Rediscovering Eastern roots

• Source: Global Times
• [10:45 September 08 2010]
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Exhibits on display at the ShContemporary. Photos: Courtesy of ShContemporary

Roots exposed

It was his grandmother's death while he was at university that brought Qin back to China. His grandmother, Ling Shuhua, was a renowned writer during the May Fourth Movement, an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal, political and cultural movement that culminated during student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919. The demonstrations sparked national protests, beginning a surge of Chinese nationalism and populism that reinforced the idea of a republican revolution.

At her funeral, many fellow writers came to pay their respects, Qin said. Some were official writers that the Kuomintang employed, while others were writers more critical to the authorities of the time. The appearance of both groups caused a scene at the funeral. "When the official writers appeared, the ordinary writers refused to stay even one minute longer because the official writers had helped oppressed them," Qin said.

For Qin, the conflict was something out of a movie. He said it aroused an interest in Chinese history, but moreover, it piqued his curiosity about the attitude toward life of the intellectuals he met at the funeral. He said many had lived through the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), yet had few complaints about the harsh treatment of the time. They instead focused on the future of China and tried to explore the effects of the country's new development strategy.

This was when the Chinese culture began to take root in Qin's mind. He began to feel a link with the country. After the funeral, he returned to Edinburgh and transferred to another university so he could study Chinese culture. "I was about 20 years old at that time, an age when most young people contemplate their lives and how they fit in the world," Qin said.