show totally depends on singer showcases himself or agree to take part in the show, including Wong’s 2001 selfti When asked by the TV coinitiator, Kubert Leung, a member of the audience, says: Wong. herself with not only music, Leung, who has been perform tled album. show’s host He Jiong what Hong Kong musician. “Her singing gives me goose Besides Wong, the TV show but also other elements, such ing in bands in Hong Kong Wong, who was born in Bei made her join the show, Wong On the TV show, Wong, bumps. She is irreplaceable. features TF Boy’s Yiyang as body language and acting. since the 1980s, says: “Many jing and moved to Hong Kong called her job “easy”. wearing a loose top and a long “She jumps like a little girl. Qianxi, actress Ren Suxi and It’s a whole new experience people wonder how I con in 1987, has so far released But Leung says she is very feather skirt, performs the Nothing has changed, espe actor Huang Xiaoming. for viewers and the singer.” vinced her to join the show, about 20 albums in both Can involved with the show — from song while walking through cially her voice.” Speaking about the show, Responding to the show’s since this is her first appear tonese and Mandarin. the promotional lines to the different sets before she emer Separately, other fans com Leung, who has also been the critics, he says: “The perform ance in something like this. The song, Dream, is impor stories portrayed in each ges on the stage. mented on Wong’s sense of music director of many Chi ers, either actors or singers, “The process was very sim tant to Wong because when music video — which is “not As the main performer on humor on the TV show, a nese reality TV shows, such as have to be bold because the ple. I told her that I wanted to she began her career in Hong easy at all”. the show, Wong also com sharp contrast with her I Am a Singer aired by Hunan show, unlike others, is a com do something different and Kong in 1994, her cover of the “Preparing the scripts and ments on other performances image. And many also Satellite TV, says: “There are prehensive and creative proc she likes being creative.” song made people see her as a the rehearsals are crucial for and offers ideas on filming expressed a desire to see her many reality TV shows in Chi ess. But Leung, who studied cin pioneer. the final performance. Every music videos. daughter, Dou Jingtong, a na, but most of them are simi “We spend at least one ema in New York before Her imitation of Dolores thing you see is real, done with The first episode of the TV 21yearold singersongwriter, lar. So, we wanted to produce month working together, returning to Hong Kong in O’Riordan’s silky voice, with its just one take,” he says.