Wu Jing, Professor, Department of Sculpture, Central Academy of Fine Arts

Professor Wu: Liu Shiming was admitted to CAFA in 1946. In 1946, upon the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Mr. Xu Beihong personally taught the first class of students in the National Art School in Beiping. The students were all selected by Mr. Xu Beihong himself. I was two years behind Liu. I was admitted to CAFA in 1948. Since 1948, we’ve known each other for 57 years, which is not a short time. Over the 57 years, sometimes we were close, sometimes we were not that close. Nonetheless, we kept in touch. We have been closer than before after the Reform and Opening Up, when we both gathered in Beijing. That’s nearly 30 years ago. Among all my friends, Liu is very, very important to me. It can be said that I know him pretty well.

Let’s talk about him in two aspects. One is life, and the other is art. I remember one day when we were both in the studio, Mr. Ye Qianyu suddenly walked in. As Liu was in the studio, Ye said, this person could be in a painting. Liu responded, “You did do a sketch of me.” Ye acknowledged. I remember Ye had a very good memory. As for Liu, this is what I think. It’s my opinion that an adult, an adult who has experienced vicissitudes of life, does not have the courage to look directly into the eyes of a child, the thoroughly pure and clear eyes. Having been through a lot, people dare not look into such eyes. And Liu Shiming has the eyes of a child, through which his whole heart is open to you. It is not easy to accept this. It is so pure. What do I mean by this? It is directly related to his art.

All his artworks come from his heart. What he wants to do, what he likes, is not influenced by society. However, he has, for a long time and even to this date, found it difficult to understand the mainstream public opinion in the sculpture field. Some even argue that his art is folk art. That is a big joke. He was properly trained as a professional, and his instructors were masters in the field. Mr Wang Linyi is proud of him as one of the disciples. How can people come to this conclusion about folk art? That’s because for a long time, our art has departed from the people, from people’s lives. This is what I admire most about Liu Shiming. You can see from his many artworks. I think he is a literati artist. He has such a wide range of interests, which is in line with the requirements for general education in the West in the old times. You have to be a generalist. 

The opposite of general education is specialised education, which is to master a certain skill or competence. Liu is completely capable of that. For example, apart from sculpture and painting, which were what he learned in CAFA, he knows a lot about opera. He is able to dive in deep with the opera troupes. He knows a lot about folk papercutting. He has worked in museums for many years. He also knows a lot about the instruments in Zhou’s reign during Shang Dynasty [1075?-1046 BCE?], all the ancient things, including bronze ware and pottery. That’s very hard to achieve for graduates who received a general art education. Moreover, he is so passionate. This line… regarding the breadth and depth of art. And his approach to life… how he goes so deep in life leads to his amazingly vivid artworks. I remember one sculpture of his. Because he was very close to this opera troupe, he got to see a performer that played a female role wearing her costume and headwear backstage, holding a child who was pooing, and underneath, a dog eating poo. You see how much he knows about life. Who would notice such a picture of life? He saw it and he captured it. He thought this was life. What we see are glamourous performers in the spotlight. Yet, he saw another side in life. I call it a unique vision, which is deeply touching, which eclipses all the pretence, grandeur, nihilism, hand-raising, and bulging eyes. This is the feature of his art.  

Especially in our current era, this admirable feature should not be ignored. How Liu is able to really immerse himself in life, build a solid foundation on ancient Chinese culture and folk culture, and create his unique style is truly incredible. 

Reporter: Mr. Liu’s sculpture has developed into the current style, unlike other sculptors nowadays, not because he’s incapable of what others do, but he chooses to do what he likes.

Professor Wu: This is his own path in art. After many years of effort, he has shaped his own style, the same as what’s called the mianmu in Chinese painting. It’s not that he is incapable of the large-scale monumental sculptures. You know that the first sculpture created in China to be collected by a foreign museum is his work. Many people have forgotten that. The sculpture was about the land reform. It was the first sculpture collected by a foreign museum after the country-wide liberation, and that was his creation. That meant an international standard. That was a large sculpture. And those he made during the Great Leap Forward... Of course, better not to mention the specific motif. But the art was incredible. He created the “Splitting the Mountains to Let the Water Flow”. Back then people talked about transforming Nature, and what fun it was to fight with Heaven, or Nature. He made such a sculpture that was so vivid. I remember that it was displayed at the entrance of Zhongshan Park. A huge sculpture. Liu is capable of large sculptures, and he did it before his own style took shape, which demonstrates his strong capability. 

