澳大新語 • 2022 UMAGAZINE 26 52 人物專訪 • EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ‘I was determined to study what was painted in this landscape scroll with bright colours and grandeur,’ says Prof Yang, who has walked almost every hill and street in Macao in the years since his arrival, generally confirming the topography of Macao as drawn on the map. Taking into consideration the literature from the same period and having conducted a comparative analysis of the painting’s subject matter, content, and characteristics, Prof Yang has concluded that this traditional landscape scroll was painted by a Chinese artist influenced by Western painting methods and dated the painting to around the early or mid-Qianlong period (mid-18th century). In addition to being the largest known topographical painting of Macao, the landscape scroll is also the largest and the earliest traditional Chinese landscape painting of Macao from a Chinese perspective, which vividly depicts the well-being of both Chinese and foreigners in Macao living in a ‘golden age’ under the sovereignty and governance of the Qing dynasty. Prof Yang later presented this discovery in his article titled ‘“A Hundred Miles of Rivers and Mountains” — A First Look at a Newly Discovered Macao Landscape Scroll from Singapore.’ The article was published in the Chinese edition of Review of Culture, a journal produced by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao and edited by UM’s Centre for Macau Studies. ‘Inspired by the landscape scroll, I am going to write a book about Macao’s image in the 18th century from various perspectives,’ he says. Finding Pleasure in History Research Recounting his experiences of learning and researching history, Prof Yang says that it was purely by chance that he started to study history when he was young and he went overseas to pursue further studies both because of the times and because of his aspirations. ‘I find it a pleasure to conduct research in history. Even after all these years, I still get very excited when I find pieces of evidence that can prove my point of view,’ says Prof Yang. ‘I believe the ultimate goal of life is to enjoy oneself, and this is what drives me to do research in history.’ connections, developments, and contexts of cowry money in order to tell a global story from local perspectives. In addition, Prof Yang presents a different perspective from that of many scholars in his book, which he considers one of the highlights. ‘While many scholars in academia in China consider cowrie shells as the earliest money in China and China as the first country to use cowrie shells as currency, I point out that cowrie shells were only a “money candidate” in ancient China, but not a currency. “Money candidate” refers to items with the potential to be used as currency, including items that did not really become currency,’ says Prof Yang. ‘Previously, people did not distinguish between valuables and currency, thinking currency was equivalent to wealth and something of value. Cowrie shells came from the remote Indian Ocean, so they were difficult to transport and the supply was unstable. For this reason, they did not become currency in ancient China.’ He also compares cowrie shells in ancient China to diamonds: ‘Although diamonds can be exchanged for money, people did not use them for consumption. In the same sense, cowrie shells did not become currency in ancient China.’ Historical Encounter with Macao In spring of 2017, Prof Yang was in Singapore, writing a book about the sinology master Prof Jao Tsung-I’s experiences as a faculty member at the University of Singapore. During the data collection process, he came across a 318 cm long, 30 cm wide landscape scroll of Macao from the Qing dynasty on display as part of the Lee Kong Chian Collection in the National University of Singapore Museum. Prof Yang identified the scroll, which was not included in any Macao map collections or paintings. It is the largest existing Chinese landscape painting of the topography, scenery, and dwellings of Macao. At that time, Prof Yang had never studied the history of Macao. The fateful encounter with the painting occurred just before he began working at UM, which presented him a unique opportunity to form a relationship with Macao.
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