15 CHINA DAILY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2011 sundaykaleidoscope It is a beautiful sculpture representative of religious art from the Northern Wei. Though it lost its arms to the ravages of time, it is nonetheless outstanding in its serenity and beauty. Zhao Ruixue and Ju Chuanjiang tell the story. Oriental Venus PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY he lone Bodhisattva statue IF YOU GO A scene from Canadian director Larry Weinstein’s Inside Hana’s Suitcase. stands in the Shandong Museum’s exhibition hall SHANDONG MUSEUM T of religious fi gures, serene 11899 Jingshi Donglu, Jinan, Documenting and benevolent, with nothing to Shandong province betray a turbulent past. It’s often 9 am-5 pm, daily except Monday called the Oriental Venus, mainly Free admission due to its half-smiling countenance the changes on fi lm and armless state. Its discovery began in 1978 when Identifi ed with Buddhism, the insect is By HAN BINGBIN to discover the war-shattered life of Zhang Lishan, a villager in Zhang- a symbol of integrity and nobility and CHINA DAILY Hana Brady, whose name was rough- guan Village, Bo’xing county in Shan- has been oft en used by poets to express ly painted on a battered suitcase that dong province, dug up the statue benevolence. Th e iDOCS International Doc- was delivered to Ishioka. while building a house around the site In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD umentary Forum provides a rare Zheng is not sure how Chinese of Longhua Temple, built during the 220), the cicada also appeared on the chance for audiences in China to audiences will receive these fi lms, Northern Wei period (AD 386-534). headgear of high offi cials. explore this genre through the best but says these are the ones that To Zhang, it was no big deal. Vil- Shandong boasts a long history, productions, and a chance to talk to made her “weep, think and refresh” lagers dug out and is famous as the birthplace of the master producers and directors when she fi rst watched them. bits and parts Confucius, Mencius and Sun Tzu, behind the cameras. It was ultimately the admirable of old statues the author of Art of War. Since 2009, the forum has quality of these fi lms that encour- all the time Buddhism has set deep roots in screened more than 20 fi lms every aged this idealistic woman to give around the Shandong, with many early temples, winter from countries such as Th e up her documentary distribution site. Zhang including the Shentong Temple, built Netherlands and Finland, both with business to introduce them to her ì threw the in AD 351 near the capital Ji’nan. established reputations in docu- countrymen, whom she thinks have excavated It was originally named Langgong mentary-making. been watching “too much commer- pieces aside Temple (郎公寺), but was later This year, from Dec 12 to 16, cial rubbish on big screens”. at the back renamed Shentong Temple (神通寺). another 20 international award- But Zheng says this may be the of the village, Buddhism in China did not go winning fi lms will greet audiences, last year she will organize the event where they were taken away and unchallenged. During two anti-Bud- including three new productions because funds are running dry, and used as tables and stools. dhist purges in the Northern Wei peri- from this year and 11 from 2010. the indiff erence towards documen- Th is fi nally caught the attention od, devout Buddhist followers dug pits Zheng Qiong, the initiator of taries has exhausted her enthusiasm. of Li Shaonan, the former head of to hide their sculptures, thus leaving a iDOCS and also the festival direc- Some local fi lmmakers disagree. the Bo’xing Cultural Heritage orga- future legacy for Shandong. tor, sticks to one simple principle in Melanie Ansley, an independent nization and he began to collect the Since the 1980s, many Buddhist her choices — that all fi lms should fi lmmaker based in Beijing, hopes sculpture fragments. Between 1980 JU CHUANJIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY statues have been excavated in dif- refl ect the themes of “love and wis- Zheng’s feelings are like those of a and 1982, Li collected hundreds of The Cicada Crown Bodhisattva of the Northern Wei period is a precious ferent parts of Shandong. Besides dom”, in addition to being aestheti- new mother after birth: swearing broken parts. relic of religious art in Shandong. Ji’nan, major excavation sites are cally worthy. she’ll never go through it again, but Th e Bodhisattva statue was pieced at Qingzhou, Binzhou, Guangrao, She promises that there will be no forgetting the pain a year later and together from three recovered parts under the Chinese Academy of Social “Currently, we still continue cul- Bo’xing, Anqiu and Zhucheng. preaching