Reporter: Do you know how his current style took shape? 

Professor Wu: It is just that he became mature, both his mind and his art. Many artists come through several stages. For example, when Qi Baishi was 97 years old, we could still see something new in his style. He progressed, rather than regress. Liu Shiming is the same. He progressed, to where he is today. As for the future, no one knows what it will be like, not even himself. Perhaps that is the charm of art. It’s a law of nature. However, there are also those who would come to a halt at a certain stage. They could not progress anymore. Even worse, they become complacent, believing that they have reached the pinnacle, the international level, the best in China, etc. They just stop. There are many artists like this. What they paint at the age of 80 is the same as those they painted at the age of 50. 

Liu is already around 70 or 80, and there is still the trace of exercise in his sculptures. Regarding trace of exercise, it’s like sculpting with a model in the classroom. As long as there’s the trace of exercise, I don’t think it’s a mature piece of work. As the saying goes, a great image does not take a certain shape. Despite the inaccuracy, the disproportion or the poor anatomy, does the artwork impact on you? If yes, that’s a great artwork. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen his sculpture of a trumpeter in northern Shaanxi. That just makes your imagination fly. It’s a strong farmer standing high on the Loess Plateau and playing his trumpet. How does that make you feel? There’s a remarkable impact. There is another sculpture of his that I particularly like, the one that beats a waist drum. It is so full of life. One person beats the waist drum, and you can hear the deafening echoes across the mountains and fields. What the action conveys is amazing. Perhaps, songs of a highbrow type would find very few people to join in the chorus. That’s my opinion on Liu’s art. It’s extensive, as Liu knows a lot about everything. His papercutting is stunning. Did you know that? 

A lot of things, even those you wouldn’t expect, can be his nutrients which, after over many decades of integration, make his style today possible. For an artist, be it a plastic artist or other kinds of artist, unique style is not easy to come by. Don’t you see so many paintings are actually replicas of the originals? They are not original, but imitate others.

Reporter: Some people are introverted and end up immersed in their own world. In terms of personality, for inherited or acquired factors, do you know if Liu’s colourful inner world is naturally so, or shaped by acquired factors?

Professor Wu: I think it’s naturally so. I have a view, which is not necessarily correct. I think that no matter what field of art you are engaged in, whether in music, drama, painting, or sculpture, you cannot do without some talent. In the past we were reluctant to talk about talent, as it implies idealism while we were expected to achieve through hard work. I disagree. For a style to take shape, the innate personality is more important. It’s not about copying someone or deliberately pursuing something, no. I remember a musician who wrote lyrics. I forgot whether it was Yan Su or Qiao Yu who said it. He said, “Looking back at the lyrics I wrote over half my lifetime, those I like are what I wrote inadvertently.” What does it mean? Natural expression, instead of deliberate depiction. In the same vein, I remember that Qi Baishi wrote these words in a painting, “Casual strokes when I felt peaceful.” Mr. Qi Gong also said something similar when he calligraphed on expensive quality paper sent by someone else, as he should avoid being nervous and calligraph well. That is the psychology of creation. So, what you just mentioned, I tend to think that it’s his talent. He’s a genius.

Reporter: A particularly natural state is essential. It also requires peace of mind. It’s done inadvertently, not deliberately pursued.
Professor Wu: That’s right.

Reporter: Things including peace of mind cannot be deliberately pursued. It is difficult to claim that I pursue a peace of mind, as it’s nearly impossible to achieve mentally, especially when it should take place inadvertently. How do you think Liu achieved that, as reflected in every sculpture of his?

Professor Wu: As I said just now, talent and cultivation. When I said he has a wide range of interests, that is his cultivation. He has absorbed nutrients from various forms of art, from different countries and folk cultures, etc. regarding space, and regarding time, from Zhou’s reign in Shang Dynasty to the modern times. Isn’t there an exhibition about impressionism about to open? From Musée d'Orsay? Including that, all of these have nourished Liu. Almost all of these can be recreated by many people. It’s not difficult to become members of these circles, such extensive fields across space and time. But it is difficult to turn them into nutrition that lead to your own natural expression. It requires talent and cultivation. I mentioned cultivation first and then talent. That’s it.

Reporter: As mentioned earlier, there is a close connection between one’s character and his art. Liu has peace of mind and he’s particularly kind to others. Is that related to his artworks?

