START Museum is coming to the public on 31th December 2022. Located on No.111 Ruining Road, the museum is the starting point of West Bund Art Museum Avenue in Xuhui, Shanghai.
On the occasion of the opening, we would like to pay tribute with a personal letter from Mr. He Juxing, the founder of the Start Museum.
(This letter is originally a piece of diary I wrote two years ago, which I now present to you all upon the founding of Start Museum. These are my heartfelt words for you to laugh away -- yours gratefully, He Juxing)
Standing Steadfast at Sixty
— written in the sixtieth year of idleness
Though life is short, sixty-year time is long.Turning sixty, I shall stand on my own two feet, before which my very own self should be introspected with nine whiplashes, to mirror my greatest weakness through the slightest faults: the first lash is for book learning that yields nothing; the second, for valor on the wrong path; the third, for indulgence in pleasure and competition; the fourth, for gambling with fate; the fifth, for attempting to delusions; the sixth, for crossing the line in the name of goodwill; the seventh, for the excess of obstinacy; the eighth, for the dearth of philanthropy; and the ninth, for failing filial piety…The nine lashes are to reflect on myself. We mortals live a life of thousands of temperaments that no one is qualified to complete blamelessness.
By “standing steadfast at sixty”, I mean I would strive hard in my old age, much like a war horse that returns to the battlefield. In fact, the battlefield has always been there, although, before going, you also need to be prepared to lose for those shining spears and flying bullets — Then let’s talk about the bases to stand on at sixty: The first base is to feel with the body, the second is to reason with the mind; the third, to empathise with the wretched; the fourth, to exercise braveness to deeds; the fifth, to walk with the righteous; the sixth, to exert the strength with sharpness; the seventh, to shower the others with gentleness; the eighth, to fulfill the duties of a son; the ninth, to read and make contributions; and the tenth, to be my true self…
Stand steadfast at sixty, on my own two feet, neither the ruler nor the ruled. My future self shall be an ingenious and unbounded one; one that flies away from the invisible cage, the menacing power, and the clutch of machinery; one that dispels obsessiveness and foolishness, grudges and grievances, pretension of self-value, and pursuit of vainglory; and finally, one that manages to keep a simple nature from the restriction of language.
Stand steadfast at sixty — in other words, time to restart and reshine. I would like to tell you, friends and family, that by establishing Start Museum, we share our ambition and strive forth together, with few predecessors and successors, to know once again what is art, what is an artist, how art has survived, and how art has witnessed the rises and falls in the world.
As far as I remember, when people were first born to this world, so was art, and when people reach their end, art carries on. In comparison with the endless research and discussion about art’s past and future, my attempt only scratches the surface, but is worth dedicating my remaining years to.
One should be clear of all confusions at sixty, just as the world should operate according to principles. I made a pledge at twenty that I would save up as much as I can before sixty, and spend as much as I will after that. To save up is to extend life, while to spend is to consume life. Now as I rethink about it, after sixty I would continue to save up, but in a different manner. This new pledge shall be honoured from this moment on, of which I gratefully ask for all of your supervision.