CH’NG Poh Tiong
Wild Geese Descending on a Sandbank
BIAN Shou Min (1683–1752)
Hanging scroll; ink and colour on paper
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston
The New Year has gotten to a rotten start.
On Saturday – departing for France – I had never seen so many people wearing masks at Singapore Changi Airport.
And it’s no consolation to discover – just now – an article from Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post that on 1 January 2020, Wuhan Police arrested eight people “who had recently spread rumours on the pneumonia-like illness”.
Incidentally, SCMP (owned by Jack Ma of Alibaba), is banned in China. The above report is at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3048042/chinas-top-court-hits-out-wuhan-police-over-coronavirus-rumour.
Another report also mentioned that a medical doctor working in Wuhan who shared his concerns – in December 2019 – on social media was admonished by his superior.
Greetings from Cremona, the birthplace of Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 1737).
I think the violin maker would enjoy today’s Music of the Week.
Pingsha Luoyan or Wild Geese Descending on a Sandbank is one of the best-loved pieces for the qin, the 7-string instrument most identified with Chinese scholars. (During the Han Dynasty (BC 206 – 220 AD), it was a 4-string instrument).
Listen to the tranquillity Pingsha Luoyan evokes with your eyes closed.
It’s performed by the great ZHANG Ziqian (1899–1991).