Professor Wu: Absolutely. What an artist expresses fundamentally is his own soul, his own heart. A person with a strong desire for money wouldn’t have such a positive mentality, so it is impossible for him to produce works like Liu’s. It could be my prejudice, maybe prejudice, or nonsense, but this is what I conclude from my life experience. And not only plastic arts, I read a lot of literary works, and I also like ancient poetry, music, etc. After much deliberation, I can only explain it in this way, with what I just said, about how Liu’s artworks are unique and so amazing. 

Reporter: From the technique point of view, the size of Liu’s sculptures is not very large. 

Professor Wu: And they are not accurate.

Reporter: Many modern artists wouldn’t care to create on the subject of ordinary people’s life. Or some consider this is, as you said, inaccurate, etc. When one attains high technical proficiency, would it be easy for him to create such works?

Professor Wu: I remember a teacher at CAFA said this. It was about sketching if I remember correctly. “You spend a few years diving in so you can sketch well. But you can’t come out of it even after decades.” That’s profound. We all have the experience. We’ve been through that. As for Liu’s style, it’s not that he can’t make it accurate, but he believes it’s better as such. When accuracy is concerned, we the professionally trained tend to focus on accuracy, as in accurate anatomy and other technical aspects. But if you think carefully, take Chinese landscape painting for example, when Mount Tai is painted, you compare the painting with the real Mount Tai, the painting is by no means an accurate representation. But now the West… Because this took place in China much earlier than in the West, and the West didn’t know how to let go of the shapes and forms and so on until very late, probably after the emergence of Impressionism. But we have had it in China for a long time. It’s about going for the essence beyond the form.

Reporter: Even after one has mastered the techniques, it’s not easy to grasp and create the works like Liu’s. 

Professor Wu: That’s why I say it’s an achievement. For example, the sculptures in the grottoes in ancient China, or the ancient Egyptian sculptures, they make an impact on us. But if you look at the anatomy for accuracy or measure them with a ruler, they are nothing. They are even absurd. How can people be so tall? But they do have an impact on you, touch you, and therefore their artistic purpose has been achieved. On the contrary, if we reproduce a standard human body, it can be done, but what about the impact? You are simply looking at a human body. This is another topic, the relationship between art and technique. Art involves many techniques. For example, you need to understand sketching, colour, and perspective when you paint. These are all techniques, but not art. They themselves are not art, but part of the creation of art.

Reporter: Liu and you have known each other for a long time. Do you remember what he was like when he was in school?

Professor Wu: When he was in school, he wasn’t keen to show his talent. He was a very ordinary person. That’s the immediate impression he gave people. Yet he had a rich and colourful inner world, and he stayed committed to what he believed in. 

Reporter: When he was at school, as you got on, how did you become close to him?

Professor Wu: This is probably more because, although we were both engaged in art, it all depended on similar characters for us to be close. The mutual appreciation of each other’s art is also a reason. This is very natural. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do in CAFA at the beginning, maybe we then had a lot to talk about, so that was the first step. My impression of Liu… what I liked the most about him was his sincerity. I mentioned that he is like a child. He doesn’t beat around the bush. Once he believes something is good, he would stay committed to it no matter what. This is called persistence.

Reporter: Can you give an example?

Professor Wu: So many. He could abandon a job for a certain ideal. He ran away, which was unimaginable at the time.

Back then, I was in Shandong, and I hadn’t been “corrected”. I was very lonely, and I had no friends. Barely anyone would talk to you as an equal. Suddenly, at an exhibition, I noticed someone. I thought, he seemed familiar. It was crowded. I made it through the crowd. Oh, Liu Shiming! He said, “I was just asking around about you.” He knew that life wasn’t easy for me. He was fine during the campaign as he was a member of the revolutionary masses. It was in fact a bit risky for him to ask about me and talk to me. People who haven’t experienced that period of time wouldn’t know the significance of such a small interaction. So, you see Liu is such a person who has his own opinion and does not fear anything. There’s another example, he was teaching in Henan, and his salary was relatively high, about 90 yuan. But his wife and two children, very young children, were in Beijing. He didn’t want them to move to Henan. It was tough. It was in the 1960s. Yet he managed to send 70 yuan to his family every month. Could ordinary people manage that?

