Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Art/Art History

This thesis investigates the intersectionality of ink painting and revolutionary politics in modern China with the work of Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) as an analytical lens. Through a critical sociopolitical contextualization of Fu's paintings at crucial junctures in his career, I will analyze the ways in which his paintings have changed to reflect their respective eras. Along with negotiating his artistic identity and practice, these same junctures have provided a means by which I will critically examine Fu's negotiations of national identity. Born in 1904 when China's final imperial dynasty—Qing (1636-1912)—was in a terminal decline, he grew up during the tumultuous era of warlordism and the shaky beginnings of the Republican Era (1912-1949). Fu was an artist and political activist during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). He was an artist in service of the entire Chinese state as a propagandist (1926-27, 1929-30 for the Kuomintang, and 1950-66 for the People's Republic of China). Though he died one year before the Maoist-led Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Fu's work was posthumously affected. In addition to the abovementioned events, I examine Fu's negotiations of national identity evident in his art historical writing, his time as a propagandist, as well as his formative studies in Japan from 1932 to 1935. His studies proved fruitful as he developed a novel trajectory of modern “guohua” (Chinese national painting) and his signature style that elevated his work to a position of paramount importance. The goal of my project is to provide, a succinct yet satisfactory historiography of modern China while interrogating the ways in which Fu Baoshi not only captured the essence of his natural subjects through novel landscape painting, but the ways in which his career embodies the search for a quintessential “Chinese-ness” within the fine arts and in the realm of national character.

Committee: Andrew Hershberger Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Michael Brooks Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rebecca Skinner Green Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History; Asian Studies; Biographies; Fine Arts; History; Political Science

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2019, East Asian Studies

The first decades of the 21st century have seen a remarkable rise in science fiction novels and short stories by Chinese authors, whose works have attracted international attention and success. Although highly imaginative and fantastical works of literature have a long history in China, the genre of science fiction has experienced long periods of interruption and obstacles that limited the genre's constant growth. During the Cultural Revolution, any films, books or plays that were not actively promoting the Chinese Communist Party were not condoned by the State or seen as useful to Chinese society. Science fiction literature generally did not fall within the strict confines of the socialist realism genre and therefore virtually died out during the middle of the twentieth century. As the Cultural Revolution ended, the influx of culture included non-Chinese science fiction literature and sparked a renewed interest in the genre. Three authors in particular, Han Song, Liu Cixin, and Hao Jingfang, are actively ushering in a new age of Chinese literature with their fascinating works of science fiction, which comment on the state of humanity and the Chinese experience. The new age of Chinese science fiction takes root in the satirical nature of the genre's origins, serving primarily as criticism of China's sociopolitical state. It is with these criticisms that modern science fiction authors employ the characteristics of the genre in order to openly, accurately and creatively portray their experience as Chinese people. This “Golden Age” of Chinese science fiction could be more accurately described as an “Electric Era,” containing a small but powerful spark that will soon light up as a global sensation, bringing critical discussions of the Chinese experience to both domestic and international readers.

Committee: Shelley Chan (Advisor); Sunny Jeong (Committee Member); Scot Hinson (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Literature; Asian Studies; Literature; Modern Literature

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2017, History

This thesis is an examination of the development of public history in the Chinese city of Xi'an since the 1990s in conjunction with the development of Xi'an's regional tourism industry. The importance of tourism to the production of public historical space has led to a diverse array of acts of reconstruction, museum representation, and narrative production influenced by the desire to build Shaanxi Province's tourism industry. First, this thesis examines the act of reconstruction at historical sites and the role of tourism in the variety of acts of historical site conservation. Then, it examines three archaeological site museums and the way in which an increasingly regionalized and privatized China allows multiple narratives of premodern history to coexist within a single city. Finally, this thesis considers the role of the tour guide and the nature of the tour guiding profession in the production of public historical narratives given the importance of the tour guide as a conduit through which knowledge is transmitted to the tourist. This research suggests that public history serves in part as a tool for developing regional tourism, and that knowing the processes by which public history is made available to visitors can help both professionals and the public alike better understand Xi'an's past within its larger Chinese context.

Committee: Yihong Pan (Advisor); Steven Conn (Committee Member); Stanley Toops (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; History; Modern History; Museum Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, History of Art

As the Chinese Communist Party sought to redefine socialism in the Chinese context and position itself in shifting international currents during the first decade of the newly founded People's Republic of China (1949–1959), the country's art establishment rejected Western modernism in favor of academic styles and selective forms of traditional Chinese practices. State-employed artists, tasked with visualizing party policies, placed themselves at the juncture of historical narratives and social discourses that defined the first decade and a half of the PRC. This dissertation examines a particular group of artists, based in the northwestern provincial capital of Xi'an, who reformulated the traditional practice of ink and color painting (guohua) as a modern artistic medium through their unorthodox brushwork and subject matter. Led by the Yan'an printmaker-turned-painter Shi Lu (1919–1982) and the former Dagongbao sketch journalist Zhao Wangyun (1906–1977), the six ink painters the Chinese Artists Association-Xi'an Branch employed garnered national acclaim for exhibiting their xizuo (“studies”) in a series of well-publicized exhibitions that began in October 1961 in Beijing. Praised for their integration of artistic style with the “character” of the northwestern region based on their firsthand observations, Shi, Zhao and their colleagues — He Haixia (1908–1998), Fang Jizhong (1923–1987), Kang Shiyao (1921–1985) and Li Zisheng (1919–1987) earned a collective name: the Chang'an School (Chang'an huapai). The “success” of the Xi'an ink painters as a modern, regional ink painting “school” was considered not merely a local or personal achievement but a national one. Through five thematic chapters that focus on the school's structural and theoretical foundations, this study suggests the Xi'an artists gained momentum through their ability to function effectively as a work unit (danwei), as content providers for the mass media and as interpreters of the broad concepts o (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Julia Andrews (Advisor); Myroslava Mudrak (Committee Member); Kris Paulsen (Committee Member); Christopher Reed (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

