China is booming! In the wake of economic liberalization, the nation’s art scene has taken flight as well. The Swiss collector Uli Sigg, formerly his country’s ambassador to Beijing, has followed the rapid pace of development since the 1980s, compiling along the way the world’s largest collection of contemporary Chinese art, comprising more than 1,200 works by some 180 artists. Mahjong, named after the popular and ancient Chinese game of chance, presents more than 200 paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, video pieces, and installations from Sigg’s collection. Alongside them hang such curiosities as vintage Mao posters. In addition to a number of internationally famous works, such as Ai Weiwei’s Han vase with Coca-Cola logo, Fang Lijun’s bald heads, or Xu Bing’s “Xinglish” calligraphy, this book also offers readers a unique opportunity to discover tremendously gifted artists still largely unknown outside China. Mao or McDonald’s? Mahjong or Mercedes? Off with the old pigtails–all the important names and movements of contemporary Chinese art in a single volume. Edited by Bernard Fibicher. Essays by Ai Weiwei, Feng Boyi, Matthias Frehner, Christoph Heinrich, Hou Hanru, Li Xianting, Pi Li, Uli Sigg and Berhard Fibicher. Hardcover, 9.75 x 11.75 in./384 pgs / 219 color.
Although they are “pariah capitalists” who face political insecurity in India, the Hakka Chinese have since their migration during the First World War come to control the city of Calcutta’s tanning industry. Drawing on extensive fieldwork among the Calcutta Hakka as well as members of their community who have migrated to Toronto, Ellen Oxfeld sheds new light on the complex interrelations among their entrepreneurial ideology, family structures, and ethnicity.
Published on the occasion of the North American premiere of Mahjong, a landmark exhibition of contemporary Chinese art from the world-renowned collection of the Swiss businessman and diplomat Uli Sigg, this catalogue accesses recent Chinese history through the lens of its art and the keen eye of an observant collector. More than 90 artists are featured in this fully illustrated publication, including Ai Weiwei, Huang Yan, Liu Wei, Wang Du, Weng Fen, Xu Bing, Yue Min Jun, Zhang Huan and Zhang Xiaogang. Along with the exhibition’s themes of urbanization, globalization and alienation, China’s underground tradition and its current cultural renaissance are addressed in essays by leading Chinese art historians Julia F. Andrews and Kuiyi Shen. Film critic James Quandt elaborates these issues in an essay on internationally acclaimed film director Jia Zhangke.
Mah-Jong is different from all those other cerebral Oriental games, like chess, Go or Chinese chess in that it is not intended to be played with calm contemplation but rather at high speed, calling for luck, skill and fast thinking in equal proportions. It can be played just for fun but is also known, especially among the Chinese community, as an exciting gambling game that is often played for high stakes. However you want to play Mah-Jong, you will find it utterly fascinating and quite addictive.
The Know the Game series is firmly established as the leading introduction to a huge range of sports and games. For 50 years they have been the first step into a new sport or game for many people, children and adults alike. The series has now been relaunched in a new format with a modern design – making the best even better. The aim has been to make the books more accessible, and they are now packed with colour photos and illustrations, top tips and interesting facts. Each book contains everything you need to know about the sport or game, including equipment, rules, techniques and training tips. There’s even information on how to find a club and meet new people to play the sport or game with. And having been written and endorsed by the game’s professional body, you can be sure that you are getting the best information available.
