Image: Cui Jinzhe, Heng Gu Shen Yun – Luo Xiang (the hometown of Luo Shen) (Scroll 1 detail), 2020, ink on paper. Photo: courtesy of artist.
Cui Jinzhe’s work: 留恋往返 My Love for You Lingers On was inspired by an ancient Chinese poem The Nymph of the Luo River, written by famous poet Cao Zhi 曹植, who lived between 192-232 CE. Cui intricately and tenderly traces this story of a man who falls in love with a water nymph, which follows a familiar narrative arc of an unfulfilled love story. Combining elements of traditional Chinese art with pop culture visual styles, Cui weaves a complex and beautiful mesh, connecting time and culture through the common human experience of love and longing.
Cui Jinzhe is an Edmonton-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes drawing, painting, installation and public art. Cui was born in Dalian, China and earned a Bachelor of Art from Dalian University of Foreign Languages and Master of Art at Dalian Polytechnic University. In 2008, she came to Canada where her work has focused on self-enlightenment, community intervention and cultural integration.
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留恋往返————————关于崔金哲的《洛神》系列作品
在2012年春天的某日午后，闲游于萨斯卡通市图书馆之际的崔金哲偶然看到一本介绍顾恺之《洛神赋》作品的英文画册，一瞬间的观阅，触发了她绘画洛神的意念。“洛神赋”是中国古代三国时期文学家曹植的辞赋名篇，此赋虚构了自己与洛神的邂逅相遇和彼此间的思慕爱恋，飘渺迷离，人神道殊而不能结合的情境，抒发了无限的悲伤怅惘之情。这个辞赋曾感染了东晋画家顾恺之，并被他画成画作《洛神赋》，成为中国历史上的绘画杰作。一千多年后的今天，崔金哲在异国他乡遭遇了《洛神赋》丹青，仿佛久违的“情人”，点燃了她内心蕴藏的诗意与眷恋。在之后两年多的时间里，她一边诵读“洛神赋”原文，一边感受一边创作，形成了目前两个系列的八卷本画卷。该画卷由《洛神》系列之一和《洛神》系列之二构成。
在《洛神》系列之一中，作者通过六卷本画面向我们展开了人类情感的境遇：相遇相知与恍惚怅然、思慕长吟与相会相守、情思相悦与别离相思的过程。画面中的形象以吉祥图案（云纹、水纹），神话传说（女娲、洛神、娥皇和女英、水神冯夷、蛟龙、麒麟等），中国古代服饰以及丝织绣品上的图形（秋菊、桂旗、蝙蝠、水兽、春松等），历史器物（玉佩、莲花螺纹）为元素进行混搭重构，生成了非伦非类的当代情感化身。比如她在《洛神》系列之一中所塑造的洛神形象就是混搭出来的，这个混搭形象的元素包含：游龙首，鸿雁翅，秋菊花和叶，彩旄桂旗，手捧玄芝，脚踩游龙火轮，长发和身体的条纹状是延续了她研究生毕业作品中精灵的形象。这在美国大片《阿丽塔.战斗天使》中就塑造了人类未世由机器和人类混搭而生成的阿丽塔形象。也是当代人类追求“人机接口”的现实。因此说，崔金哲以当代人的视角重绘了历史，使历史成为当下人的所感所需。正如克罗奇所言“一切历史都是当代史”。其实，这种混搭有其传统渊源，那就是中国龙的形象，其形就是由九种动物组成:头似驼，角似鹿，眼似兔，耳似牛，项似蛇，腹似蜃，鳞似鲤，爪似鹰，掌似虎。这种混搭的“复合形态”的图像语言如“恋人絮语”般的从当代人的视角叙事了飘渺迷离、若隐若现的人类永恒之爱！
在《洛神》系列之二中，作者以卷一“恒古神韵-洛乡”、卷二“恒古神韵-洛灵”为主题，延伸了“洛神”的遐思，她说“灵感源于六卷“洛神”作品中的形象。画的是我心中洛乡的意境，隐喻我对人类曾经在某个时刻，也许未来重现，或当下即存在于我们的世界里的另一种真实。其中也暗含了我对生命原初直觉的感受和想象”。可以说，崔金哲是把人类永恒之爱安托于“洛乡”，让乡愁置歇之上，使爱的灵魂留恋往返！
Essay by Ren Jian
English translation by Rita Cheng
One afternoon in the spring of 2012, Cui Jinzhe was browsing in the Saskatoon Public Library and she came across an English introduction to Gu Kaizhi’s painting album of The Nymph of the Luo River. This momentary viewing inspired her to create a series of drawings about the Nymph of the Luo River (Luo Shen).
The Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River is a classic Chinese ode written by Cao Zhi, a poet during the Three Kingdoms Period. The ode expresses a sad and melancholy mood by portraying the love story between a poet and a nymph, from their time of meeting to their separation. Theirs is a love that isn’t meant to be – there can never be a marriage between earthly and spiritual realms. This ode inspired the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s painter Gu Kaizhi to create his masterpiece, The Nymph of the Luo River, and it became one of the classics of Chinese art history.
A thousand years after the creation of The Nymph of the Luo River, Cui Jinzhe discovered Kaizhi’s painting album in a foreign land. It was as if she had met her long-unseen “lover” and this brought nostalgia to her heart and ignited her poetic passion. During the next two years, she read the original script of the ode and created her own painting album. The album currently includes two series consisting of eight artworks. The album is composed of Luo Shen I and Luo Shen II
In Luo Shen I, the artist depicts situations of human emotions through six imageries: the encounter, knowing and trance, the desire to meet and stay with each other, the feeling of love, the separation, and the endless missing. The artist mingles Chinese ancient blessing patterns (clouds and water) and traditional Chinese symbolic totems (Goddess of Nuwa, Goddess of Luo Shen, Goddesses of Ehuang and Nuying, God of Water – Feng Yi, Dragon Jiaolong, Kylin, etc.). The artist also uses graphics on ancient Chinese costumes and silk embroidery (autumn chrysanthemum, Osmanthus flag, bat, water beast, spring pine, etc.) and historical artifacts (jade, lotus and conch pattern ), reconstructing them with a contemporary emotional incarnation. For example, the image of Luo Shen that she created in Luo Shen I is a synthesis of elements including head of a roving dragon, wing of a flying wild-goose, autumn chrysanthemums and leaves, a colorful Osmanthus flag, an image of hands holding Ganoderma lucidum, an image of stepping on the fire wheels of a dragon, and the design of long hair and stripes on a body, based on the image of the elf in her graduation work. Similarly, the image of Alita in the American film Alita: Battle Angel is a synthesis of a machine and a human during the last phase of the world. It manifests modern humans’ pursuit of a “human-machine interface”. Therefore, Cui Jinzhe redrew history from a modern perspective so that people nowadays can empathize with history. As Benedetto Croce said, “All history is contemporary history.”
The integration of diverse elements has a traditional origin; for example, the image of the Chinese dragon. It’s shape is composed of nine animals: its head resembles a camel’s, its horns resemble those of a deer, its eyes resemble those of a rabbit, its ears resemble a cow’s, its neck resembles a snake’s, its belly resembles a serpent, its squama resembles a carp’s, its claws resemble those of an eagle and its palms resemble those of a tiger. This type of art genre uses compound forms of multiple graphics and is like Lover’s Whisper which uses a modern perspective to narrate the misty, looming eternal love of mankind!
In Luo Shen II, the artist extends the reverie for “Luo Shen” with the themes of Scroll I – “Heng Gu Shen Yun – Luo Xiang (the hometown of Luo Shen)” and Scroll II – “Heng Gu Shen Yun – Luo Ling (the soul of Luo Shen)”. According to Cui Jinzhe, the inspiration is from the images in the first six drawings. What the two scrolls represent is the realm of Luo Xiang (the hometown of Luo Shen) in Cui Jinzhe’s heart. Her art works create a metaphor for the concept that there is an invisible reality may have occurred in the past, recur in the future, or may be happening in this world at present. “It also implies my intuitive sensation and imagination about the origin of life”, Cui Jinzhe said. In other words, Cui Jinzhe places the eternal love of mankind and nostalgia in “Luo Xiang” where the soul of love lingers on!
洛神赋 Nymph of the Luo River (The Goddess of the Luo)
魏晋 Wei and Jin Dynasty
曹植 Cao Zhi (192－232)
黄初三年，余朝京师，还济洛川。古人有言：斯水之神，名曰宓妃。感宋玉对楚王神女之事，遂作斯赋。其辞曰：
In the third year of the Huangchu era, I attended court at the capital and then crossed the Luo River to begin my journey home. Men in olden times used to say that the goddess of the river is named Fufei. Inspired by the example of Song Yu, who described a goddess to the king of Chu, I eventually composed a fu which read:
余从京域，言归东藩，背伊阙，越轘辕，经通谷，陵景山。日既西倾，车殆马烦。尔乃税驾乎蘅皋，秣驷乎芝田，容与乎阳林，流眄乎洛川。于是精移神骇，忽焉思散。俯则未察，仰以殊观。睹一丽人，于岩之畔。乃援御者而告之曰：“尔有觌于彼者乎？彼何人斯，若此之艳也！”御者对曰：“臣闻河洛之神，名曰宓妃。然则君王之所见也，无乃是乎！其状若何？臣愿闻之。”
Leaving the capital
To return to my fief in the east,
Yi Barrier at my back,
Up over Huanyuan,
Passing through Tong Valley,
Crossing Mount Jing;
The sun had already dipped in the west,
The carriage unsteady, the horses fatigued,
And so I halted my rig in the spikenard marshes,
Grazed my horse on a fragrant grass field,
Idling a while by Yang Lin,
Letting my eyes wander over the Luo.
