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Artist bridging the Straits
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IN his bright and spacious gallery set in the first floor of Wonderful Garden in Nanshan District, Yang Mingcai, former pupil of the renowned Chinese painter Zhang Daqian, talked about his life.
Born in the dark days of Japanese invasion back in 1931, Yang lost his father who served secretly for the Communist Party of China. When he grew up, he studied in the Huangpu Military Academy and moved to Taiwan with his division before New China was founded.
Yang met Zhang Daqian coincidentally in Taiwan and became his pupil. Growing up in the hometown of Su Dongpo, a great Chinese poet and calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, Yang has treasured a love for art since childhood. "Meeting my teacher changed my life," Yang reminisced. The potent craving for traditional Chinese art was awakened and Yang decided to devote his life to seeking the truth and beauty of art.
In 1975, Yang returned to the Chinese mainland, for he wanted to gain inspiration from the great mountains and get back to the historical roots of Chinese art. Walking alone in the Historical Museum () in Beijing that winter, Yang was deeply touched by the lonely beauty of China's cultural legacy. "No one else visited the museum that day, and I heard the call from inside my heart that I should stay and carry on our tradition."
In the 25 years since then, Yang has crisscrossed the country. Once he spent two months at Huangshan Mountain and explored through every little path to feel her beauty.
Like his teacher, Yang favours the lotus as a subject, for the lotus flower "represents an individual character that perseveres in uprightness and integrity".
With many friends still living in Taiwan, Yang has always dreamed of a reunion across the strait. While holding a one-man painting exhibition in Taiwan in 1997, Yang visited high-ranking officials with local authorities and told them about the great progress he witnessed on the mainland. "We enjoy the same splendid cultural legacy, and I dream that some day we will join efforts in passing it on," Yang said sincerely.
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