Helen Rees: Echoes of History

He Jinhua, Helen Rees, 11x14 inches, oil on canvas, 2022

The next two paintings in the Top 100 2022 series concern the Naxi people of Southwestern China. The two tracks in the top 100 they illustrate come from a cd tucked in the book Echoes of History: Naxi Music in Modern China. [Oxford University Press, 2000] The author is anthropologist Helen Rees, who worked extensively in Southern China. The book is a study of how a minority culture in China (Naxi) fared during a century of regressive policies in the post-dynastic era. While the music and culture of the Naxi was stripped of certain characteristics not in line with official Chinese policies,  they were lucky enough (unlike some others') to receive a status as an officially recognized minority group by the central government. The status allowed the Naxi, to some extend, to practice traditional customs and music. As a result too, the Naxis perform during official festivals organized by the central government to highlight the minority cultures in China, and to give the appearance that the government is good, inclusive, and tolerant.

The first painting is of the author of the study Helen Rees (on the right) and of the Naxi singer He Jinhua. He Jinhua is a distinguished singer who has recorded extensively, most notably (for us) on a recent issue on the Smithsonian label. Echoes of History is an in-depth study of Naxi Music. Rees speaks the local language as well as Chinese, and visited and stayed among them numerous times during the 1990s. After reading the book I was curious if I could find anything published recently on the topic. Most contemporary accounts are about the star singer He Jinhua. It is due to her that the traditional Naxi songs are being preserved. Most Naxi who knew the songs have died or are aging. This was already the case in Rees' accounts of the 1990s. He herself is not included in the top 100 list even though the CD Songs from the Naxi in Southwestern China [Smithsonian, 2022] is a wonderful collection of songs. Several, especially the solo voice performances, are in a style quite similar to the song Bbai neiq bbaq jji huil, by He Fenxiang, recorded by Rees in 1991, and listed in this year's top 100. It is possible, but not likely, Fenxiang and Jinhua are related. He is a common surname among the Naxi.

The image of Rees I used I had already painted about a month ago as part of an experiment of superimposing image upon image on an older painting of Vision of Disorder. It doesn't exist in the form you see below, and I kinda regret destroying it. On the right side is the DJ Ruben Rivera Jr (Aka The Tyrant) who remixed the VoD song Slapped by an X for the film and cd Threat: The Music that Inspired the Movie. [Halo 8, 2006]

Ruben Rivera Jr./Helen Rees, 30x40 inches

The next painting (below) is based on the cover photo of Echoes of History and illustrated the short track Salua bba xiuq bbaq by Yang Houkun. Salua bba xiuq bbaq is a folk melody played a single leaf and was recorded by Rees in 1993. In the image Yang is seen instructing his son Yang Zemin on a transverse flute.

Yang Zemin and Yang Houkun, 11x14 inches

One of my activities during my five-month top 100 hiatus was to draw. And I drew a lot. I drew, for example, all the illustrations from Echoes of History. The following images are snapshots from the sketchbook they appear in.