or vague narrations void deciding to give it another go. in 1980 and kept in Bo’xing, becom- Sciences,” Xiao Guitian, an expert on tural communication with the Miho In the Shandong Museum, there is of solid content. Each story will be But Ansley agrees it is ultimately ing known as the Cicada Crown the Buddhist sculptures at Shandong Museum and the Bodhisattva statue a large collection of Buddhist fi gures a focus on individual life with rich up to the audience to decide wheth- Bodhisattva aft er the insect carved Museum, told China Daily. will be exhibited in Japan every fi ve made from bronze, stone and bisque- and riveting details. er iDOCS stays or goes. on the front of its head. Aft er several rounds of negotiations, years,” Xiao says. fi red ceramic that off ers an overview For example, in the closing fi lm “It will either be your last chance Unfortunately, it was reported sto- officials from China and the Miho Th e Cicada Crown Bodhisattva is of Shandong Buddhist fi gurine art Position Among the Stars, audiences to see these great films and meet len in 1994 from the collection at Museum administrators reached a carved in limestone, and stands about through the centuries from the 16 will see how three generations of an these fi lmmakers who are legends Bo’xing and not until fi ve years later deal in 2001, agreeing that the statue 120 cm tall. Kingdoms (304-439), Northern Wei Indonesian family are torn between in the industry,” she says, “or your did scholars notice the stolen fi gure be returned to China without any pay- Th e statue is set against a circular (386-534), Eastern Wei (534-550), traditional rural values and urban participation will bring the forum listed in the collection of the Miho ment and that China would loan the nimbus with a lotus rosette, and it and Northern Qi (550-577) to the pressure against a backdrop of ris- back bigger and stronger next year.” Museum in Japan. statue to the Miho Museum until 2007. is draped in pearls and ribbon cords Sui (581-618) dynasties. ing Islamic fundamentalism and For ticket information and more “Two letters indicated that the At that time, Chinese officials with its skirt falling in delicate folds. But of them all, the serene Cicada increasing globalization. details about the forum, please visit stolen statue might be in the Miho estimated that the statue was worth “Th e Bodhisattva’s abstract expres- Crown Bodhisattva stands out in its In Canadian director Larry Wein- www.idocs.cn or call 010-8855- Museum. One was from the Maece- 100 million yen, or about $830,000. sion is in line with the orthodox quiet magnifi cence. stein’s Inside Hana’s Suitcase, a per- 0623/4. nas Foundation in Switzerland; the Th e deal paved the way for increased Northern Wei habit,” Xiao explains. sonal favorite of Zheng’s, the audience other was actually a confi dential let- cultural exchange between China But the outstanding characteristic You may contact the writers at will follow the search by Fumiko Ish- You may contact the writer at ter from the Institute of Archaeology and Japan. is the cicada on the front of its crown. [email protected]. ioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum [email protected]. cityguide BEIJING BEIJING oil painter Ding Yi are exhibited. Th e Sugar and spice artist has devoted more than a whole Martial-art musical decade painting repeatedly with meticu- Th e Nutcracker, written by Alexandre Louis Cha, the most infl uential and lous strokes, tiny crosses patterns on the Dumas and set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchai- respectful Chinese martial-art novelist in canvas. Th e French luxury fashion brand kovsky’s score, immediately captivated Art of the post-1980 generation Chinese-speaking areas, authorized one Hermes has had silk scarves made aft er audiences when it was fi rst performed in of his masterpiece, Demi-Gods And Semi- his paintings of crosses. 1892. A sugar-spun story of a Nutcracker Devils, to be recreated as a stage musical. prince leading little Clara to a magical By CHEN NAN 10 am-9 pm, until Jan 29, daily except Although Cha’s works have been put on Mondays. Minsheng Museum of Modern world of dance, it is a tour de force of CHINA DAILY screen again and again, it’s the fi rst time Art, F, 570 Huaihai Xilu. 021－6282- colorful solos and pas de deux. Th is one of his classics has hit the stage. With 8729 year is the 15th anniversary of former the perfect combination of martial arts, artistic director Stephen Jeff ries’ version, Young Chinese artists who are sword dancing and music of diff erent performed by Th e Hong Kong Ballet tagged as post-80ers are considered styles, audience can immerse themselves Self-taught painter accompanied by Th e Hong Kong Sinfo- adventurous and self-centered.