Chinese Art Education in Marikina

Chinese Art Education in Marikina
Tamaryn T. Mina

What is Chinese Art Education?
Yue (2009) recognizes that art education is an important part of the Chinese education system. Yue also divides art training into three categories. The researcher was surprised to discover that Yue termed the first kind "professional [art school] education" and equated it with "pure art" education. She also separated "general art education" from "professional [art school] education". Lastly, she called education from kindergarten to secondary school "non-professional".

The three categories of art education mentioned are [paraphrased]:
1. Professional art school education
2. General art education
3. Art education in normal colleges

It seems that the nation has a philosophy about artists that their end (as in, end of their educational path) is simply to sell their art. It seems like there are no people who can reach the summit of being an artist that they should make art for their own sake rather than the sake of shallow things like money and fame.
“Art” came from the word “ars” which means “skill”. So, perhaps the zenith of being an artist means being able to validate your own skills and define your own style of art.   

At a glance, it seems that art education in China denotes a place where someone can be free from mental slavery. A popular video about art school education on TikTok (a social media website) shows students using their skills of realistic rendering to prank their teacher and surprise her with successions of planned dupes and finally get her to leave the classroom in frustration. The researcher thinks that the video gives a negative connotation to audiences who actually have jobs.
The researcher has a hunch that the Chinese have a very difficult time making artists the state of cultural workers, instead of just letting them be mere professionals. It might be that China lacks a policy about the protection of artists and cultural guilds and groups. It seems that China is actually losing its cultural riches due to a lack of policy.       

Background on China

China is recognized as the most populous country in the world. Based on their national anthem, “March of the Volunteers”, their deepest desire is to raise themselves up from poverty and live the life of their dreams. China is a socialist republic, meaning that their ultimate goal is to live a good life based on the principles of volunteerism and public sharing.

Religion in China

China practices “freedom of religion” although the state espouses atheism. The classical religions and spiritual philosophies include Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. Other religions include Christianity and native religions.

Chinese Arts

Classical Chinese culture had a strong emphasis on literary arts such as calligraphy, poetry and painting. They used to place emphasis on these above dancing and drama, as those were important components of the imperial exam.

Chinese Education System

It’s strange to note that the Wikipedia page on China didn’t mention the education sector but the researcher feels that their idea of education is that “education” is integrated with all fields and sectors of society.  

China adopted socialist ideals for their problems of crop-sharing and communal sharing.


Marikina City
Marikina City is a 1st class city in the Philippines known for its shoe industry and quiet ambiance. Marikina houses a Chinese temple in Sto. Nino for the Chinese population and people who want to learn about Chinese culture.
Art education in Marikina comprises art workshops sponsored by the city and private artists like “MAARTSY” and other entities. It also includes English and Filipino classes in every school in the city, where students may write and use different performing arts and/or crafts. Lastly, the city is filled with monuments and simple, public paintings on walls.  
The following is a list of “art spaces” and galleries in the city:
DITO: Bahay ng Sining
Joey Velasco Gallery
Magasining Visual Art Agency
Ritrato Arts and Crafts
Savvy Art Gallery
Sin Garage
ART AND GO
Dreams Needlearts & Crafts
The Spirit of Bethlehem
Art Smart Manila
The Opinionated Art Store
Art Nouveau 181
Artville Art Gallery
Oma Arts and Crafts
Museum of Miniatures
The HeART Creative Hub
Some art spaces offer simple art classes or painting sessions (such as DITO: Bahay ng Sining and ART AND GO).
It appears that Marikina offers many avenues for artists however it seems like the local art world depends on personal and family connections.
Marikina isn’t known for highly theorized arts except for art housed at DITO: Bahay ng Sining and religious art (Joey Velasco Gallery and The Spirit of Bethlehem).
Chinese art seems to get outsourced to other neighbouring cities like Pasig (which has the nearest Chinese school, Dee Hwa Liong Academy). It seems that Chinese artists can get their break through casual events such as painting sessions, as per “right now”.

Conclusion
It seems like Chinese art is stuck in a vicious cycle of “being an artist simply for the money”. Art, admittedly, is art itself. Art can be a skill. Art can be a concept. Art can be the self. However, the researcher defines art as a product, the work of one’s own hands. So China looks like it outsources its art to other countries because of a national problem involving the concept of “work”. Chinese art has great potential, in my opinion. However, the work of bringing Chinese art forward to the 21st century is just beginning.