Each year, students from the University of Glasgow’s Museum Studies programme collaborate with The Hunterian’s staff to develop an exhibition.
Since January, this year’s cohort have been working to design and deliver Artist: Unknown, which opened on 25 June 2024.
Artist: Unknown showcases rarely-seen items from The Hunterian’s collections, focusing on objects in the World Cultures and Art categories.
These objects lack important catalogue information which was not recorded at the point of acquisition.
Here, the students explore the hidden stories and symbols behind an intriguing soapstone statue…
Despite its small size, this soapstone statue intricately depicts Lan Caihe (藍采和), one of the Eight Immortals (八仙) of Chinese Daoism. The clothing details make this statue particularly special.
The Yunjian (雲肩, also known as cloud collar, or decorative fabric on the shoulders) and Pibo (披帛, long ribbons draped over the arms) are typical characteristics of ancient Chinese female attire.
This contradicts the most widely recognised image of Lan Caihe who, before the Qing Dynasty (1616–1912), was generally considered a male immortal.
Lan Caihe is the only immortal with an ambiguous gender identity and age, and is often characterised as eccentric and defying expectations.
Lan Caihe
Lan Caihe’s story originates from Shen Fen’s Xu Xian Zhuan (續仙傳) which documents the legend of immortals from the period of the Southern Tang Dynasty (937–975).
It describes the immortal as a singing wandering beggar, dressed in tattered blue clothes. Lan Caihe was also documented as wearing a long wide belt and a shoe on one foot, with the other foot bare. The single shoe is thought to represent a defiance of tradition or act of rebellion by a liberated spirit.
Lan Caihe sometimes carried long clappers (castanets), singing and entertaining people in towns and villages, with attire unconstrained by the natural environment (or unsuitable for the weather), symbolising a carefree life untouched by worldly worries.
Some studies suggest that ‘Lan Caihe’ is a meaningless phonetic sound. In the course of the story’s evolution, his clappers were loaned to someone else and the item in his hand became a flower basket. This is perhaps because later generations thought his surname was Lan (homophonic with ‘basket’ in Chinese).
Despite the ambiguity surrounding Lan Caihe’s gender identity and the changes in appearance, the use of a flower basket as a distinguishing feature remains consistent throughout the various versions of the tale.
The Legend of the Eight Immortals
During the Song and Yuan Dynasties (960–1368), the Eight Immortals collectively appeared as a group of celestial beings. However, they were not closely associated with each other, did not attain immortality together, nor did they belong to the same era or location.
Some individuals among them had master-disciple relationships, such as Zhongli Quan (锺离權) and Lu Dongbin (呂洞賓), but most did not. You can find out more about the Eight Immortals in The Hunterian’s Collection Search: see Lu Dongbin.
Some perspectives attribute the collective depiction to the development of traditional Chinese opera, where actors and actresses used them to play various roles.
Others argue that the Eight Immortals were initially brought together by folk painters to create appealing imagery. This focused on uniting eight diverse characters: the elderly, the youthful, generals, scholars, the impoverished, dignitaries, patients and women.
Over time, tales such as ‘The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea’ (八仙過海) and ‘The Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity’ (八仙祝壽) emerged, symbolising the creation of miracles through their special abilities or blessings for longevity respectively.
The Eight Immortals also became an important subject in arts and crafts. In the operatic narratives of this era, Lan Caihe was portrayed as an opera performer, later transcended into an immortal.
Changing portrayals of Lan Caihe
Lan Caihe’s portrayal shifted during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) to that of a child or youth, often wearing Yaji (丫髻, also known as double buns).
This hairstyle, with two buns on either side, is common for both boys and girls, and their clothing also lacks distinct gender characteristics (see a typical figure of child Lan Caihe).
In the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Yi recorded Lan Caihe as a female immortal in Gai Yu Cong Kao (陔餘叢考). Some scholars believe that this is because the role of children or youth in traditional opera usually belongs to the ‘dan’ role (旦).
At that time, regardless of whether the actor playing the ‘dan’ role was male or female, the role of ‘dan’ was usually considered female.
Consequently, Lan Caihe’s character was frequently depicted by male actors who wore female attire on stage but retain a male voice when singing. This could have resulted in Lan Caihe being recorded as a female immortal.
This tradition of female portrayal continues in Peking Opera today (Peking Opera cut: Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea).
Unexpected Connections
Despite generating a wealth of diverse stories, Lan Caihe does not command much attention among the Eight Immortals but does uniquely embody fluidity in gender and age within this context.
In today’s society, which values inclusivity and diversity, these narratives provide further insight into this object.
The Hunterian commits to becoming a more ethical institution which critically reflects on the past. It aims to be relevant to the present, and create an equitable future for all.
From ‘Curating Discomfort’ to ‘Reframing the Hunterian Art Gallery’, The Hunterian reflects on the privileges and oppressions in traditional systems, telling stories that were previously overlooked.
The exhibition Artist: Unknown continues this reflection by researching and showcasing works by undocumented artists to supplement the gaps in The Hunterian’s collection records.
Similar to numerous marginalised or underrepresented groups, the queer community and gender fluidity have often been inadequately represented in various cultural narratives.
Tracing Lan Caihe’s roles in legends and operas, the stories about gender fluid communities, Lan Caihe’s representation as a performer, and the performers who portrayed Lan Caihe in gender-nonconforming ways (which today may be seen as precursors to drag queens or transgender individuals) have actually been present in history, and present around us.
Although the unknown artist may not have intended it, this figure of Lan Caihe provides a unique opportunity to examine and comprehend related historical and artistic themes through a queer lens.
From this perspective, Lan Caihe’s non-binary, gender fluid identity and spirit of rebellion against traditional norms, brings insights about inclusivity, diversity and the courage to pursue one’s self.
Just as multiple versions of stories have shaped such a fascinating image of Lan Caihe, embracing diversity and differences can help to build a more inclusive and equitable society.
Artist: Unknown is on display at the Hunterian Art Gallery until 22 September 2024.
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