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In
the Eyes of the Culturati
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Tao
Ho, a renowned urban planner, architect, designer and
artist moves between disciplines with an authority rarely
found in the modern world. His works exhibit a profound
understanding of ancient and modern Oriental and Western
culture. During his 30 years of practice, he has been
awarded numerous prizes. The most remarkable one is
the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, highest international award in recognition
of his outstanding efforts in bridging the Western and
Chinese culture. Tao Ho is a true Renaissance Man with
inexhaustibly inventive mind.
"If
we are going to experience a better, longer life in
the future, we will have to move towards a low-energy
oriented society. In this respect, the ancient intuitive
wisdom of the Asians for harmony amongst heaven, Earth
and Man might help to shape the future of humanity."
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This
was the impression I got when I asked Tao Ho about his views
on architecture. Tao Ho no longer confines himself to expressing
opinions on architecture, but on Eastern and Western culture,
and goes beyond to the trend of human civilization. During
the short interview, he moved from ancient philosophy to modern
thoughts. I was completely struck by his distinguished learned
views. Architecture is the art of creating dimensions to give
you different angles for appreciation. Tao Ho is also a multi-dimensional
person we can read from different angles.
Tao
Ho is learned in traditional Chinese architecture. He was
commissioned by the Chinese government to plan the three cities
of Xiamen, Qingdao and Hangzhou, as well as Lujiazui in Shanghai.
He initiated a heritage fund to revitalize the ancient city
of Suzhou and direct a study to improve the quality of its
drainage system.
"Architecture
reflects local life styles responding to natural environment.
The characteristics of different life styles in turn shape
the different architectural forms of different cultural heritage.
Chinese architecture combines Confucianism and Taoism. Confucianism
emphasized order, the clearly defined relationship of the
senior and junior members in the society and the five standard
relationship: king and minister; father and son; brothers:
husband and wife; and friends. This manifests itself in architecture.
So we find symmetric and well defined layers in the Imperial
Palace in Beijing; the left, right, and central wings in typical
Chinese courtyard (Siheyuan) in the northwestern region in
China. Taoism, unlike Confucianism, emphasizes nothingness
and harmony in nature, which is reflected in the traditional
Chinese garden in Suzhou, expressing the feelings of nibility
and space." Tao Ho summarized his insights on culture behind
traditional Chinese architecture.
He
has a strong opinion concerning Chinese culture, "Chinese
culture is broad and fathomless. Unfortunately few Chinese
appreciate it and often regard ourselves as lagging behind.
China's being labeled as a developing country is only in respect
to economic development. Concerning cultural development,
China is well ahead. We must strengthen and build up respect
for our race to recognize and spread Chinese culture."
Tao
Ho sees Chinese culture as a marriage, but at the same time,
a contradiction between Confucianism and Taoism. It is a balance
of yin and yang, generating vitality and expressing strong
adaptability. To understand it, you have to know how to strike
a balance between each element, especially between rationality
and emotions. "Technological advancement relies on knowledge
and wisdom. Knowledge is achieved through rationality. Wisdom
comes from boundless intuition. The task for our next century
is to strike a balance between these two elements."
He
then remarked on the difference between Chinese and Western
culture. "The 20th century saw an unprecedented shift in our
life styles due to the rapid advancement of technology. As
we move into the 21st century we have to re-establish a friendly
dialogue with nature. Traditional Chinese culture recognizes
the importance of this dialogue: 'In harmony with nature one
survives, against nature one extincts'. In the Western world,
on the other hand, man tried to shape and control nature.
The current alarming rate of environment deterioration is
the direct result of man's failure to harmonize with nature
in the course of building up the modern world."
He
sees cultural heritage as a continuum of the past. Lost cultural
heritage cannot be revived. How to preserve the wisdom of
the past to apply to the present is thus his concern.
"The
advancement in technology and thinkings in this century is
outstanding. The theory of the world of infinitesimal molecules
and infinity cosmosm is such examples. Many age-old thoughts
form Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, particularly ideas related
to cosmology and nature, bear a remarkable similarity to the
spirit of new physics and scientific thoughts developed in
this century. The Eastern thinking of unity amongst Heaven,
Earth and Man is in fact similar to the recent new approach
of searching for harmonious relationship between Man and Nature
in the context of rapid deterioration of our natural environment.
The West now realizes that the world is a holistic ecosystem.
The task for next century will be reassembles all the isolated
parts of our world. In this respect, the spirit of the Eastern
approach may become the guiding torch." This implies the need
to re-evaluate humanity in the context of practical science,
a vision of bringing Eastern philosophy into modern life.
This also reflects Tao Ho's wisdom and insightfulness in fusing
Eastern philosophy into modern life.
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Tao
Ho has devoted considerable efforts in revitalizing
Chinese cultural heritage and setting a development
strategy. He speaks of his aspiration. "I want to contribute
my research findings and professional knowledge to my
home country. Now I am concentrating on a proposal to
revolutionize energy resources in China."
He
also lectures widely on the Chinese culture in the modern
age, speaking to various international corporations
and renowned academic institutions. He has lectured
on "Chinese Modernism" in the National College of administration.