Then my mood seemed to change, my spirit grew restless;
Suddenly my thoughts had scattered.
I looked down, hardly noticing what was there,
Looked up to see a different sight,
To spy a lovely lady by the slopes of the riverbank.
I took hold of the coachman's arm and asked:
“Can you see her? Who could she be – a woman so beautiful!”
The coachmen replied:
“I have heard of the goddess of the River Luo, whose name is Fufei. What you see, my prince — is it not she? But what does she look like? I beg you to tell me!”
余告之曰：其形也，翩若惊鸿，婉若游龙。荣曜秋菊，华茂春松。髣髴兮若轻云之蔽月，飘飖兮若流风之回雪。远而望之，皎若太阳升朝霞；迫而察之，灼若芙蕖出渌波。秾纤得中，修短合度。肩若削成，腰如约素。延颈秀项，皓质呈露。芳泽无加，铅华不御。云髻峨峨，修眉联娟。丹唇外朗，皓齿内鲜。明眸善睐，靥辅承权。瓌姿艳逸，仪静体闲。柔情绰态，媚于语言。奇服旷世，骨像应图。披罗衣之璀粲兮，珥瑶碧之华琚。戴金翠之首饰，缀明珠以耀躯。践远游之文履，曳雾绡之轻裾。微幽兰之芳蔼兮，步踟蹰于山隅。于是忽焉纵体，以遨以嬉。左倚采旄，右荫桂旗。攘皓腕于神浒兮，采湍濑之玄芝。
And I answered:
Her body soars lightly like a startled swan,
Gracefully, like a dragon in flight,
In splendor brighter than the autumn chrysanthemum,
In bloom more flourishing than the pine in spring;
Dim as the moon mantled in filmy clouds,
Restless as snow whirled by the driving wind.
Gaze far off from a distance;
She sparkles like the sun rising from morning mists;
Press closer to examine:
She flames like the lotus flower topping the green wave.
In her a balance is struck between plump and frail.
A measured accord between diminutive and tall,
With shoulders shaped as if by carving,
Waist narrow as though bound with white cords;
At her slim throat and curving neck
The pale flesh lies open to view,
No scented ointments overlaying it,
No coat of leaden powder applied.
Cloud-bank coiffure rising steeply,
Long eyebrows delicately arched,
Red lips that shed their light abroad,
White teeth gleaming within,
Bright eyes skilled at glances,
A dimple to round off the base of the cheek —
Her rare form wonderfully enchanting,
Her manner quiet, her pose demure.
Gentle hearted, broad of mind,
She entrances with every word she speaks;
Her robes are of a strangeness seldom seen,
Her face and figure live up to her paintings.
Wrapped in the soft rustle of a silken garments,
She decks herself with flowery earrings of jasper and jade,
Gold and kingfisher hairpins adorning her head,
Strings of bright pearls to make her body shine.
She treads in figured slippers fashioned for distant wandering,
Airy trains of mist-like gauze in tow,
Dimmed by the odorous haze of unseen orchids
Pacing uncertainly beside the corner of the hill.
then suddenly she puts on a freer air,
Ready for rambling, for pleasant diversion.
To the left planting her colored pennants,
To the right spreading the shade of cassia flags,
She dips pale wrists into the holy river's brink,
Plucks dark iris from the rippling shallows.
余情悦其淑美兮，心振荡而不怡。无良媒以接欢兮，托微波而通辞。愿诚素之先达，解玉佩而要之。嗟佳人之信修，羌习礼而明诗。抗琼珶以和予兮，指潜川而为期。执眷眷之款实兮，惧斯灵之我欺。感交甫之弃言兮，怅犹豫而狐疑。收和颜而静志兮，申礼防以自持。
My fancy is charmed by her modest beauty,
But my heart, uneasy, stirs with distress:
Without a skilled go-between to join us in bliss,
I must trust these little waves to bear my message.
Desiring that my sincerity first of all be known,
I undo a girdle-jade to offer as pledge.
Ah, the pure trust of that lovely lady,
Trained in ritual, acquainted with Odes;
She holds up a garnet stone to match my gift,
Pointing down into the depths to show where we should meet.
Clinging to a lover's passionate faith,
Yet I fear that this spirit may deceive me;
Warned by tales of how Jiaofu was abandoned,
I pause, uncertain and despairing;
Then, stilling such thoughts, I turn a gentler face toward her,
Signaling that for my part I abide by the rules of ritual.