This dissertation discusses the evolution of musical output by three modern Chinese orchestras within Greater China, which is composed of Mainland China (Shanghai), Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Taipei). Each of these regions developed a different cultural identity and political ideology. The discussion focuses on the foundation of professional Chinese orchestras founded in above regions, and commonly known as the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra (SCO), Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) and Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO). The dissertation also focuses on the musical relationship between these orchestras to highlight the development of similar musical style across Greater China that resulted from shared influences in a prolonged contact between regions. This dissertation is divided into two parts. In Part I—The Early History of the Chinese Orchestra from 1920 to 1986—chapters are designed to establish the cultural and political foundation of the original orchestra on Mainland China and the influences on its musical style. In this section I also argue that the historical development that lead to the division of China gave rise to the foundation of other orchestras in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which started with similar musical styles until they developed independent styles in their respective regions. In Part II—The Identities of Orchestras During the Period of Frequent Cultural Exchange within Greater China—focuses on the early stages of the orchestras and their development from 1987 to 1996, and examines the process of each orchestra to establish its musical and cultural identity at the end of the martial law period (1997-present). In this part, I also argue that the end of the martial period brought more cultural exchange within Greater China and inspired a search for distinct regional identities while maintaining the original cultural model. Further attention is given to the musical exchange among the three orchestras to highlight the infl (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kazadi Mukuna Dr. (Advisor); Richard Feinberg Dr. (Committee Member); Ralph Lorenz Dr. (Committee Member); Theodore Albrecht Dr (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Cultural Anthropology; Ethnic Studies; History; International Relations; Modern History; Music; Performing Arts

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2007, College-Conservatory of Music : Clarinet

John Adams's clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons, now more than ten years old, fuses post-minimalism, post-Stravinsky techniques, and American vernacular idioms, holding a unique place in the clarinet repertoire and serving as an important marker in Adams's evolution of compositional style that began in the 1990s. The stylistic point of departure is his 1991 opera The Death of Klinghoffer, and Gnarly Buttons is among the pieces that continues to develop the textural and melodic innovations that Klinghoffer started. Thus, full comprehension of the style and aesthetic of Gnarly Buttons depends on an understanding of the stylistic traits established by Adams's compositions from the 1980s combined with an examination of innovations in the 1990s. This document offers an account of the history of the work, centered on information of those interviewed for this project, including John Adams, Michael Collins, Paul Meecham and William Helmers. The performance guide that follows also incorporates information from recent performances, especially from the January 2007 performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Adams conducting, and Derek Bermel as soloist. The last section of the document offers analysis, tracing Adams's style from Nixon in China, through The Death of Klinghoffer, and finally to Gnarly Buttons, showing how the concerto both incorporates and builds on Adams's own compositional past.

Committee: Dr. Robert Zierolf (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts in History, Cleveland State University, 2012, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

The notion of Tibetan art as a preservation of the Shangri-La culture that existed before Chinese occupation is a pervasive ideology among western scholars. Buddhist thangka paintings were and still are an important aspect of Tibetan heritage and sense of identity. This paper, however, focuses on the shifting roles of Tibetan artists from the onset of the Chinese “liberation” of Tibet in 1959 to present day. The tremendous lack of scholarship on contemporary Tibetan artists, including both those who still live in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and those who have traveled abroad, has served as a catalyst for the research presented in this thesis. The major theme of this paper, which encompasses the shifts in Tibetan artistic identity over the past sixty years, is presented three different sections. The first section explains artistic identity as it was before the Chinese occupation. The second section presents Tibetan art identity as it existed under Communist rule and the Cultural Revolution, and the third section notes the changes in contemporary art identity in regards to the post-Mao era to present day. The change in social and political climates dictates how Tibetans classify and explain their identity and the roles of artists change with both internal and external influences. The Buddhist thangka artists, socialist-realist painters, and contemporary artists, all define Tibetan artistic identity over the last sixty years and create a visual, interconnected timeline of Tibetan people's suffering and transformation.

Committee: Marian Bleeke PhD (Committee Chair); David Goldberg PhD (Committee Member); Mary Ellen Waithe PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History; Asian Studies; History

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2013, History

The frequency of wars in modern China between 1924 and 1945 was accompanied by the phenomenon that the soldier figure played an important ideological role in state rhetoric and social discussions. Different political, social and cultural forces, such as Jiang Jieshi (1887-1975)'s Nationalist government (1927-1949), the Whampoa Military Academy, urban intellectuals, activists, professionals, writers, students, and the Chinese Communists in the revolutionary base of Yan'an constructed the soldier figure to argue for their agendas and assert their political influence. The multiple meanings assigned to the soldier figure by diverse forces as well as the intentions behind the meanings are the main theme uniting this dissertation. This theme serves as a useful window to explore the state-building processes in the GMD and CCP areas and the complex state-society relations that were engendered by these processes in modern China. By examining how different political, social and cultural forces resisted, collaborated with, complicated, questioned and confronted the heroic ideal of the soldier promoted by Jiang and the Nationalist government, this dissertation demonstrates that the cultural negotiations over how to create and support a strong army were central to the state-building processes in modern China, and a significant factor in determining different trajectories in state-society relations in the regions controlled by the GMD and the CCP.

Committee: Christopher A. Reed (Advisor); Patricia Sieber (Committee Member); Ying Zhang (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; History; Military History