Thread by @GeringTuvia

"Such culture is a hollow culture, a pale culture devoid of soul; it is the place where culture goes to die" - A scathing critique of China's contemporary arts and culture scene by Wang Meng, that cleverly calls to discern between "cultural treasures" and "cultural bubbles"
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2/ In today's political climate, where culture is politicized, exploited, censored, controlled and monitored to the extreme, this is a very risky article to write, and only someone like Wang Meng, who was Minister of Culture under Deng Xiaoping, could write something like it

3/ Excerpt: "CCTV New Year's Gala [The most-watched show on the planet, the golden calf of party-state TV] was held, with songs and dances performed, famous artists in their hundreds and thousands, and tens of thousands of viewers;

4/ "the performance saw a variety of modern high-tech techniques, with many artificial "selling points" - beautiful women, pretty boys, character actors, unusual vocalizations, swimsuits, martial arts, water screens, lasers, fog machines...

5/ "There was, however, no reflection, no thinking, no enthusiasm, no love or hatred, no moral debate, no depth, no morals to learn, no spiritual nourishment, and no emotional fulfillment and transcendence.

"Such culture is a hollow culture, a pale culture devoid of soul; it is the place where culture goes to die."
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Link: mp.weixin.qq.com/s/4MPZ7RgTPWJ8…