Mongol lovasok nyomában
In Pursuit of Mongolian Horsemen

Ethnicity and Identity in Chinese Art Based on Some Works of Arts from the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asiatic Arts

Summary/Abstract: The aesthetics of Chinese art, the ideal of beauty, the system of traditional genres, and the strict hierarchy of material use are reflections of Han identity and thinking. The question rightly arises why and how foreigners were depicted at all. This article uses old Chinese paintings to explore how Han identity was expressed in art during the rule of foreign dynasties in China. The ancestral portrait of a Mongol nobleman on a horseback, the procession of those returning from the hunt, or the figure of Cai Wenji are fascinating because they shed light on aspects of Mongol and Manchu imperial consciousness, characterizing contemporary Han identity and highlighting the specificities of the system of relations with foreigners.

• Details
• Contents