After the Opium War in 1840 AD, European-style lawn parks and modern lawn sports fields for football, tennis, golf, and horse racing were introduced in places such as Hong Kong and Shanghai. The lawn was supposed to serve society, regardless of its biological or social attributes. However, during our compulsory education, we received a lot of knowledge about “protecting the lawn” and “caring for the lawn.” This education fundamentally changed several generations’ understanding of the lawn, directly overturning its original attribute of “serving society” and transforming it into something that should be “cared for” or even “respected” above the public.

Thinking of contemporary Chinese art today, its development is almost completely independent of the broader history of art. Since the advent of modern art, countless artists in art history have begun to impact public power, question authority, and even “sniff” at art itself. Generations of people have constantly tried to break down the “uniqueness” of artists and the boundaries between artists, works, and audiences. However, all of this has been subverted due to the highly politicized nature of everything in Chinese society. Contemporary Chinese artists, in their constant questioning of authority, are gradually lost by power and then build solid barriers back towards it.