Master, please give me some advice · Let’s pass on your salary ③ | Lingnan culture has no obvious “borders”

In a few days, Macau will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland. This international metropolis faces the world and welcomes visitors from all directions. Various cultural factors converge and integrate here, playing a symphony of beauty and beauty. \”Openness\” and \”tolerance\” have become its indelible keywords. What are the similarities between Macao culture and Lingnan culture? What are the distinctive features of Macao culture? With this question in mind, the visiting delegation from Guangzhou Daily visited the sculptor Liang Wannian, chairman of the Macau Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

“Lingnan culture is open and inclusive, and Macau people are also open and inclusive. Language, food, and architecture are the most intuitive manifestations of Macau’s multicultural combination.” Liang said in his later years, “Macau’s official languages are Chinese and Portuguese, citizens often communicate in Cantonese, and Cantonese is a typical representative of Lingnan culture. Everyone knows that, but in our daily life we mainly eat Cantonese cuisine and eat Lingnan cuisine. In addition, brightly colored Western-style Western-style houses and streets paved with colorful stones can be seen everywhere on the streets of Macau, forming a perfect combination with traditional Chinese architecture. Contrast, but harmonious coexistence in the city, which is also the result of the blending of multiple cultures. ”

In his later years, Liang (second from left) and members of the visiting delegation visited the Cheng Family House in the Historic Center of Macau.

Everyone in this issue

In his later years, Liang was the chairman of the Federation of Macau Literary and Art Circles and a sculptor. Representative works include the Mazu statue in Macau\’s Coloane Peak Park, the jade sculpture \”Drips of Green Silver\”, and the large-scale urban sculpture group \”Twelve Zodiac Signs\”, etc.

Members of the visiting delegation

Lei and Hong Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Reporter

Zhuang Mingyan, a graduate student majoring in communication design at Macau University of Science and Technology

Wang Yingshi, a junior student majoring in journalism and communication at Sun Yat-sen University

\”Tiger\” from Leung\’s \”Twelve Zodiac\” series in his later years. (File photo)

Walking on the streets of Macau, you can see traces of the blending of Chinese and Western cultures everywhere. In his later years, Leung brought interviews with The group watched while walking , telling stories from time to time.

The Historic Center of Macao, a heritage site listed on the World Heritage List, is a historical district with the old town of Macao as the core, where Chinese and Western buildings complement each other and you can stroll around. Study group We saw a complex of buildings with traditional Guangdong residential characteristics – the Zheng Family House.

The Zheng Family House was built in the 19th century and is the former residence of Zheng Guanying, a famous thinker in modern China. From a distance, this house looks amazing. The courtyard-style mansion has a strong Chinese style, but when you look closer, you can see that there are many Western elements under the Chinese style. Standing in the front yard and looking up, you can see that under the traditional tile roof is a large area of Lingnan-style gray sculpture, outlined with smooth lines. lifelike The bright colors of flowers and birds make the plastered walls warm and lively. Further down, two smaller Lingnan oyster shell windows are matched with two Western-style shutters. The combination of Chinese and Western elements is very harmonious. Study Group, \”Chinese Traditional Chinese architecture pays attention to squareness and stability. The lines of Chinese doors and windows are all straight, but the walls of the Zheng family house have arched window lintels and plaster patterns inside the window lintels. These all reflect the multiculturalism influence. ”

The \”Twelve Zodiac\” large-scale urban sculpture group located on the Cotai-Cotai Highway in Macau is a work created by Liang in his later years. The picture shows one of the works \”Monkey\”. (File photo)

Open and inclusive Characteristics influence artistic creation

“We called it ‘menhuzi’ when we were young.” Walking into the door of Yuqingtang of the Zheng family’s mansion, Liang pointed to the door composed of a row of logs in his later years. \”These logs can prevent theft, similar to today\’s iron gates, and can also transmit light and ventilation. \”Meeting with TangluomenIt is also matched with stilt doors and panel doors. This \”triple door\” is a typical \”three-piece\” in Lingnan architecture.

Looking at the entire big house, wooden doors and hangings are often used to decorate and divide the space. The hollow wooden grids are elegant and grand, and the ceilings are mostly in Western style. In his later years, Liang said that the integration and development of multiculturalism in Macao over hundreds of years has gradually formed Macao\’s own characteristics, and this style has also affected the people living here.