He concerns not only China, but also the development
of global civilization. The Crystal Award in 1997 is
the recognition of his outstanding efforts in bridging
Western and Chinese culture.
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Tao
Ho also has substantial achievements in Hong Kong. He is the
founder and chief architect of the Hong Kong Museum of Art,
the planner of the Western Market reconstruction project,
and the designer of the flag and emblem of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region. He has designed a sculptural installation
"Synergy" for the public concourse at Chek Lap Kok Airport.
He is now on the project of Panda House in the Ocean Park.
Apart
from his profession, he is equally outstanding in the fields
of his interest. He has held countless painting exhibitions
and published books on a variety of topics. To say he is remarkable
is far from exaggerating.
"Culturati"
reports
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The
Southern Route of the Silk Road
The
southern route of the Silk Road in Xinjiang threads through
northern Kulunshan to Iran and the Pacific Ocean. It was the
key access to the Western Territory from Yangguan during Han
dynasty, being the most ancient route. The area is scattered
with oases and towns, including Lop Nor, Loulan, Hetian and
Shache. Merchants and missions all came along, not to mention
the famous Italian adventurer Marco Polo who came in the Yuan
Dynasty, evoking in there a mystic feeling.
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Lop
Nor . Loulan
The
Lop Nor region, lies at the east of Tarim basin is indeed
a mysterious piece of land. The mysterious Lop Nar Lake was
once the second largest lake in China. West of Lop Nor stood
the important caravan trading city of Loulan. However, when
the Taklamakan Desert gradually shifted to the southeastern
region in the fourth century A.D., together with a change
in the river course finally desertified this area and completely
destroyed the oases around.
The
"Wandering" Lake
Lop
nor Lake, once famous in the Han-Dynasty, was fed by the rivers
of Tarim, Peacock and Cherchen. After the Han Dynasty, the
water level of the lake became unstable and it has a mysterious
habit of shifting over the course of years. This "wandering"
was due to the many glacier-fed rivers that often changed
course and hence the shape of the lake. The lake was dried
up completely in the 70's. It is now being deserted only surrounded
by salt mashes and a salt-encrusted plain. During its golden
age, the Lake was 300 miles in size with abundant fish and
plants, flourishing with garrison towns around. What left
now is a desert posing a major barrier along the Silk Road
to contrast with its glorious past.
The
Ancient City under the Sands
Northwest
of Lop Nor Lake and 7 miles form the south bound of River
Peacock lies the ancient city of Loulan. It was a focus of
Silk Road traffic gathering missions, military generals, merchants
and priests from and to Yangguan. The land was fertile and
well drained. It had a population of more than 14,000 inhabitants
who lived by fishing, hunting and farming. After flourishing
for several centuries, the city was suddenly buried under
the sands.
Loulan
was an important economic and political city along the Silk
Road. Its exact location was, however, a mystery in history.
It was until early this century that the site was discovered
by Uygur who had lost his way in sandstorms. In recent decades,
Chinese archeological teams have worked at this site and unearthed
lengths of tamped walls and timbers of an ancient roadway.
Coins, jewellery, inscribed wood stripes and pottery shreds
have also been recovered to unveil its ancient civilization.
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Hetian
Hetian
was where the famous Kingdom of Yuli lay. Yuli was a tributary
of Tibet since the Han Dynasty. It was one of the "Anxi four
towns" in the Tang Dynasty. (The others being shula, Guizi
and Yanqi.) Yuli was renamed Hetian in the Qing Dynasty. It
has been an important city in the Silk Road, exerted a strong
influence on the cultural development to its neighbouring
areas. Its music and dance were very popular in China during
the Northern and southern Dynasties. It is also renowned internationally
for its jade, silk, carpets and embroidery.
Fine
Silk
Hetian
was known as "the City of Silk". Sericulture spreaded to the
area as early as the third century. In the Tang Dynasty, Hetian
became the principal supplier of silk. During the Yuan Dynasty,
it has mastered the art of silk weaving and developed techniques
on dyeing. The colour and designs were rich and varied. In
the Qing Dynasty, its silk production reached 16,000 yards
annually. Legend has it that the sericulture was introduced
to Hetian by a Chinese princess who concealed the silkworm
eggs and the seeds of mulberry tree in her head-dress and
carried them to Hetian upon her marriage to the king aound
AD440. Hertian is now a major centre of silk production especially
famous for the traditional hand-woven aidelaixi silk, a favourite
of the Uygur women. Others include silk carpets, Qiaoqi silk
and Aiyi silk.
The
Story of Carpet
The
rich patterned and delicate woolen carpets are one of Hetian's
three treasures. Hetian has a long history of sheep rearing.
Their wool is long and thin, elastic and soft, which is valuable
for weaving fine and durable carpets. Xinjiang carpets are
treasured all over America, Russia, Britain and Germany in
the 17th to 19th centuries. Among which Hetian's are the best.
Hetian
is called the home of Oriental Carpets. There was a folklore
about a "Father of Carpets", a poor farmer who was so obsessed
in finding the skills of weaving carpets from wool that he
even neglected his crops. He succeeded and spreaded the skills.