He kept about 20 yuan for food, and as he told me, for the travel back to Beijing. After all, for a husband and wife, they should meet once or twice per month. He was able to live like this. Beijing is my home, and the children are mine. I must take care of them. He is neither tall nor burly. Isn’t he a true man? This is what he is like as a person. That’s not easy. When he shared this with me, I already knew him well. He didn’t think that he did something remarkable. He wasn’t bragging how great he was. Not at all. He only considered that to be normal. Things should be done just like that. That’s my family. This is how he conducts himself. It is really touching. What I’m going to share next is a different story. 

When we had all returned to Beijing after the new policy, he also moved back to Beijing. But unfortunately, his work status remained outside Beijing. What should we do? He needed work. Later, our leader in the Academy, the Dean, who was a nice person, basically seconded Liu to the Department of Sculpture to create some art. Liu wasn’t officially registered, and not many people in the Department of Sculpture knew about him. He stayed in a pottery studio which was a wooden house with a single-layer brick structure. It didn’t have a proper ceiling. The top was covered by iron sheets, corrugated iron. You can imagine how hot it got in summer, and how cold in winter. Lots of his pottery works, the fired works, came from there. He remained calm and peaceful, despite the intolerable heat in summer. He had a weird outfit for work. The opening was on the back. It covered the front but allowed sweat to stream down the back. He worked under such conditions. He was driven by a strong desire to create. Some of the products, I wonder if you have seen them… I call them the boat series as they were big boats on the Yellow River. They are awesome.
 
Many things, most of his pottery, were created at that time, under those conditions. That was extraordinary. There was no reward at that time, not even an opportunity for an exhibition. It wasn’t like now when you could make so much money from sculptures and pottery. It wasn’t like that at all. But he made so many… I don’t know if they are still around. Some may be. They are extremely lively.

Professor Wu: This is on a superior level. Isn’t the purpose of all art to touch people? Don’t all artists try to communicate with people with their artworks? Isn’t this the ultimate goal? It’s not for self-entertainment. If your art doesn’t achieve this, can it be called art? If you shoot a film but nobody watches it, that’d be so sad. I remember another story. CAFA was about to be relocated, to the Second Factory. Students from several different classes, in other departments, who liked Liu’s artworks invited him to lectures. They came and admired Liu’s works. That was a consolation to us. The younger generation really has superb taste.

He is almost eighty years old now, and he is still creating. I see what he makes now still maintains his childlike innocence, and it is like a child’s works. I remember that Picasso seemed to have said something like this. Forgive my memory. He said that “I painted all my life, and in the end, I realised I couldn’t outperform a child.” This is what Picasso said. I’m not trying to please the public with claptrap. When one reaches a certain age, after working on art through one’s whole life, something similar tends to take place, such as generosity. I mentioned earlier that Liu Shiming has a child’s eyes, which is incredible. His heart is also like this, how innocent, as what we called “the heart of a new-born” in ancient times. When you see all his artworks, you feel a child’s intuition, don’t you? He never overreaches the mark. It’s his nature.  

Reporter: Are there any examples of his innocence in life?

Professor Wu: Sometimes I find it ridiculous, ridiculously childish. Men love women. He loved a woman so desperately. We are fairly close to each other. He told me frankly how he loved this woman. Don’t you think only children could talk silly like that? I’ve been thinking about how I should sum up his art? What came to my mind earlier was the ancient Chinese term, the heart of a new-born. This is the most precious thing in an artist. Not any worldly wisdom, not any fluctuation in mood along with the ups and downs in life. Always treat others with sincerity, with a kind heart. That’s admirable. Not many people can be like that.  

Reporter: Only people like him can create the artworks like his.

Professor Wu: That’s right. He has the eyes of a child and the heart of a new-born, so he sees things straight and expresses things straight, not beating around the bush and nothing complicated. That is, when you look at his works, you feel at ease, you don’t have to think hard, and it is like speaking to a child. A few days ago, I witnessed in the courtyard something that moved me a lot. A child was crying there, crying and crying, and finally his father asked if he had done crying. Yes, I’m done crying. Then let’s go home. Is there any writer who could pen such an answer? He said, “Yes, I’m done crying.” Liu Shiming’s artwork is like this. They give you the same feeling. When I heard that, I was unbelievably excited. I didn’t come here in vain today; I heard such wonderful words! 

