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Last Days of Village Wen
2011
Yun-Fei Ji
Yun-Fei Ji (Chinese, b. 1963)
Chinese Art
Last Days of Village Wen, 2011. Yun-Fei Ji (Chinese, b. 1963). Handscroll, ink and color on Xuan paper; overall: 37 x 942.2 cm (14 9/16 x 370 15/16 in.); painting only: 34.6 x 610.8 cm (13 5/8 x 240 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2012.99.2
- Maker/Artist
- Yun-Fei Ji
- Classification
- Painting
- Formatted Medium
- Handscroll, ink and color on Xuan paper
- Medium
- handscroll, ink, color, xuan, paper
- Dimensions
- Overall: 37 x 942.2 cm (14 9/16 x 370 15/16 in.); Painting only: 34.6 x 610.8 cm (13 5/8 x 240 1/2 in.)
- Inscribed
- Inscription: 辛卯年季雲飛 Translation: colophon signed Ji Yun-Fei, dated 2011 Inscription: VILLAGE WEN IN JUNE. Reaching June, it had not rained for eight months at Village Wen. The river had long dried out; crops were not growing. On the 13th, it finally rained. Raindrops the size of green mung beans hit the camphor trees by the road, making a sound like popping sesame seeds. WIND. The villagers of Wen had already demolished their homes and moved into temporary tents they made for themselves. They had packed their furniture and belongings—all laid out on the empty grain-drying grounds. At midnight there was a sudden gust of wind that blew all the things into the air, including chairs, tables, wardrobe, large and small bags. Gradually they fell, but not a single item was damaged. EVEN GHOSTS ARE SCARED. According to the village elders, there were so many hungry ghosts after the Great Leap Forward that one could easily hear their cries on the quiet side streets during daytime. Many villagers were too afraid to go out. Some suggested that since everyone was afraid of the party secretary [of the village], calling out his name would make the ghosts be quiet. It really worked. FISH FARMING. At Village Wen, the few who did not want to look for jobs in cities decided to raise fish besides growing crops. But the great drought of the xinmao year [2011] had dried up the riverbed in the upper course, forcing the villagers to move their net boxes tens of li downstream. The river flowed again and water rose rapidly after the June downpour. [No one anticipated that] all the fish that had been raised for three years suddenly died overnight. OFFICIAL. The party secretary [of the village] came down with a fever. He slept all day only to wake up in a cold sweat, complaining that he was tired. He reported that the provincial head [his boss] had been promoted to be a powerful official in the underworld, commanding him to be in charge of demolition and resettlement. Even if encountering dingzihu [difficult households in opposition to the project], he must use force. Many poor ghosts in the underworld bothered him every day, arguing about law. WONDER. Some thirty li south of the village, as the water rises in summer, over the vast expanse of mists and ripples in the river would a miraculous wonder of well-lit, tall buildings be seen. Remark: In the colophon following the painting, Ji has included a literary composition to provide the context of the story. With his usual dark sense of humor, Ji Yun-Fei turns it into a tragic comedy.
- Departments
- Chinese Art
- Accession Number
- 2012.99.2
- Credit Line
- The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
- Exhibitions
- Ji Yunfei: Last Days of Village Wen, <em>A Terrible Beauty is Born</em>. The 11th Biennale de Lyon, Lyon, France (September 15-December 31, 2011)., <em>Yun-fei Ji: Water Work</em>. Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China (June 2-July 15, 2012).
- Rights Statement
- Copyrighted
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