84503 - Laboratory of Chinese Culture and Arts Management

Learning outcomes

Students are expected to have a preliminary understanding of Chinese culture and its evolution over the long period. Furthermore, they will get the opportunity to acquire basic elements characterizing the change processes affecting arts, culture, policies and management in a holistic way.

Course contents

Course Overview   

   For China the 20th Century is one with drastic changes. All aspects of social life in China are touched in the changes of this long century, the influence of which last till present day. Using art as an angle to observe China, this course is to some extent social development-oriented, aiming at showing the students the encounter as a person living in China in different decades of the 20th Century in art, culture, and social life in general.

Course Description

The course is divided into following parts:

1. Late Qing Dynasty: a prehistory

2. Republic of China: 1912-1937

3. Republic of China:1937-1949

4. People’s Republic of China: 1949-1976

5. People’s Republic of China: 1976-1999

In each part, introduction and discussion will be carried out on representative artists, groups, artworks, concepts, cultural background, social impact, as well as the institution of art and its connection to China’s social life.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Clunas, Craig, Art in China. New York: Oxford University Press, introduction.

2. Gao, Minglu. Total Modernity and the Avant-Garde in Twentieth-Century Chinese Art, MIT Press, 2011.

3. Hang, Jian & Guo, Qiuhui, Chinese Arts & Crafts. China Intercontinental Press, 2006.

4. Hearn, Maxwell K. How to read Chinese Paintings. NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008.

5. Jeffri, Joan & Yu, Ding, Respect for Art: Visual Arts administration and Management in China and the United States, Beijing: Intellectual Property Publishing House, 2007.

6. Keane, Michael (ed.), Handbook of Cultural and Creative Industries in China, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016.

7. Lu, Tracey Lie Dan, Museums in China: Power, Politics and Identities, London and New York: Routledge Press, 2015.

8. Melissa, Chiu, Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know, New York: AW Asia, 2008.

9. Sullivan, Michael, The Arts of China, 5^th revised & enlarged edition, University of California Press, 2009.

10. Sullivan, Michael, Art and Artists of Twentieth-Century China, University of California Press, 1st edition, 1996.

11. Thorp, Robert L. and Vinograd, Richard Ellis, Chinese Art and Culture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2006.

12. Zan, Luca, Managing Cultural Heritage in China: A View from the Outside, in: The China Quarterly, Issue 210, 02.2011

13. Zan, Luca, Cultural Heritage in China: Between Policies, Development, Professional Discourse, and the Issue of Managing, in Public Archaeology, 2014, 13 (1-3): 99-112

Teaching methods

1. Lecture and Interpretation.

2. Interactive discussion.

3. Case analysis.

4. Supporting materials: academic records and video footage.

Assessment methods

Requirement and Grading

In this course, assessment will be based on the attendance, class participation, group research paper, and final group presentation. Grading method and requirement are as follows:

1. Attendance and class participation (50%):
The attendance is compulsory. student should attend at least 70% (6 out of total 8 classes). Active class participation is always appreciated and will add to student’s course performance.

2. Group research paper and final group presentation (50%):

The student will form five groups (each group five students), each group will study and explore one topic. At selected dates, each group is required to submit an essay (eight pages) on the topic, and deliver a PowerPoint presentation (25 mins). The dates available are: 16 June (14:00 Italy time), 23 June (14:00 Italy time) and 31 August (14:00 Italy time).

Office hours

See the website of Kuangdi Chen