于是洛灵感焉，徙倚彷徨。神光离合，乍阴乍阳。竦轻躯以鹤立，若将飞而未翔。践椒途之郁烈，步蘅薄而流芳。超长吟以永慕兮，声哀厉而弥长。尔乃众灵杂沓，命俦啸侣。或戏清流，或翔神渚，或采明珠，或拾翠羽。从南湘之二妃，携汉滨之游女。叹匏瓜之无匹，咏牵牛之独处。扬轻袿之猗靡，翳修袖以延伫。体迅飞凫，飘忽若神。凌波微步，罗袜生尘。动无常则，若危若安；进止难期，若往若还。转眄流精，光润玉颜。含辞未吐，气若幽兰。华容婀娜，令我忘餐。
So she is touched deeply
And starts to migrate with hesitation
Her brightness dissolves and gathers
Alternating in light and darkness
Her lissome body stands like the crane as if she would fly
Walking on the path
Full of pepper fragrance
Passing by the Duheng grass and making the scent flowing
Suddenly
She chanted mournfully to express her deep admiration
The voice is sad and profound
A legion of gods gradually come
Gathering friends
Playing in the clear water
Flying on the magical riversand
Collecting pearls
Picking up the feathers of alcedo
Following by E Huang and Nv Ying
Hand in hand with the goddess of Han River
Sighing about the absence of lovers for gourd stars
Mourning for the Altair’s solitude
Her coat flutters in the wind
Using long sleeves to cover the light she looks far into the distance
Standing for a long time
Sometimes her body is light as a wild duck floating uncertainly
Sometimes she walks on the waves
The foam from the stockings flies like dust
Moving and being still without regular patterns
She is in urgent and peace
Advance and retreat
Unpredictably
Leaving and returning
Her eyes turn bright
Her face glows
Her scent spreads like orchid before she speaks
I forget to drink and eat because of her graceful spirit and appearance
于是屏翳收风，川后静波。冯夷鸣鼓，女娲清歌。腾文鱼以警乘，鸣玉銮以偕逝。六龙俨其齐首，载云车之容裔。鲸鲵踊而夹毂，水禽翔而为卫。于是越北沚，过南冈，纡素领，回清扬。动朱唇以徐言，陈交接之大纲。恨人神之道殊兮，怨盛年之莫当。抗罗袂以掩涕兮，泪流襟之浪浪。悼良会之永绝兮，哀一逝而异乡。无微情以效爱兮，献江南之明珰。虽潜处于太阴，长寄心于君王。忽不悟其所舍，怅神宵而蔽光。
At this time
The wind god Pingyi converges the wind
The water god Chuanhou stops the waves
Pingyi beats the drum
Nvwa sings in a clear voice
The flying wen fish guards her carriage
The gods left with the sound of bells on the cart
The six dragons advance together driving the cloud carriage forward leisurely
The whale curvets around the cart
Aquatic birds hovers as guards
The carriage passes through the sandbank in the north and the mountain in the south
She turns white neck
glancing back her delicate brows and eyes
The red lips slightly open
Telling the outline of the exchange slowly
Resenting the difference between man and god
We can not fulfil our wishes although we are both in prime years
She could not help but raise her sleeves to hide her face and sobs
Her constant tears wet her skirt
She laments that the joyful meeting would never be over
Now we will be in two places after farewell
But have never expressed our love with subtle tenderness
She can only present a bright moon-pearl earring as a permanent memorial
Although living in seclusion at immortal homeland
She will always miss me
Suddenly she disappeared
I am melancholy for the disappearance of light following the departure of gods
于是背下陵高，足往心留。遗情想像，顾望怀愁。冀灵体之复形，御轻舟而上溯。浮长川而忘反，思绵绵而增慕。夜耿耿而不寐，沾繁霜而至曙。命仆夫而就驾，吾将归乎东路。揽騑辔以抗策，怅盘桓而不能去。
Then I ascend high from the lowland
Though my steps move
My soul lingers
I fulfill my sentiment by the imagination of her
Looking back again and again with sorrow
I hope that Luoshen can appear again
So I drove the boat against the current desperately
Rowing in the long river
Forgetting to return
The feeling of yearning continues and increases
So that I can not sleep all night
In a deep feeling of unease
My body is covered with thick frost until dawn
I have no choice but to order my servant to prepare horses and carriage
To depart on the road of returning to the east
However
When I hold the reins in hand and raise the whip to spur the horse
I am unable to leave
And
My soul of love lingers on
（第一页至第五页由王恩保和王约西编译）
(Page 1 - Page 5 are translated by Wang Enbao and Wang Yuexi）
（第六页至第九页由崔金哲编译）
(Page 6 - Page 9 are translated by Cui Jinzhe）
（第一页至第五页由王恩保和王约西编译）
(Page 1 - Page 5 are translated by Wang Enbao and Wang Yuexi）
（第六页至第九页由崔金哲编译）
(Page 6 - Page 9 are translated by Cui Jinzhe）
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