Tocommemoratethe200thanniversaryofKarlMarx’sbirth,theNationalMuseumofChinainBeijingispresentinganexhibitiontitled“ThePowerofTruth,”whichrunsthroughAugust5.OnMay5,1818,KarlMarxwasborntoamiddle-classfamilyinTrier,Germany.Hecouldn’thaveimaginedthat200yearslater,hisphilosophywouldstillholdsuchheavyinfluenceinChina,ontheothersideoftheworld.TocommemoratethebicentennialofKarlMarx’sbirth,theNationalMuseumofChinainBeijingispresentinganexhibitiontitled“ThePowerofTruth,”whichrunsthroughAugust5.WhenMarxwas17yearsold,hewroteinagraduationessaytitledYouths’ConsiderationsinChoosingOccupationsthatifonechosealoftycareertobestservemankind,hissoulwouldbeenrichedbymakingsacrificestobenefitallpeople.Marxliveduptohiswords,andhisideasoncommunismhavebeenputintopracticearoundtheworldandservedastheideologicalfoundationofseveralcommuniststatesinthe20thcentury.TheexhibitionpresentsillustratednarrativesofvariousstoriestoformacomprehensivetimelineofthelifeandworkoftheGermanphilosopher,aswellashowhisideasinspiredtheChinesetobuildacommunistnation.Visitorscanfindmanybooks,documents,lettersandphotos,aswellas24worksofartproducedbyrenownedChinesepainters.“Marxismhasnotonlyprofoundlychangedtheworld,butalsoprofoundlychangedChina,”declaredPresidentXiJinping,alsogeneralsecretaryoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)CentralCommitteeandchairmanoftheCentralMilitaryCommission,ataconferenceattheGreatHallofthePeopleinBeijingtohonorthe200thanniversaryofMarx’sbirth.“HistoryhasshownthatthefateofMarxismistightlyconnectedtothefateofourPartyandthefateoftheChinesenation.”TheexhibitionechoedXi’swords,showcasinghowMarxismtookroot,sproutedandblossomedinChina.ReverberationsfromtheOctoberRevolutioninRussiahelpedintroduceMarxism-LeninismtoChinaandkindlenewhopeintheeternalChinesestruggleforsurvival,settingthestageforthebirthoftheCPC.Sincethen,theCPChascombinedthefundamentalprinciplesofMarxismwiththerealitiesofChineserevolutionandconstruction,transformingtheChinesenationfromthe“sickmanofEastAsia”toonewhohasstoodupbyunitingandleadingthepeoplethroughlong-termstruggle.
WritingCapitalbySunLixin,oilpainting,300cm×350cm,2018.
LearningMarxismPrevailsinYan’anbyWangKe,200cm×500cm,2018.ARevolutionaryFamilybySunJingbo,oilpainting,250cm×380cm,2018.
OneexhibitisacopyofanissueofWanGuoGongBao(ReviewoftheTimes)from1899,whichwasoneofthefirstintroductionsofthenamesofMarxandEngelsinChinesemedia.OnesectionoftheexhibitiondisplayscopiesoftheCommunistManifestopublishedindifferentlanguagesandcountriesovertheyears,evidencingthefar-reachinginfluenceofMarxandEngels.AmongthemisaChineseversionpublishedin1938,withhand-writtennotationsbylatePremierZhouEnlaiin1943inYan’an,China’srevolutionarycradle,inShaanxiProvince.TheexhibitionalsoexploresMarx’sfamilylifeandthedeeplovebetweenhimandhiswife,JennyvonWestphalen,withwhomhehadsevenchildren.AnoilpaintingtitledARevolutionaryFamilyby74-year-oldSunJingbo,aretiredprofessorfromtheCentralAcademyofFineArts,depictsasweetfamilysceneinwhichMarxisreadingShakespearetohiswifeandthreedaughters.Theyoungestartistinvolvedintheexhibitionwas45-year-oldJinRui,whocontributedaninkdrawingportrayinganambitiousteenageMarxsurroundedbyhisfriendsatmiddleschool.“MygenerationgrewupwithfirmbeliefinMarxism,”saysSun,theeldestofthefeaturedpainters.“Weadmireandfollowhisphilosophies.ButinthispaintingItriedtofocusonhisothersideasacaringhusbandandfather.Theclosefamilyrelationshipandhisloveforhischildrengreatlyinfluencedhispersonality.”“Marxismisanopentheorythatisconstantlydevelopingandalwaysstaysatthefrontierofthetimes,”saysFengYuan,vicechairmanofChinaFederationofLiteraryandArtCircles,asponsoroftheexhibition.“AsPresidentXisaid,wemustbaseourworkinChinaandembracemodernization,theworld,andthefuturewhileconsolidatingMarxismasourguidingideology.Ihopetheexhibitionconveysthismessage.”