Page 176 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

176

Xinzheng in Henan, and Liyucun in Shanxi. From the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s

Chinese archeological projects under the support of the newly established Guomindang

government made a series of important discoveries. The excavation of Anyang conducted

by the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica, began in the fall of

1928. In the 1930s, the institute launched a series of excavations on the ruins of ancient

dynasties. These archeological undertakings not only proved that China had a history

extending to the second millennium B.C.E. but also had a world-wide impact on the

general perception of China and its history (Wang 2001,127).

Emblematic of Chinese history and culture, the archaeological finds became

instrumental in the promotion of nationalistic ideology. As Edward Wang notes, these

findings “…were helpful in attesting to the sophistication of ancient Chinese

culture…[and] also helped to renew China’s historical tradition and reinforce China’s

historical identity” (Wang 2001, 24). In the international arena, Chinese archaeological

objects were presented as evidence for China’s role as “the originator and early leader of

world civilization” (Duara 1997, 1042; Zhang 1930, 81-6). The Chinese government’s

display of archaeological objects at the International Exhibition of Chinese Art in London

during 1935-1936 turned the exhibition into a stage to glorify the nation and its history.

The significance of the archeological objects was articulated by the catalogue published

by the Chinese organizer for the exhibition. “Recovered from Yinhsu, the site where the

remains of the ancient capital of the Yin-shang Dynasty are located…They are selected

with a view to show some of the main characteristics of the culture of this period (circa

1400-2000 B.C.), the earliest of reliable Chinese history.” (The Organizing Committee of