The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. He had a number of powerful dreams and worked tirelessly, until his assassination, at achieving aims that must have seemed fanciful at the time – white and black children in the same schools? Drinking from the same water fountains? To many Americans these things must have seemed crazy. But King had recurring dreams and a persistent spirit. One thing King may never have anticipated, however, is that his 120 million dollar, 28 foot (8.5m) tall, granite monument on the National Mall in D.C. will be carved out of giant hunk of Chinese granite and chiseled by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin (雷宜锌 | Léi Yíxīn) in Changsha, China. 

Full size model being made, Changsha, China

Naturally the move has caused an uproar in the US. A group of American artists have come together to protest the pick, arguing an African American, or any American, should have been picked to sculpt the colossal monument (King’s memorial will tower 8 feet (2.4m) over Lincoln’s). "Dr. King's statue is to be shipped here in a crate that supposedly says 'Made in China,’” complains Lea Winfrey Young, “that's just obscene."

The Chinese connection problems started before a sculptor was even chosen when it was revealed Chinese granite would be used. Concerns rose that the granite would be mined by workers working in slave-like conditions – which not only runs counter to human decency but flies in the face of King’s life work. Marc Fisher of the Washington Post sees further contradiction in the selection of Lei Yixin. “It is simply wrong to have outsourced both the sculpting and quarrying of the granite -- and especially to China,” writes Fisher, “a country whose government during King's lifetime called him a ‘reactionary running dog’ for his advocacy of nonviolent protest.” 

By Gilbert Young, 2007

A diverse coalition of activists and artists have come together to protest the project, joined by stone-carvers, and talk show hosts. One of the most frequently raised concerns has been that the selection of the stone and the carver were influenced by the Chinese government’s 25 million dollar donation to the privately funded project.

 

Lei Yixin, 53, comes from an educated family and spent seven years of the Cultural Revolution being re-educated. Drawing became a way to rescue himself from the toil and boredom of farm life, and when China’s universities reopened in 1978 he was in the first class of artists to be accepted. While there are few chances for sculptors in the States to create monuments, China’s epic growth has caused a profusion of monuments – Lei himself has sculpted 150 of them, imposing social realist works often depicting figures such as Mao Zedong.
 

 

L ei Yixin at work

Lei seems mystified by the reaction to his pick, “He [King] has always dreamed that people from all over the world will not be judged by the color of their skin -- that we would all be brothers and sisters and enjoy equal opportunity,” says the artist known for his unwillingness to engage in art world politics, “now I have the luck to get this opportunity."
Whether it’s luck, 25 million greenbacks, or just the cost of buying materials and producing the monument in China, the process has been long and costly. After viewing preparatory models there was criticism of the Social Realist characteristics of the statue. Fisher of the Post has been particularly vituperative, “Nowhere do I find King depicted the way a sculptor in China is interpreting him…” complains Fisher, “nowhere is King seen in the arrogant stance of a dictator, clad in a boxy suit, with an impassive, unapproachable mien, looking more like an East Bloc Politburo member.”
 

Lei Yixin with model

Still, though the project may slow while brows are re-sculpted and postures softened, it is unlikely anything will derail the project. Whatever thoughts King might have had about his monument it’s unlikely he would want so much attention paid to it. The best way to honor King’s legacy is to continue his work; his likeness may be confined to stone but his work in transforming America needs to be continued and kept alive. Whether or not King ever had a dream about a monument with Chinese characteristics is immaterial. King left a wealth of other wisdom behind, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”

 

Related Links

My Story and the Chinese Dream Behind It
Unlikely Obama Supporters: Pre-election Experiences in China
Is There Really No Racism in China?

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.