The
White Jade of Kunlun
Crystallized
jade signifies purity and virginity. It is also the gift of
friendship. China has a long history of jade mining. According
to historical documents, Kulunshan was known as the "mountain
of jade", while jade from Hetian got its fame as "the Jade
of Kunlunshan". The exquisite jade statute "Dayu Controlling
the Flood" in the Imperial Palace Museum of Beijing is being
carved from the jade of Hetian. There are white jade, white-green
jade, green jade and dark-green jade in Hetian. Accessories
made of jade are beloved by all.
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Shache
Shache
is the largest oasis in the Tarim basin. It lies at the communication
focus of the southern route of the Silk Road and was once
a famous trade transit centre. The history of the kingdom
of Shache was recorded as early as the first century A.D.
in "Han History - the Western Territory" by the historian
Bangu. Marco Polo passed by in 1272 and noted the kingdom's
"wealth and abundant resources".
A
Portugal missionary of the Church of Christ who came on his
way to China in 1603 also said Shache was "a famous city where
merchants gathered."
A
Sea of Trees
Shache
lies at the southwest edge of Taklamakan Desert. It was eroded
by sandstorms for more than a thousand years. However, today's
Shache has woodland with abundant well-grown trees. People
in Shache have planted 140 million trees in 600 square feet
of agricultural land, including millions apple trees, peach,
apricot and pear. The sea of trees acts like a wall sheltering
the oasis from sandstorms. The Uygurs no longer have to retreat
form the sandy winds; instead it is the desert that is now
retreating. Thanks to human wisdom, the desert gradually has
signs of life.
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Marco
Polo - the adventurer that bridged the East and West
Marco
Polo was an Italian from Venice. He was famous for his influential
role in the cultural exchange of the East and West. Stories
about him are still heard of today.
In
1271 the 15 years old Marco followed his father and uncle
who were merchants to come to China via the ancient Silk Road.
They have the mission of relating a message from the Pope
of Rome to Hubilie. It took them three and a half years on
a tough journey to reach Kaiping (now Inner Mongolia). Macro
Polo was highly regarded by Hubilie and he spent 17 years
working for the Hubilie Palace, patrolling virtually every
province in China. In 1291 he got the mission to escort the
Mongolian Princes to marry to Persia. He then went back to
Venice. When Marco Polo later became a military prisoner,
he told fellow prisoners what he heard and saw in China, and
edited into the book "the Adventure of Marco Polo". The book
detailed the cultural achievements and prosperity of China
of that period. It spreaded out in Europe and became the classics
of East meets West.
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Chinese
Garden - Rocks with inner meanings
Chinese
Garden is a world - renowned architectural art. The construction
and assembling of pavilions, water, rock and plants create
an atmosphere of tranquility for contemplation and inspiration.
The early Japanese garden style was greatly influenced by
Chinese garden art.
Architecture
is the art of space creation. Rock material is an important
element in the architecture of gardens. The book "Chang Wu
Zhi" (the story of things) by Wen Zhenxiang of the Ming Dynasty
said, "Rock reminds us of the past. Water reminds us of the
far distance. Garden, water and rock are indispensable." It
describes vividly the intrinsic nature of rock. Though rock
is lifeless, the fact that it is hardly moved by winds and
rains, gives it its unique symbolic meaning of endurance and
persistence. Besides, the rock has endless combination of
colours, layers and shapes and no two piece of rock will be
the same. Coarse rock is crude and simple but when it is polished
to make different utensils, it expresses another kind of beauty,
both practical and ornamental.
The
use of rock in Chinese Garden art can be divided into five
types:-
A.
Enclosing: to enclose and separate space, such as
making ponds of different shapes; building walls and thresholds
for defense and for shelter from wind.
B.
Defining: to define space. This includes the building
of trench, edges of flower beds and paths.
C.
Paving: to create variation on level space for decoration
and defining. A path with rock pavements prevents itself from
becoming muddy after rain and is easier to walk on. Different
patterns made by colour pebbles also add beauty to the architecture.
D.
Linking: to link up different components of architecture
and to achieve harmony, such as lead-on, stairs and bridges.
E.
Highlighting: skilful combinations of rocks of different
colours, shapes and texture in rock groupings, stone pagodas,
stone sculptures and stone lamps. Stone lamp has a long history.
It used to be made for lighting and religious (Buddhist) purposes.
Later, it was developed into lamp for worshipping, memento,
decoration and appreciation. Stone lamp was invented in China
and being spread via Korea to Japan. Lamps of different historical
periods and origins have different shapes and unique styles,
which reflect the aesthetics standards of their places of
origin.
Bazaar
gift shop has a collection of stone lamps. Due to the simplicity
of their shapes and the soft-hued tone, stone lamps are suitable
for decorating modern homes. Larger stone lamps can be placed
in outdoor gardens and large mansions. Their smaller counterparts
can decorate and become the light source to balcony, sitting
rooms, and any corners of the house, creating an atmosphere
of ancient elegance.
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