In Search of the Authentic China Along the Silk Road
As a faux Disney sits unfinished in the outskirts of Beijing, the investors must have found it superfluous because all of China is now Disney China – trams, mini-buses, buses, and boats, donkey carts and camels rush the crowds to and through the tourist sites that are deemed “worthwhile.” As I traveled the new superhighway that parallels the original Silk Road from one destination to another by bus, the most visible real China is seen at 80 mph or traveling as fast as possible along bumpy village streets to sanctioned tourist spots.
The authentic China for this Westerner remains forever in the imagination, as I have seen the best of Silk Road artifacts in our own museums. In China I look for the authentic in the details and the few corners that time and the Cultural Revolution forgot and the new China has not yet restored or rebuild into a fantasy version of what once was.
I found authenticity to be in the patina of the materials and the palette that have truly withstood the test of time - the stone, copper, bronze, gold and wood that lasts thousands of years. More than all the sterile restorations, the nearly forgotten Buddha grottoes and caves that have not been restored revealed more to me about the ancient cultures that lived and traveled along the Silk Road.
It is said that “history is written by the victors” and that perspective is presented as a Silk Road tour today. As a designer, I learned to understand the history of a culture through the artifacts of everyday life and am aware of how much influence the ancient Silk Road cultures had on our own history and decorative arts. I hoped to see these artifacts in order to gain a better understanding of this ancient culture and its evolution – that understanding remains an enigma. These photographs are what I could find of what remains of the authentic colors, shapes and materials along this ancient trade route.