Regarding Liu’s art, my brain is running very fast now… I think it is the heart of a new-born, whether it’s the way he treats people or the way he handles things. In the field of sculpture back then, the sculpture department or the sculpture studio, basically working in our Academy, was such a dream for so many sculptors. Yet, Liu chose to leave for a very illusory feeling of love. Everyone tried to keep him. When they saw him off at the train station, they said, “If it didn’t work out, come back.” That was how he left. 
That kind of love, what is it called? It seems that this kind of love is only found in classical fairy tales. It connects to children again. That’s how Liu is.

Reporter: Such is Liu’s life. Only a person like him could make that kind of choice and achieve artworks like his.

Professor Wu: Yes. Inevitably.

Reporter: You mean there’s an inevitability?

Professor Wu: There is an inevitability. We mentioned earlier that he is very knowledgeable, right? We also mentioned his talent, his gift. What about his gift? That heart is a gift, the pure heart of a new-born, thus his outlook on the world and his style of art. This is touching. People who have children, or older people, would probably all agree that children are the most moving. Children cry and laugh. They laugh at any occasion, whenever they want to or not. They cry whenever they want. Artists should be like this. They should not rely on others’ opinions. I want to do this, but do you think it works? Is it possible? Have I made any mistake? Will this sell well? In the end, you achieve nothing, or what you achieve is actually nothing. Put politely, it’d be “not really good art”.

Reporter: Liu lives in the real world, but he follows his heart only. 

Professor Wu: That's right. I believe that an artist must be like this, follow your heart, follow your conscience. Do not lie. Do not say only what others like to hear, but say what you want to say. These are touching qualities, right? If you repeat every day what the newspaper says, who would like to listen to you? Would it be art if everyone says the same thing?

Reporter: In the worldly life, does he suffer a lot in this regard? He is very weak in this.

Professor Wu: Very weak. He doesn’t have a professional title. He’s never got a house from the public institutions. He hasn’t made a fortune. Nowadays, every sculptor makes so much money. He hasn’t. He has gained nothing, but he attained art. Look at those who are in the establishment, who hasn’t received a professional title? By almost eighty years old, who hasn’t got a house from the public institutions, either the government or the employer? As for his salary and other benefits, I’ve never asked him about that. He probably has a very low salary. He doesn’t have an affluent material life. He’s got nothing.

Reporter: Isn’t there an approach called “applied talent” advocated in current society? From your understanding, is there an inevitable connection, that it’s inevitably contrary to the requirements of worldly life?

Professor Wu: At least it’s inappropriate for the current era. Su Dongpo patted his stomach after eating. He asked the people around him, “Guess what’s in my stomach?” Some said, “It’s all knowledge in your stomach.” Some said poetry. Only a servant boy said, “I think what’s in your stomach, sir, is all inappropriate things.” Su Dongpo responded, “The one who knows me is the servant boy.” To make achievements in career, one must endure loneliness. You can’t go singing, dancing, or having fun every day. You can’t vary your ways of conduct to satisfy everyone in society. For one reason, you don’t have the time. For another, you have to suppress your conscience, suppress the genuine elements in your art. You’d better not publish these words. They are all inappropriate.

So, we were able to become friends and talk to each other. I'm not bluffing but I’m really not jealous of our colleagues who made a lot of money and own four or five villas. I don’t envy them and I’m not jealous. They have their ways of life, and me mine. Three litres of rice and a handful of firewood would be adequate for me. I’ve managed even when I didn’t have three litres of rice.

Reporter: Have you ever seen that happen… As Liu has nothing. He’s gained nothing. When he looks back, he sees he has gained nothing, but as the days go by when daily life reminds him of that, for example he doesn’t have a professional title, his salary is very low, he hasn’t made a lot of money, and he doesn’t have a driver; he has to ride a tricycle, the everyday life… Have you ever sensed any dissatisfaction and complaints against the injustice from Liu?

Professor Wu: Not at all. He maintains a calm state of mind. Let me tell you this. After he returned to Beijing, he lived in two small rooms. You can have no idea. He lived in two small rooms. What about his financial situation? His wife had to go out there and do business so that they could sustain a family of four. Liu made no complaints. He continued his creation. That kind of mentality is incredible. He remained calm. Through the hot summers and cold winters, he continued his way of life and creation. He brought a lunch box. He heated it up for lunch. And there his day went. This is the life he often lives, which is rather intriguing.

Reporter: Does he feel frustrated or just optimistic?

