Dancing, motionlessly, through time

When and where

"These silent clay figurines tell stories," says Wang Qian's student, Xu Yan, a painter and sculptor, who has participated in Wang Qian's replica project.

"Their dresses, hairstyles, facial expressions and dance moves all reflect Chinese history during different periods of time. The ceramic statuettes of musicians and dancers provide visual representations of the social life and aesthetics of ancient China."

Xu says she admires Wang Qian's courage and determination in the face of difficulties and challenges that have confronted her on her mission.

"Making replicas of dancing ceramic statuettes is a very complicated process," Xu says.

"Actually, it's not difficult to re-create a dancing figurine based on a photo because, as sculptors, we have the skills to fashion figurines. What challenges us most is conveying the history and culture of when and where the pottery figurine came from."

She adds that Wang Qian has brought many students to visit museums to observe pieces from different dynasties. Wang Qian explained their characteristics, and analyzed and compared their sculptural features and production techniques.

The scholar's ceramic figurines had been displayed in exhibitions in Xi'an, Beijing and Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, from 2021 to 2023.

During the exhibition in Beijing in April 2021, Wang Qian met faculty members of the Beijing Dance Academy, who then invited her to visit the school.