The purpose of this thesis is to provide new insights into women painters in China, by investigating their use of orchids to symbolise femininity and in which ways the orchid became a theme for...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to provide new insights into women painters in China, by investigating their use of orchids to symbolise femininity and in which ways the orchid became a theme for self-identification of female painters.Show less
This thesis addresses the misrepresentations of contemporary Chinese artworks in the global art arena. The identity of these contemporary Chinese artists (how these artists represent themselves and...Show moreThis thesis addresses the misrepresentations of contemporary Chinese artworks in the global art arena. The identity of these contemporary Chinese artists (how these artists represent themselves and how they are represented in the global art world) is central in this research.Show less
On September 12, 2015, an indigenous tribe, the Kaviyangan married their ancestral pillar to the president of the National Taiwan University (NTU). The pillar Muakaikai was taken from its tribe by...Show moreOn September 12, 2015, an indigenous tribe, the Kaviyangan married their ancestral pillar to the president of the National Taiwan University (NTU). The pillar Muakaikai was taken from its tribe by the Japanese colonizer to the anthropology museum of NTU during the colonial period (1895-1945). As a national treasure, Muakaikai bares the colonized history of its tribe and the possibility of a new cooperative approach between the museum and the source community. Although the authorized heritage discourse still guides the practices of heritage in Taiwan nowadays, the Kaviyangan resisted it with their traditional cultural practice, and eventually came up with an innovative way of dealing with Muakaikai’s repatriating issue. In the heritagization process of Muakaikai, the Kaviyangan people not only built a long-term relationship with the museum but also strengthened their collective identity and intimacy to the tribe.Show less
On September 12, 2015, an indigenous tribe, the Kaviyangan married their ancestral pillar to the president of the National Taiwan University (NTU). The pillar Muakaikai was taken from its tribe by...Show moreOn September 12, 2015, an indigenous tribe, the Kaviyangan married their ancestral pillar to the president of the National Taiwan University (NTU). The pillar Muakaikai was taken from its tribe by the Japanese colonizer to the anthropology museum of NTU during the colonial period (1895-1945). As a national treasure, Muakaikai bares the colonized history of its tribe and the possibility of a new cooperative approach between the museum and the source community. Although the authorized heritage discourse still guides the practices of heritage in Taiwan nowadays, the Kaviyangan resisted it with their traditional cultural practice, and eventually came up with an innovative way of dealing with Muakaikai’s repatriating issue. In the heritagization process of Muakaikai, the Kaviyangan people not only built a long-term relationship with the museum but also strengthened their collective identity and intimacy to the tribe.Show less
Restitution of art from abroad has been a useful tool to increase the soft power of China both abroad and domestically between 2009 and 2019. The Chinese government has dedicated large resources to...Show moreRestitution of art from abroad has been a useful tool to increase the soft power of China both abroad and domestically between 2009 and 2019. The Chinese government has dedicated large resources to recover art of Chinese origin from abroad, as well as conducted various projects that used art as a tool of soft power, for instance in the South China Sea or in international law enforcement cooperation.Show less
A window serves as the eye of a building. This thesis attempts to approach the windows of early modern China, roughly from the late Ming to the early Qing period. With the findings, it shows that...Show moreA window serves as the eye of a building. This thesis attempts to approach the windows of early modern China, roughly from the late Ming to the early Qing period. With the findings, it shows that windows served as a practical element as well as a culture symbol. On the one hand, a window could be used to enhance light effects and air circulation; with the coverings, windows created a shelter of privacy for both people inside and outside; windows were also taken into the account of architectural design as an evocative pictorial device. On the other hand, it represented social status and wealth. Windows were also silent statement of the so-called elegant taste, ya. Apart from these, the window motif in literature and art could help to frame an erotic space. It can be concluded that in the early modern period, a window had not only practical functions, but also shouldered multiple cultural symbolic implications.Show less
Landscape occupies a prominent place in the history of Chinese painting and lives on in contemporary art, reflecting the changes which China and more generally the world have undergone in the last...Show moreLandscape occupies a prominent place in the history of Chinese painting and lives on in contemporary art, reflecting the changes which China and more generally the world have undergone in the last few decades. On the wake of their ancestors, contemporary artists still turn to the subject of landscape to express themselves, although this style seems now freed from the stricter boundaries of pre-modern landscape painting. The research has the aim to investigate Chinese contemporary artists’ perception of the changing surroundings through the examination of a selection of artworks that will highlight the role of the landscape as an effective means to convey a wide array of feelings.Show less
This paper argues that the Song Dynasty was a turning point for medicine in the pre-modern history of China. The medical theory and governance had undergone a complete transformation as a result of...Show moreThis paper argues that the Song Dynasty was a turning point for medicine in the pre-modern history of China. The medical theory and governance had undergone a complete transformation as a result of the increasing interests of literati scholars and Song emperors.Show less