Professor Wu: I think both. What do you think we could do if our current society doesn’t give you a house or a professional title? Nothing. You feel frustrated of course. But there are various responses to frustration. Some sigh, some complain, and Liu does neither. He never complains. That’s right. He continues to work on his art. He continues to create what he likes. He’s like that.

Reporter: After he returned to CAFA, he devoted himself to his artworks. Before that, he experienced the Cultural Revolution in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, right? During the Cultural Revolution, I know that Liu worked in Henan for a while. After that, he worked a bit in Baoding. What do you understand about this… did he finally find a language of expression?

Professor Wu: Don’t forget the context back then. Now, I dare to say that no freedom was allowed for creation. You didn’t have a choice. During the Red Ocean campaign, every village must erect a statue of Chairman Mao. If you knew a bit about sculpture, you had to do it. But was that creation? And you had to ensure the identical posture of the statue. Any alteration was unacceptable. It must have the rising hand, the flapping coat. “Rent Collection Courtyard” was also a mandatory sculpture. I did it, too. It was done in every province, every city. It was an order from the central committee. It had nothing to do with art creation. I don't think it did. Liu created a large amount of sculptures after that. I think the reason was the suppression over the decades when he couldn’t create freely. The suppression was accumulated. Once it was lifted, he couldn’t stop creating. It couldn’t stop.

I have another quote from a big shot. “What is creation? Creation is like a woman giving birth to a child.” She must deliver the child. No woman can hold a child in her belly for years. This is artwork. It’s the delivery after ten months of pregnancy. Only something like that is artwork. When he can’t create, he can’t bear it. He can’t sleep or eat. That’s what we usually say as suppression makes us anxious, like it’s bloating inside us. When we deliver the child, that’s artwork. This is my humble, personal opinion. Nowadays, people create whatever makes money or whatever the leaders like. 

Reporter: From a different perspective, as I hear you, I think he is a marvellous artist in your eyes.

Professor Wu: Yes.

Reporter: In the current circumstances, how can a true artist such as Liu be recognised?

Professor Wu: The situation is much better now. Since the Reform and Opening Up, policies have relaxed, and there are ways towards recognition. For example, a solo exhibition, especially in Beijing where there are many. Several of my students got recognition in this way. They didn’t go the official route. They held an exhibition in a small place, and suddenly they were discovered by some foreigners who then bought the art. Or get reviews abroad. For us, that’d be exporting art. We also had a talented artist here who had this opportunity. But it takes some investment, etc., and it is a hassle. In this regard, I think this kind of art is probably not the same as movies. Movies are about returns. I invest so much in it and I cannot lose. Otherwise, I can’t make the next film. So, they like to speculate on the audience’s favourite. Once they get it right… like an American blockbuster. I think the American blockbusters are very poor in terms of art. There’s hardly any art in them.

As we look at it now, Mr. Xu Beihong’s approach to admission was rather interesting. He didn’t look at your grades, but whether you had the talent. There was a very funny story about Liu Shiming. The admission exam of National Beiping Art College included a sketch of a plaster statue. Back then, the Soviet Union pencils hadn’t been introduced to China; we used charcoal to draw. How did we modify a charcoal drawing? Steamed bread. Outside China, people used the Western bread. Bread was a very effective eraser. When Liu Shiming took the exam, he had never been exposed to these things. He came for the exam because of his passion. When he came to the exam room, the invigilator gave everyone a small piece of steamed bread, half the normal size. Liu had no idea what that was for, so he ate it. You see, that was it. He never used tools like that. Despite that, Xu Beihong saw potential in his sketch. Isn’t it amazing? But his fellow exam-takers… the Art College was a weird place. For example, I was sixteen years old when I was admitted, but I had classmates who were in their thirties. Same in Liu’s exam room. Some people must have been painting for over ten years, and they could have created artworks themselves and become fairly successful painters. But they didn’t pass the exam. So, that’s very interesting. This was how Xu Beihong selected his students. Looking back over the past few decades, the students he selected had a high success rate, although exact statistics aren’t available. This is very interesting. 

Another funny story about Liu Shiming after he returned to Beijing. Imagine him living in that simple house with two rooms facing north, thus the absence of direct sunlight. He rides a tricycle every morning from the southwest corner of Beijing to Wangfujing. He takes the previously prepared cane off the tricycle and starts to walk slowly. He stops at a book stand to see if there are any books he wants to buy. Gradually, the book seller gets to know him and what books he wants to buy. So, the book seller directly tells him if the book he wants is available every time he arrives. That’s Liu.

