Renaissance 4/2012 - 1 Chen Liu Teaching the Renaissance in China. 'imitations and 3ualifications /ig. 1. Tsinghua (niversity, 1rand %uditorium Renaissance teaching in China is barely a no- plete in "urope.[1] The Chinese people had to ticeable activity. This is largely the result of the endure decades of political and intellectual dis- uneasy development of China s universities. order& and the situation )as greatly aggravated !hile many "uropean universities have a vener- by fierce aggression from the outside. %ll of able history dating bac# to the $iddle %ges, these have conditioned the e-istence and devel- modern universities began to emerge in China opment of China s universities. only in the late nineteenth century. 'ast year& Tsinghua (niversity, one of the nation s prime institutions of higher learning& celebrated its Tsinghua (niversity. /oundation and /lourish centennial& an event coinciding )ith the 100th of 0umanities anniversary of the Revolution of 1*11. +uring this past century, China has gone through the Tsinghua (niversity’s campus architecture dis- most dramatic changes in her history, )hereas plays a markedly !estern style. To the trained similar changes too# some ,00 years to com- eye& the centrally planned Grand %uditorium 2fig. Chen 'iu Teaching the Renaissance in China #unstte-te.de 4/2012 - 2 14& )ith its pedimented temple front articulated These intellectuals pursued their oversea educa- by an Ionic order& immediately evokes the 5talian tion at a critical moment in the history of t)en- Renaissance architect %ndrea 6alladio s most tieth-century China. In the decades immediately reno)ned )or#. 7illa Rotunda.[2] The origin of follo)ing the Revolution of 1*11& )hich the (niversity has indeed a !estern connection. overthre) the last monarchy and attempted to It )as founded in 1*11 on the site of a Qing establish a Republic& democratic ideas spread +ynasty royal garden called the 8Tsinghua across China. $any young students )ent ab- Garden9. The ma:ority of the funds came from road& aspiring to learn from the !est to serve the ;o-er Rebellion 5ndemnity, )hich )as paid their o)n nation. "-posed to !estern thought e-cessively to the (nited <tates and& after com- for the first time and at their most impressiona- ple- negotiations, partly returned to China as ble age& they came to regard the concepts of the scholarship for Chinese students to study in the Renaissance as a po)erful contribution of !es- (nited <tates.[3] Tsinghua thus began to func- tern civilization )hich brought about a flo)ering tion as a preparatory school for those students of art& literature& science& politics, and an eman- sent by the government to the (.<.& and its offi- cipatory )ay of relating to the past. 6rofoundly cial name at the time )as Tsinghua Imperial Col- inspired& these young scholars began to reflect lege. The 1*20s sa) subse=uent establishments upon China s o)n possible 8renaissance9. 5t is of undergraduate and graduate programs at particularly note)orthy that the >e) Culture and Tsinghua& and its name )as changed to >ational $ay /ourth $ovements 21*1E-1*214& initiated by Tsinghua (niversity. enlightened intellectuals, are sometimes referred Tsinghua (niversity also had a thriving to as the 8Chinese Renaissance9& since during beginning in the humanities. /our scholars con- this era there )as an intense focus on science tributed to the resonant legend of Tsinghua s and e-perimentation. early history: the versatile poet !ang Guo)ei ;esides the /our Great $entors, other (1?@@-1*2@4A the philologist Chen Binke 21?*0- distinguished intellectuals )ho studied abroad 1*C*4A Dhao Buanren (1?*2-1*?24& 8/ather of the include /u 'ei& the famous translator )ho stud- $odern <tudy of Chinese 6honology”& and 'i- ied art and art theory in /rance& Dhu Di=ing& a ang Qichao (1?@,-1*2*4& :ournalist& philosopher& reno)ned poet and essayist )ho studied "ng- and resolute reformist. !ang contributed signi- lish literature and linguistics in 'ondon& and 'i- ficantly to the studies of ancient history, archae- ang <icheng (the eldest son of 'iang Qichao4& ology, epigraphy, philology, vernacular literature 8father of modern Chinese architecture9 )ho re- and literary theory, and )as instrumental in fus- ceived a sound training at (niversity of ing "astern and !estern aesthetics; Chen be- 6ennsylvania and traveled to "urope to investig- came a fello) of the %cademia <inicaA Dhao )as ate historical buildings. (pon their return to an amateur composer& )hile 'iang inspired nu- China& both Dhu and 'iang taught at Tsinghua merous Chinese scholars )ith his )ritings. They (niversity, )hile /u taught in <hanghai.[5] Dhu s )ere among China s greatest and most for)ard- anthology, % Journey through "urope& )as pub- looking thinkers of the late nineteenth and early lished in 1*,4. 