The art of filial piety

Ason warming the bed for his parents on cold winter nights and sleeping bare-chested on summer days to prevent mosquitoes from attacking his parents are examples of stories that extol filial piety in Chinese history.

A compilation of the filial conduct can be found in the ‘Twenty-Four Filial Exemplers’ (Er Shi Si Xiao) written by Yuan Dynasty scholar, Guo Ju Jing.

Sourcing inspirations from the classic text, artist Kerk Won Hoo held an exhibition recently at Mo-Dian Cultural Centre in Klang in conjunction with the Qing Ming festival.

His paintings depict the stories of a man who melted the ice with his body to get carps for his parents, another who travelled miles to purchase rice, a teenage girl who fought with a tiger to save her father, and many more.

“Filial piety has always been the centre of our lives.

“Some might say the stories, which have been spiced up with exaggeration, are illogical to be applied in today’s social context, but we can learn from the philosphy behind it,” he said.

Kerk added the 24 stories covered people in different social classes, including the poor, the rich as well as emperors.

In fact, he also added two more paintings to the series of 24 art pieces based on real-life stories.

“A friend of mine quit smoking when his mother advised him against it. Another always kowtows to his mother on Chinese New Year to ask for forgiveness. These, to me, are examples of filial conduct too,” he said.

The exhibition also showcased the calligraphy scrolls produced by Kerk’s students in the centre, explaining the gist of the stories in a pair of couplets.

Mo-Dian Cultural Centre is part of the Gan Association Selangor in Klang.

Association chairman Gan Yeew Tian said besides Chinese painting and calligraphy, Mo-Dian also offered Chinese music classes, such as guzheng, erhu and dizi.

“The centre, established as a calligraphy club 12 years ago, is aimed at keeping the Chinese culture alive,” he said.

For details, call 017-358 0121 or visit modianart.blogspot.com