ART-TRIBUTE:Paradise Palace,Part II

Zhizha is a traditional craftsmanship originated from ancient China. Zhizha is known to be mainly used in the creation of offerings in Chinese funerals. There might be a misconception about Zhizha itself. It is a traditional art that has been used since ancient China. Not only for funerals, Zhizha appears in daily crafting goods as well (Part I).

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Musée du Quai Branly Archive

The exhibition “Paradise Palace” at the Musée du Quai Branly around the paper funeral offerings in Taiwan. It is a presentation of paper works by two major studios in Taipei, Taiwan: Hsin-Hsin and Skea here displayed at the Atelier Martine Aublet. It is an occasion to discover the funeral art of Zhizha, paper funeral items burned to “ensure the material comfort of the deceased in the afterlife”.  Funeral offerings are among the oldest remnants of Chinese civilisation. The custom of burying the deceased with food and everyday items has been observed as a tradition dating back over 3000 years. Servants, horses, house models and valuables found in tombs are important historical tokens of lifestyles in the first dynasties, such as the famous terracotta army of the first emperor Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC). Moreover, in the bronze age, luxurious ritual objects for divination were used to communicate with ancestors, considered intermediaries between people and divinities. Later, from the fifth century BC, Confucianism placed filial piety at the heart of its doctrines, making it the foundation of social order. The visitors of “Paradise Palace” are invited to discover paper items of the house, household objects and food that are among the first funeral offerings. The second section entitled “Shopping Paradise” is dedicated to luxury and new technologies. It features copies of leading brands and state-of-the-art devices, such as smartphones with special “paradise” apps. The route of the exhibition ends with ancestor worship and protection against “hungry ghosts”. Every year, the “hungry ghosts” party pacifies the souls of the deceased who have not been fed by the funeral ritual. It also recalls the importance of the offerings and the memory of the ancestors. The route of the exhibition ends with ancestor worship and protection against “hungry ghosts”. Every year, the “hungry ghosts” take the souls of the deceased who have not been fed by the funeral ritual. It also recalls the importance of the offerings and the memory of the ancestors. Two multimedia support the exhibition, “The creation of funeral items” and “The cremation process”, allowing everyone to better understand the stakes related to this custom of offerings and ancestors remembrance.

Info: Curator: Julien Rousseau, Musée du Quai Branly, Atelier Martine Aublet, 37 Quai Branly, Paris, Duration: 18/6-27/10/19, Days & Hours: Tue-wed & Sun 11 :00-19 :00, Thu-Sat 11:00-21:00, www.quaibranly.fr