0is admirable descriptions of the t)entieth centuries. %ll four scholars so:ourned cultural and physical landscape of the birthplace abroad for education or business.[4] 5n 1*2E& of the Renaissance as seen through %sian eyes& they )ere appointed <upervisors at the ne)ly together )ith his ingenious transformation of the founded Research 5nstitute of <inology <tudies, )ord 8/irenze9 into Chinese characters, fired the Tsinghua Imperial College. 7enerated as the imagination of his peers and students, and cast 8/our Great $entors”& they designed a rigorous a spell on those )ho never visited 5taly. curriculum combining the classical Chinese edu- cational system and !estern humanities. Chen 'iu Teaching the Renaissance in China #unstte-te.de 4/2012 - , 5nstitutional Restructuring and the Central instead of shi& meaning chronicles or annals. 5n %cademy of %rts and +esign fact& the )ord is often used interchangeably )ith meishu yan:iu& )hich means art studies. %nd so <ignificantly, at least in universities in mainland in China art history is essentially not regarded as China& there has never been a teaching position a branch of history or even one of cultural his- reserved particularly for Renaissance scholars. tory. In "urope and >orth %merica& art history is There are t)o reasons )hy this is the case. The a )ell-established& mature discipline& but in first is historical. In 1*,@& the outbrea# of the China& until very recent years, it has never been !ar of Resistance against Gapan disturbed the an independent scholarly discipline. %n art his- normal activities in Chinese universities and col- tory department& if it e-ists at all& is almost leges. That year& Tsinghua (niversity, 6eking )ithout e-ception allied )ith an art academy.[8] (niversity, and >ankai (niversity merged and Jn the other hand& )hile in !estern institutions relocated to Hunming& Bunnan 6rovince to form Renaissance studies are represented in a variety the >ational <outh)est %ssociated (niversity. of fields I art& history, literature& music& etc. I& in %fter the )ar& the three members moved bac# to China the study of the Renaissance is predomin- their original campuses and resumed their inde- antly concerned )ith its art. 0ence art pendent status. <ince then& Tsinghua (niversity academies have become the only environment has gone through some great changes caused )here Renaissance art is taught. by t)o nation)ide events of institutional restruc- The Central %cademy of %rts and +esign turing of higher education. The first one began in (C%%+4& the predecessor of Tsinghua %cademy 1*E2& three years after the founding of the of %rts and +esign& )as established in 1*EC )ith 6eople s Republic of China& )hich changed the approval of the <tate Council. The 1*E0s Tsinghua s course from a )ell-balanced& com- )as a period of uncertainty in every respect. prehensive university to a multidisciplinary poly- Radical social& political& and cultural changes technic university specializing in engineering.[6] that )ould eventually turn the )orld upside <uch focus lasted more than three decades and do)n in the ne-t t)o decades )ere already un- it )as not until the end of the Cultural Revolution folding in China. The Chinese Communist 6arty, that Tsinghua began to strengthen its disciplines since it )as no) responsible for the nation s cul- in sciences, economics, humanities, and la). tural heritage& established ne) libraries, mu- The second nation)ide restructuring too# place seums, and institutions to demonstrate its re- in 1***& )hich resulted in a chain of controver- spect for historic material culture. !hen it came sial institution-merging events. That year& to the art education& ho)ever& socialist realism China s Central %cademy of %rts and +esign and fol# arts )ere promoted against traditional merged into Tsinghua (niversity and became genres. 5t )as in this highly politicized and func- Tsinghua %cademy of %rts and +esign.[7] tionalist atmosphere that the Central %cademy The second reason has to do )ith the of %rts and +esign )as founded to meet the displacement of art history from the humanities country’s demand for populist artists and design in China s higher educational system. The study professionals.[9] of painting I including its theory, criticism& and >otably, )hile the government authori- connoisseurship I is a long-established literati ties’ attitude to)ards China s cultural past ap- tradition in China& and )as considered an integ- peared to be parado-ical and conflicted& they ral part of the artist s intellectual life. ;ut meishu une=uivocally denounced all things !estern. shi& the Chinese e=uivalent for art history, is a <logans like 8'et the enemies (referring to the modern )ord of !estern construct. /or the ma- capitalist !est4 deteriorate day by day, )hile )e :ority of Chinese teachers and students, the core (referring to the socialist >e) China4 ameliorate of the )ord is meishu& literally meaning fine arts, day by day!9 flied in the air.