He’s braved all kinds of weather, wind and rain. He rides the tricycle home after work in the evening. Of course, this kind of image can’t be photographed anymore. This image is very interesting, an extremely ordinary old man totally immersing himself in life. But he is an extraordinary artist. Maybe this is the characteristics of Beijing people. They never make a show of anything. Their heritage is tucked away in their belly. How funny it was when Liu ate the steamed bread! He got Xu Beihong’s appreciation right away. 

Reporter: Liu’s artworks back then bear the features of the times. But they are still very good artworks. Sometimes, frustration might be encountered during the creation.

Professor Wu: I don’t know your age but I’m sure that you didn’t experience that period of time. 

Reporter: I wasn’t involved in 1965. Do you have the impression that…? Did Liu tell you about this at that time? Did he feel frustrated when he created those works?

Professor Wu: Impossible. Everyone was engaged in the trends of the times then. Frustration was impossible. There was no room at all for free creation. For example, “Measuring the Land”, this sculpture of his was bought by a foreign museum. As mentioned at the beginning, it was the first sculpture collected by a foreign country after our liberation. It's in the museum of the Czech Republic or some other country. I don’t think that sculpture was created to fulfil a task, but to follow his heart. Land reform didn’t exist in the United States, but it was a positive thing in Germany and France. It’s a very important sign of the transition from a feudal society to a capitalist society. It followed the trend of history. Creating that sculpture should not have evoked any frustration at all.

Reporter: In the context where Liu was situated, the subjects of art were almost the same.

Professor Wu: “Splitting the Mountains to Let the Water Flow” was about that. But as far as I know, when it came to the Cultural Revolution, he remained himself. He didn’t join any organisation to make troubles. It had something to do with his physical condition. He could not jump around. But spiritually, he had the resilience to remain himself. He did not get involved. Although he must have followed the orders of one organisation or another to do this and that, which was impossible to escape, he never volunteered to do that kind of thing. That’s remarkable. He made it through that period, when it was chaos everywhere, and it was remarkable of him to remain calm.

Yuan Yunsheng came in late. When Yuan Yunsheng was admitted, Liu Shiming was almost leaving. Didn’t Yuan Yunsheng stay in the United States for a few years? His broadened horizon made him realise that Liu Shiming’s sculptures were also art. So, he invited Liu to give lectures to his students. That’s probably how Yuan came to know Liu. For those who only received the rigorous Soviet-style training in China, they are really against these works. To date, the term of “peasantisation” is still alive. That’s nonsense. Is there “workerisation”, “intellectualisation”, or “cadreisation”? Why must they say “peasantisation”? It is folk art. What is folk art? All art is folk art. The painter at the Military Museum of The Chinese People’s Revolution said it well, if not folk, it’s royal, which is from the palace, the court. They are opposite each other.

Reporter: After the National Museum of Chinese History, Liu returned to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to do this. He must have heard something disrespectful. He must have sensed it.

Professor Wu: Of course, he sensed it. The head of the department publicly said that his works were folk art. In the Academy, folk art is not a compliment. It implies some consideration or something. It’s at the same level as the papercutting of the old ladies in northern Shaanxi.

Reporter: Did he know that?

Professor Wu: But he doesn’t care. It is impossible to make it clear. Why? How he reacts shows that whatever they say, he continues to do what he does. 

Reporter: Liu is aware of the value of his artworks. He doesn’t care what others think.

Professor Wu: These two are not contrary to each other. He must know his value, otherwise why would he do it, right? I don’t care about the others. I don’t follow what most people do. I am here. I am like this. There used to be a term, “go my own way”. That’s about persistence. All other people believe he’s incapable of what is now called Soviet-style sculptures. They are wrong. Liu was professionally trained. He has created sculptures of the human body for four or five years. He is capable of this. Who can’t make those at the Monument in Tiananmen Square? Any graduate from the Central Academy of Fine Arts can do it. Now very few people work on realism. They don’t do it anymore, even those who studied realism specifically. They all do abstract things. Abstract isn’t bad. I don’t have that prejudice. But it has to be true art. Now it’s all imitation. However foreigners paint, we follow them. Why foreigners paint like this, we don’t know. Didn’t I mention that we have over twenty painters in the Academy? Most of them are of this type, and this kind of thing has infiltrated the Academy.