Everyday Legend: Reinventing tradition in Chinese contemporary art1

During the early development of the People’s Republic of China, major cities were industrialised and historical architecture was severely neglected. The Cultural Revolution (1966-76) provided an extraordinary example of political mobilisation directed against the material and cultural vestiges of the past. During the infamous movement of the Red Guards, China’s public properties and cultural relics were attacked and numerous art treasures and artefacts were destroyed. The Open-Door policy beginning in 1978 instigated another ‘revolution’ – of economic reform and urban transformation. Thirty years of rapid urbanisation have meant that few traditional constructions have survived, and even the buildings and complexes built during the early PRC proved to be transitory, once they had been removed, reconstructed or replaced.