The Wait,

2009

The Wait

2009

Ji Yunfei 季雲飛

Handscroll; ink and color on paper

57.1 x 90.2 cm. (22 1/2 x 35 1/2 in.) frame: 65.1 × 98.3 × 3.5 cm (25 5/8 × 38 11/16 × 1 3/8 in.)

Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund

2010-80

Asia, China

Calligraphy: The taming of the waters by Yu the Great [note: a possibly mythical culture-hero renowned for ending serious flooding by channeling rivers rather than trying to dam them] took place in the remote past, but every year, flooding is still a danger along the Yangzi River. The populations on both sides of the river have been severely harmed by it. Early in the previous century, Sun Yat Sen put forth the idea of building a dam at the Three Gorges to interrupt the flow of the river. Several decades later, Chairman Mao Zedong also promoted this suggestion. Work on the reservoir finally commenced in 1994, and will be completed next year. The reservoir has a depth of 175 m., a perimeter of 500 km., and it spans the two provinces of Hubei and Sichuan. Oceangoing freighters of up to 10,000 tons will be able to sail directly to Chongqing. The reservoir will promote the economic prosperity of the interior and solve the problem of power generation for a vast area. It has become a milestone of Chinese construction and a symbol of progress and modernization. 1.5 million people were displaced from the area of the reservoir. With their own hands, they tore down and moved 13 cities, 140 townships and 1,300 villages, brick by brick, tile by tile. They had no choice but to leave the homes which their ancestors had lived in for generations. Neighbors and friends were scattered to different places.

Chinese

modern Chinese styles and periods

scroll paintings, handscrolls

ink, paper (fiber product)

travel, men, baskets, plants, trees, women, sheep, calligraphy (writing), oxen, figures (representations)