Liang talked about his own experience in his later years. Originally from Jiangmen, Guangdong, he has been influenced by Lingnan culture since childhood. In addition to painting and sculpture, he is also good at Cai Li Fuquan and Cantonese opera. At the scene, he also sang a short piece of Cantonese music impromptu to the members of the visiting group. In his opinion, both Lingnan culture and other cultures have an impact on his artistic creation. This is also the characteristic of Macao culture, because Lingnan culture and Macao culture themselves are open and inclusive.

Putting the spiritual core of Chinese traditional culture in sculpture

If you want to quickly understand the connotation and characteristics of a city, urban sculpture is a good way to entry point. When people think of Macau, they will first think of the \”Golden Lotus\” in Golden Lotus Square. In addition, there are many sculptures in the city that express the joy of Macao\’s return to the motherland. The white marble Mazu statue created by Liang in his later years is one of them. This Mazu statue carved from 120 pieces of white marble stands on the top of Macau\’s highest point – Coloane\’s Shek Tong Hill. The statue is about 19.99 meters high, symbolizing Macau\’s return to the motherland in 1999. After its completion, it became one of the landmarks of Macau and was used as the main image on the front of the 10-yuan banknote issued by Macau Atlantic Bank in 2005.

The white marble Mazu statue in the Peak Park of Coloane, Macau, created by Liang in his later years, is one of the landmarks of Macau and was once used as the main image on the front of the Macau 10-dollar banknote. . (File photo)

At the foot of the mountain, in the middle of the Cotai Highway connecting Taipa Island and Coloane Island, a row of large stone sculptures with zodiac themes are neatly lined up along the line. This group of large-scale urban sculptures with twelve zodiac signs was also created by Liang in his later years. In his view, the twelve zodiac animals are one of the symbols of traditional Chinese culture and can make people feel the charm of Chinese culture.

In addition, in 2009, the 60th anniversary of the founding of New ChinaOn the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Macau\’s return to the motherland in 2007, Liang donated a large jade sculpture named \”Drips of Green Silver\” to the Great Hall of the People in his later years. This jade carving is based on the scene of Mazu going up the mountain to pick honeysuckle to treat people\’s illnesses. It shows Mazu\’s perseverance and perseverance. It also contains the beautiful meaning of hoping that the motherland will be prosperous and the people will be happy and healthy.

When talking about why Mazu is often used as the theme of sculptures, Liang said in his later years: \”Macao\’s foreign name is Macao (English) or Macau (Portuguese), which originated from Mazu Pavilion. It is said that the first batch of Portuguese people came When I arrived in Macau, I mistakenly thought \’A-Ma\’ was the name of the city, so Mazu has a deep connection with Macau.\” At the same time, the prototype of Mazu, Lin Moniang, was a woman who was enthusiastic about helping people in need and rescuing shipwrecks. Her story is widely circulated in many cities in coastal areas of China. \”Her selfless and great love spirit is consistent with the concepts conveyed by our traditional Chinese culture.\”

In his later years, Liang believed that urban sculptures As part of the urban landscape, it is often located in public spaces and closely connected with people\’s lives. He hopes to entrust the spiritual core of traditional Chinese culture in the sculptures he creates and influence more people.

When talking about how to make the statue convey its inner spirit more accurately, Liang said in his later years: \”To show a historical figure, whether using painting, sculpture or other artistic techniques, you must first understand him thoroughly. \”The sculpture should express the connotation of the character,\” he said. Show his personality through his expression. For example, if someone loves to laugh, you should show the smile that radiates from the inside out; if you are a calm person, you should appear calm. \”

In his later years, Liang created a statue based on Principal Du Lan of Macau Haojiang Middle School. On the eve of the founding of New China, Du Lan, then the principal of Haojiang Middle School, asked someone to take pictures of the red flag pattern and sew it overnight in order to have the five-star red flag raised on time. Even though she was blocked when raising the flag, Du Lan still did not give in. With her efforts, the five-star red flag slowly rose in Macau. In his later years, Liang created the statue as an image of Du Lan holding a scroll in his hand, smiling, friendly and dignified, with perseverance in his eyes. In his later years, Liang said that as a creator, people should feel familiar with the sculpture at first sight, as if they are having a dialogue with the sculpture.

In his later years, Liang wrote the column inscription \”Together we will draw the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay.District Concentric Circles\”.

Talk to everyone

Raised a huge amount of money on the last day

Built a statue of Mazu in Macao

Visiting delegation: to celebrate the return of Macao Motherland, what’s the story behind your creation of the tallest white marble statue of Mazu in the world at that time?

