China Now: Photographs by Christopher Winton-Stahle

In 2006, Richmond photographer Christopher Winton-Stahle and representatives from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities were part of a bilateral exchange program co-sponsored by the Rose Group for Cross-Cultural Understanding and the China Association for International Friendly Contact. The program’s goal is to increase the American public’s understanding of China and its history, core values, traditions, and philosophy. Winton-Stahle returned with over three thousand color photographs that captured the people, the landscape, daily life, and evidence of the country’s explosive economic growth. China’s emerging status on the world stage and its relationship with the United States are the subjects of increasing discussion in the 21st century. Traditional sites and lifeways are evolving and, in some cases, being consumed by technology, development, and the drive for newer, bigger, better. Transforming the mid-century, Mao-era architecture into state-of-the-art facilities for a younger, global, tech-savvy generation has become commonplace in most cities in China. Preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have led to tremendous municipal projects intended to put China’s best foot forward. The result is the replacement of older structures with new, “green” buildings that highlight the latest in ecologically-minded systems.

Amidst this blossoming growth, hazed by a level of pollution that has been referred to as “significantly worse than Los Angeles,” the over 1.3 billion Chinese citizens do what their ancestors have done for centuries – endure.

In every epoch Chinese have made use of the resources they inherited — material, intellectual, and institutional — to set goals, respond to new challenges, protect themselves, and advance their interests. Because their actions have a cumulative impact on the resources the next generation inherits, change is inevitable but so are links to the past. This I believe is as true today as ever.

The Eastern perspective on history is quite different from that of most countries in the West. There is not the sense that new generations supplant older ones or that empires rise and fall. The philosophical concept of yin and yang is applied to civilizations by periods of order followed by equal periods of disorder. The natural patterns of life are viewed, therefore, as temporary. The belief is that neither period will last forever or result in total destruction but, rather, one period will lead into the other and then back again. An inherent understanding that time provides a continuous link between this yin and yang of progress and chaos clarifies the Chinese outlook on life and helps us come to grips with the current issues they face.

It is within this complex cultural experience that photographer Christopher Winton-Stahle spent 5 frenetic days of exploration and education. Snippets of his vision make up the exhibition and lead us to ponder change, patterns, people, and the global interplay of cultures.

China Now: Photographs by Christopher Winton-Stahle is available for statewide travel through the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

For booking information please contact Sarah Porter.

Loan Period: 8 week minimum

Code Number:	PH-69
Framed Size:	20" x 24"
Running Feet:	65'
Boxed Weight:	on request

Programming Recommendations

To supplement the exhibition, we recommend the following related resources available through the Statewide Program. For more information or to schedule a speaker, workshop or media resource, call 804.204.2681or email edpartner@vmfa.museum.

Speakers
Chinese Art: What, When and Why
Rosemary Smith