Thailand through the dragon's brushes

A very special group of visitors arrived at Ayutthaya, 80 kilometers north of Bangkok, on Sept 27. Like tourists who arrive here from the world over, the group stopped by to admire the mottled, bell-shaped towers punctuating the crumbling red brick walls of the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Siam, destroyed 248 years ago by the Burmese army. Next each of them pulled out a piece of xuan paper, a set of brushes and bottles of ink and color and got to work.

The day was scorching hot at 38��C. But the artists carried on, regardless. A crowd gathered around them, as they painted the scenery using traditional Chinese ink-and-brush technique.

Kuku Chai Bukuk, one of the assembled artists and the painter of The Kingdom of Buddha, described the scene as "poignantly beautiful". "Even though the land was ravaged by war and time, its remains - like the sculptures of the Buddha - demonstrate Thailand's ancient culture and civilization," she said.

This group, comprising nine leading Chinese painters, commenced a week-long tour across Thailand from Ayutthaya. They have travelled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, the Lampang province and back to the capital city, sketching and painting on the site of some of Thailand's most iconic spots.

The images created during the tour were added to an exhibition of signature artworks by nine painters, titled Thailand through the Dragon's Brushes, displayed at Bangkok's shopping complex Central World on the first weekend of October.

Co-organized by The Nation, China Daily and the Chinese Culture and Arts Association, the exhibition was part of the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic ties.

Zhou Li, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific, said at the opening ceremony that the exhibition has been developed with the idea of taking forward a journey that was begun 40 years ago, "in the spirit of fostering cooperation and understanding between the two of the world's oldest cultures with their distinctive heritages".

Eighty-year-old Cai Zhixin, a renowned artist who specializes in woodblock printing, observed there was a sense of affinity between Chinese and Thai cultures.

"At first glance, we might find the two cultures to be totally different, since we don't understand Thai language at all. However, when you observe the temples closely - the architecture style, the dragon statues and the decoration - you can see we had the same root."

Also joining the tour are well-known Chinese artists, Cui Zhi'an, Song Yuming, Yang Xun, Kang Shuzeng, Feng Xuewen, Wang Jiaxun and Tang Qing, among others.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, who supported the tour, extended a warm welcome to all artists. "We're very grateful to the 10 painters who travelled all the way to Thailand to showcase their masterpieces," said deputy governor Sugree Sithivanich at the opening ceremony.

Apart from the Authority, Taixi Development Group, Central World, Dusit International and Dusit Princess Chiang Mai also offered their generous support to this trip.

The artist Wang Jiaxun wasn't too taken in by the ruins in Ayutthaya though. He believed in letting go of the wounded past.

He found the dancers in a restaurant in Chiang Mai more captivating and painted them instead.

Kang Shuzeng from Xinjiang, skilled in depicting characteristic dance moves of different ethnic groups, left his dinner table to spend most of his time observing and studying the moves of Thai dancers from close.

He would run back to the dinner table in between acts to grab a bite from the inviting Lanna-style banquet. "Time for work," he quipped as the next act started, leaving in a rush to collect more material for his paintings.

Song Yuming, who specializes in painting urban landscapes, got up at 5 am and went wandering around, looking for "the spirit" of the city, finding it in the Lumphini Park. He made a sketch of the scene.

"Capturing the spirit of a city is not about realistic depiction of the landscape. I hope I've done that with my brushes," Song explained.

iris@chinadailyhk.com

(China Daily 10/07/2015 page6)