In his later years: Before the handover of Macau, the then-Portuguese government. There was a big push for urban sculpture, and many of the sculptures were handed over to Portuguese artists. This made me very unconvinced, so I wrote a letter to appeal to China. This gave artists a chance to compete fairly. Later, the Macao-Portuguese government decided to hold a bidding process, and my proposal for the Mazu statue won the bid. However, before the construction started, the Macao-Portuguese government asked me to submit a deposit of 8%, and then raised the deposit ratio to 50%. %, the amount is as high as 4.35 million patacas. If I cannot pay this fee on time, it will be regarded as a waiver. I tried my best to raise funds, but until the last day, I gave up. God, there was still a vacancy of 1 million patacas. At that time, I was so angry that I vomited blood and couldn\’t sleep all night. Fortunately, I finally got a chance – the last day to pay the deposit happened to be the day when my salary was paid. I was willing to temporarily lend my salary for three days to meet my urgent needs. With the help of all parties, I finally raised this huge sum of money to create this sculpture that was designed and built by Chinese people. The museum was successfully built in Macao and has become one of the landmarks of Macao, witnessing the great development achievements of Macao since its return to the motherland 25 years ago.

Visiting Study Group: Exchanges between Macao and the Mainland since its return to the motherland. Getting closer. What do you think of the current cultural and artistic exchanges in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area?

Leung Wan Nian:The cultural and artistic exchanges in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are getting closer and closer. In 2019, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, I worked with other painters from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to create a painting. A 20-meter-long panoramic scroll of Macao is currently being prepared to build an art gallery in Zhuhai to display related works in Macao this year. Cultural exhibitions jointly organized by other cities. There are many international friends in Macao. Holding exhibitions in Macao can show our culture in the Greater Bay Area to them. At the same time, there are many young students and young friends in the Greater Bay Area. We must further strengthen this. The connections between the cities in the Greater Bay Area encourage these young people to work hard

Visiting Study Group: What do you think of Lingnan culture? ? How to define the style of Lingnan art school?

Liang Nannian: Lingnan art has no clear boundaries. For example, in terms of painting, Lingnan painting itself is. Lingnan culture is an eclectic mix of Chinese and Western, ancient and modern, and there are many intangible cultural heritage arts in Lingnan that you will come into contact with in your life.Everything related to Lingnan you see affects you. The culture from outside comes here to stay, and it also affects you. If you live and grow in this environment, the works you create will have Lingnan style.

Visiting Study Group: Inheriting and carrying forward Lingnan culture cannot be separated from the efforts of the younger generation. What suggestions do you have for this?

Liang in his later years: First, go to art galleries and museums to see those cultural and artistic works. Books cannot express the effect of the artwork itself. ; The second is to participate more in traditional activities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and experience the joyful atmosphere brought by culture. In addition to festivals celebrated across the country such as the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, Macao has many customs that are very similar to other cities in the Greater Bay Area, such as dragon boat races and colorful parades. Every festival like this is always lively and can make people feel happy. More people feel the charm of folk culture.

Study Visiting Experience

Wang Yingshi

In this exchange, I felt like I had embarked on a journey of cultural exploration. I learned a lot about the unique artistic style and profound meaning of urban sculptures in detail, and I also learned about the rich and diverse contents carried by buildings such as the Zheng Family House. cultural connotation. The new understanding brought by talking with Teacher Liang gave me a deeper, more comprehensive and multi-layered understanding and understanding of Macau, a city where I grew up and was full of stories and fireworks.

Not only that, when I dug deeper, I found that much of Macau’s long history is closely connected with the culture of other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These precious cultural heritages and blends are like solid foundations and broad bridges, paving the way for us to integrate into the development of the Greater Bay Area with confidence and longing, to showcase our talents and pursue our dreams in diverse fields, and to pave the way to unlimited possibilities. the way.

Zhuang Mingyan

Macau is a Lingnan pearl that integrates multiple cultures. This study visit gave me a deep understanding of the concept of diverse integration in design. As a As a mainland student studying communication design in Macau, walking through the streets of the city, I saw the harmonious coexistence of tradition and modernity, the East and the West. I am attracted by the intersection of tradition and modernity. They not only carry the weight of history, but also reflect the progress of the times. The subtlety of the East and the unrestrainedness of the West meet here, creating a unique visual language. .

This cross-cultural dialogue not only enriches my design thinking , also brought me new creative inspiration. I learned how to incorporate elements from different cultures into design and how to respect tradition while still maintaining a sense of modernity. This study trip not only broadened my design horizons, It gave me a lot of new inspiration and inspired me to think about design innovation under the integration of cultures.