Innovating traditional culture
The 2017 Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to Tan Dun, a distinguished Chinese composer, for his "creativity born and bred in the orient that has so intensely engaged with and indeed bonded with the west."
According to Tan, also a Grammy and Oscar winner, creative ideas do not come out of nowhere; rather, they come from years of constant research of traditional culture "like an archeologist."
Tan was invited to compose a piece of music for the exhibition "Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties" held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York last year. He delivered a well-received symphony inspired by the renowned terracotta army warriors, which were once brightly colored, but whose dye faded away after they were unearthed.
Through the use of modern art forms, historical relics and cultural heritage can be more widely understood by the general public. This is a tactic that has been accepted and mastered by many contemporary Chinese artists.
The experimental Peking opera "Faust," combining a classic German legend with an innovation of traditional Chinese opera, was staged in Europe in 2015, and the Chinese ballet "Peony Pavilion" received praise at theaters in the United Kingdom and United States.
Traditional Chinese culture continues to enchant people around the world with its enduring mysteries being presented in new art forms.
