A visit to Musée Cernuschi...(28/9)

Organised by the Asia Presse in Paris, I joined a cocktail reception last night at the newly renovated Musée Cernuschi...before the rendez-vous, there was a specially arranged guided tour for the participants to visit the museum, and well, it was an interesting experience to view quite numerous decoration artworks of the ancient China in a French style. The museum was established for quite some time in Paris exhibiting Chinese antique and classic houseware items from the Chow to Tong Dynasty. A sizeable budda scripture has been installed in the museum as well. The presentation of exhibits in the museum and the French version of on-site guidance provided me a projection of how the French people look at China arts and their admiration of the eastern history. Being a Chinese to visit the museum situated in Paris is a bit strange when all exhibits in front of you are indeed originated from China, but at the same time, you are feeling a bit shameful when you see how the French preserve nicely the artwork. This was a very weird and conflicting occasion for me to position myself. In some way, I act like one in the local community to enjoy the presentation of exhibits in French, and at the same time, I recalled my Chinese visage as well as the piece by piece memory I learnt from my Chinese History class and books about the various ancient Dynasties. Other visitors regarded me as a Chinese but well, I knew at that moment that I was less a total Chinese but something what we called ourselves the Chinese from Hong Kong. I would say, we the Hong Kong people lack the required baptism of the recognition of Chinese culture and history, and we lose in a search of our national identity. We got quite often an absent mind to our identity, our role and positioning in the world. We may regard a successful development of trade and economy as a substitute to the questioning of our own self. Watching from the globe, Hong Kong is a tiny point but no more. There seems a paradox for us to answer questions like “where are you from” and “what is your nationality”. We lack some form of life perhaps.
(musée cernuschi: 7, avenue Velasquez 75008 Paris)