By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-08 06:22

Lei Yixin is not a household name in China. Even when he was selected as the sculptor for a monument to Martin Luther King Jr to be erected at the National Mall in Washington DC, it did not make the front pages of the Chinese press.

But in the United States, the news has sparked controversy. To put it mildly, a group of African American artists are questioning the wisdom of choosing a an Asian - even a non-American - for such a high-profile project. And to back up their argument, they have mixed politics with personal sentiments.

I can understand why they are not happy with the selection, which, by the way, was done by a 12-member committee, 10 of whom were African American.

When three Chinese actresses were selected for major roles in the Hollywood movie Memoirs of a Geisha, some Japanese actresses were just as upset. By the same token, when a French architect was chosen to design China's National Theater, you can imagine how many of his Chinese counterparts were displeased.

It is difficult to tell whether the reason is one of nationality.

The defense for picking someone ethnically unaligned with the subject of portrayal is usually on technical grounds: the Chinese actors could speak better English, or Lei the sculptor has a better grasp of realism.

I am sure there are myriad reasons for someone like Lei to have been selected over African American artists who competed and who no doubt were competent. Technical skill is just one consideration.

I am no expert on fine arts, but to illustrate my point here is an example.

When Grace Bumbry was cast in a Wagner opera in Bayreuth in 1961, people were stunned. Wieland Wagner, grandson of the composer, said it was "the color of her vocal tone, not the color of her skin that counts". After that, opera gradually became color-blind, to the extent that a singer of African descent could play the role of Desdemona on the same stage with a Caucusian singer - in blackface - in Othello.

I do not believe Wieland Wagner was oblivious to Bumbry's skin color. In the early years when singers of African descent were cast in non-black roles, it was more of a statement that people of color should not be barred from this pantheon of European high culture. That they were artistically brilliant was of secondary importance.

You may say, theater is make-believe. In 1989 Jessye Norman, another great African American singer, was invited to sing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, in Paris during the celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution. This would be tantamount to the Beijing Olympics having a foreign vocalist to sing the theme song.

One possibility that can be ruled out is that the home country did not have the right talent for the occasion. My assumption is, the French wanted to imply that even though it was quintessentially a French celebration, it was also something to be shared with the whole world.

We live in a global village, yet we also need to preserve our national and ethnic identity. It could become a balancing act. What does an artist stand for? His ethnicity? Nationality? Artistic merit? Political belief? A different perspective?

To come back to the King statue, it would be equally valid to assign the work to an African American artist or a non-black, non-American one. A African American sculptor may understand King better, but an outsider may provide a fresh look.

And Just imagine what extra good it could do if this project gets more Chinese to know about Martin Luther King and what he stood for. Someone like King who preached universal love and understanding should be for everyone.

Email: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/08/2007 page4)