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10'fJ1 f.i:9~-r~-l'Jl, -r!t.:O)'•A NewVersion of the Three Kingdoms
Li Zhenhua

TheThree Kingdoms era fascinates me, .mostly because of thedifferent versions of text, San GuoZhi and San Guo Yan Yi to namebut two, which document the events of that particularly colorful

into a divided country.
During the Second World War, Japan sent troops to China but
failed to invade the country. In the 1950s, China sent troops toand interesting time in history. Full of mystery and intrigue, much

Korea; an action which had a huge impact on the political,of today's society has a lot in common with th,ose exciting times.

economical and military conditions in North and South Korea. Our

TheThree Kingdoms: Wei, Shu and Wu geographically resemble

military, political and economic game of power is a constantly

today's China, Korea and Japan. In history books, Wu is a country

shifting its scenario. Although the relationships have beennear water with a powerful navy. Up until the end of the Second

peaceful for decades now, new issues of cultural erosion andWorldWar, Japan was a powerful country near the sea with amutual influence are being raised . Now, since we do not exert

formidable navy. Even the Mongolians during the Yuan Dynasty

influence each other militarily, the power of influence shifts towho built the largest geographical empire in history failed to defeat

ctJlture. Certainly, this is healthier than warfare, but what is thethe Japanese naval fleet.

objective? In this globalized environment, what are we losing from

Shu's kingdom is surrounded py mountains, rich with natural

our own cultures while we absorb things from others? We really doresources and strategically situated for effective warfare. Korea's

not know what direction this .will take us, but we cannot ignore therocky terrain and successful hosting of the Olympic Games made it

fact that the cross-pollination has changed our world.

one of the most prosperous of Asia's Four Dragons.
The last cifthe Three Kingdoms is Wei. A parallel to China, Wei is

I have recently discovered that Japan and Korea also have theirdescribed as a strong and powerful flatland with abundantversions of the Three Kingdom legends. Apparently this history is

resources and manpower.

not just part of Chinese history, but also an integral part of AsianThe historical records of the Three Kingdom period state thatafter fifty years of fighting, a completely different entity, the Si Ma

history. With Japanese manga, comic books and television
cartoons that reinterpret different parts of the Three Kingdoms

family, was able to rise up and conquer all three kingdoms .andstory, my own image of that period blurs: I find myself questioning

found an entirely new dynasty: Jin. Although the outcome of ourwhether what I believe to be history is actually Chinese or merely amodern-day Three Kingdoms is still unknown, the political, culturallegend from Japan. The truth liecame more oblivious when J.

and economic climate in which our three countries interact reflectlearned that Korea also had a Three Kingdoms story. Does thisa similar scenario of change and .exchange between us that has

phenomenon extend even further to other countries in Asia?

parallels during this point in history .

Let us look at this situation from the following perspective.

I was surprised to realize that Asia's recent history and politicalWestern industrial culture has influenced Eastern society sinceclimate from 1920-1970 was als.o,like the war between the Threethe end of the Oing Dynasty and contfnues to exert its influence

Kingdoms; a span of fifty years. Politically, our recent events

onto Asian contemporary art. However, this should not be viewed

unfolded differently from the Three Kingdoms, but the familiaras negative. We have ·much to gain from this outside force, but wesense of instability and change remains. Although the Threealso must remember that this is not a one-sided relationship.

Kingdoms aimed to integrate into a single country, Wei, Shu andWestern involvement has invigorated the contemporary art scene

Wu took individual paths and grew beyond the imperial Han

in Asia and has created a space for creativity and expression,

government's control. The concentration and distribution ofusing our own methods arid our ciwn voice.

military power, along with the waning of centralized power brought

From my experience with contemporary art I have seen its

about the age of rival warlords, and all the kingdoms fought

negative emotional effect. Caught between the definitions ofconstantly. Even during a span of ten years where they did notWestern rationale and insanity, we use these criteria to create ourphysically fight each other, they still continued to struggle until

artistic vision. Our art was conceived through Western seed, but

the Jin Dynasty emerged . However, even the reign of the Jin was

now the West needs to come to see what they have sired. The Asian

fleeting and soon after the dynasty was established, the regionsociety in China, Japan and Korea is represented in many of thewas once again consumed in conflict and the land descended backworks . 81Jt more evident are the differences in the ways our11societies have developed. The difference may be manifested in our

had no art.

attitudes toward our economy and politics, or in our current
conditions. But this just gives us a better excuse to look deeper
and to understand each other. Over time, this allows us tofamiliarize ourselves with .our similarities and differences.

Note
The Three Kingdoms period starts during the Later Han Dyn~sty, when the rival
warlords fight each other to seek hegemony. Wei, Shu, and Wu are the three
kingdoms that were in conflict until, in 264, the Jin Dynasty emerged in place ofWei. Many historians mark 190, when Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang to transfer the

The name of the exhibition, "Out the Window," describes thecapital with the Han emperor Xian, as the beginning of the period, until 280,
when Jin defeated Wu to unify the country.

moment of looking out at a window. The view up close is limited,
but if one looks .farther you can see more of the sky over the ocean.
Wind blows in through the window; light enters through thewindow; and it is an opening for us to see each other. What brought
us together to organize this exhibition and made our workiAg andcollaborating so smooth? It is like the line of a poem that describes
looking out at the sea through a window. This is why we chose thistitle.

This title can -also be a response to the Eastern thought that is
influenced by the West. History acknowledges the respective
influences we have had on each other. This influence is most· strongly felt between the Korean and Japanese artists' works.
Chinese artists' works are much more related to societal issues. In
the history of Chinese contemporary art, it has taken only five
years from our acknowledging the West from our Eastern
perspective, to the reconfirmation of the concept of "the East." In
contrast, we have had fifty years of social experience in building
knowledge.
From the foundil)g of the People's Republic of China in 1949 up
to the current years, we are able to trace the way in which we haveacquired knowledge, and survived in our society. The relationship .
between the West _and the East has moved beyond simplistic
definitions like enemies or friends. Instead, we should focus moreon our own cultures and lives. Now is the time to think what schoolof thought we would like to follow, and what lifestyle we would liketo pursue.

Art can not save the soul nor can art change reality, but if
artists can have a clear vision, art can become a reflection ofreality. Will the audience be able to understand? Much like themovie Matrix where humans are fighting machines, what exactly is
it that we need? Maybe it is just a breath of fresh air when we open
the window; as ifwe were standing on the beach facing the ocean,
as if we had no sense of borders, as if we had no history, as if we

12

Li Zhenhua (Independent

Curator, China)